March 5th, 2010 Posted in lifestyle | No Comments »
Written by Shanie
Have you ever dreamed of flying like a bird? How about a bird with a ten foot wingspan? Would flying with the giants of the sky suffice? Well, that is exactly what Ernesto Gutierrez is doing in the Lakes District of Patagonia. And he’s offering that exhilarating feeling to visitors of the area with his business, Parapente Bariloche.
A relatively new sport to the adventure scene, Parapente, or paragliding, began in the 1980s in Europe. It was quickly realized that this flying mechanism of a fabric wing propelled by air flowing through vents was the closest that a human can come to being a part of our feathered friend’s world. The adrenaline-pumping surfing of the ever-changing wind thermals soon became a world-renowned sport. And that is when Bariloche local, Gutierrez, found something that made him feel alive. The skylark had such a strong pull to the air currents and overwhelmingly fabulous feeling from the activity that he wanted to share the glory. So, he created Parapente Bariloche.
I was able to sit down with the innovator of Patagonian paragliding and find out what makes him passionate about flying with the Andean Condors, what it is like to be amongst the winds of change, and whether or not it really is safe to fly like a bird. This is what he had to say:
SM: How did you initially become involved with parapenting?
Gutierrez: I always dreamed about free-flying – the act of flying without an engine and taking off by the pilot’s own legs. I started paragliding 16 years ago in Bariloche (Argentina), when I had the possibility to take a course with a French instructor and buy my first wing. It quickly became a passion for me from the beginning and I quit many other activities to have more time to fly.
SM: What is it like to fly with the Patagonian wind and birds?
Gutierrez: I believe Patagonia is a very special place in the world with its incredible landscapes and an amazing wilderness. We fly with moderate winds and here in Patagonia the weather conditions can change fast. This can be a problem for pilots from other areas, but Patagonian pilots learned to watch and pay special attention to weather evolution. Fortunately weather forecasts are much more accurate now and there is a lot of available information out there to keep us safe. Many times we must stay on the ground because it’s too windy to fly but that’s part of the rules. The wildlife is also special in Patagonia.There is a large number of birds we can watch from the air and around the take off and landing areas. Big birds like the Andean Condors, vultures, eagles and hawks have a similar way of flying; using air streams to save energy and go higher. That’s also what free-flyers do; so we share those air streams with them.
SM: So you have you flown with the Andean condors?
Gutierrez: In the area of Bariloche and El Bolsón we have the largest Andean Condor population in the world. On Cerro Otto (a spectacular view point located in central Bariloche), very close to the city, you can watch them daily at certain times, when they fly from their sleeping areas to the feeding areas. Condors are social and curious birds. They like to come very close to paragliders to watch us.Young condors are even more trustful. They like to play with paragliders and sometimes they even touch our wings in a friendly way.
SM: What has been your favorite experience so far in parapenting?
Gutierrez: I have many thousands of flights. Each flight is different so it’s difficult to choose one, but I especially enjoy cross country flights. And also the smiles and feedback I get from my passengers.
SM: Do you feel that parapenting is a dangerous activity? Why or why not?
Gutierrez: I think paragliding could be dangerous or not, depending on who practices the activity.Of course flying the wrong day, in the wrong place, or with your equipment in bad condition could be dangerous, but we must develope, step by step, the knowledge to make good decisions.The safety of this activity depends specifically on ourselves.
SM: Which areas in the Lakes District are best for flying?
Gutierrez: Around Bariloche there are many flying areas and take off points. We enjoy flying especially off Cerro Otto and Catedral because of their beauty and the roads and chairlifts offering easy-access to take-off zones. El Bolsón is similar to Bariloche but we can fly more days there, because it’s less windy.
SM: How do you fly with clients?
Gutierrez: We do paragliding tandem flights. We use special wings built for two. We prepare the passenger with a suit, helmet and harness. After a short briefing they are ready to take off with the tandem pilot. It’s necessary to run a few steps to become airborne but after that we are flying in comfortable seats. The pilot normally steers the wing, although the passenger can also do that during part of the flight.
SM: Are there any special abilities that a person needs to fly with you?
Gutierrez: Passengers don’t need any previous knowledge, nor any special physical conditioning.
SM: What would a day be like for a person that is flying with you?
Gutierrez: We contact the passengers on flight day around 9 am to confirm weather conditions, meeting place, flight place, and time. If we fly off Cerro Otto it takes around two hours including transports, preparations and flight. Normally we go up the mountain with two pilots and two passengers at a time. If we decide to fly in El Bolsón (130 kilometers or 80 miles away) because of weather conditions, we will need all the day or six hours at least.
SM: What is the most important piece of advice you can give someone considering parapenting?
Gutierrez: Let’s fly! Paragliding is an incredible and amazing activity. It’s very gentle and is not frightening. Flying like a bird will always be one of mankind’s dreams and now, with paragliding, it is possible.
You can contact Parapente Bariloche via email, parapente@bariloche.com.ar, or telephone, (02944) 15 413 037 or (02944) 462 234.
