Jimbo had been wanting to learn how to paraglide so bad, but all the classes at Cloud 9 paragliding school were full. We dry camped at the Flight Park Campground on Sunday night and he was out there at 6:30am talking to all the paragliders trying to find someone who would be willing to give him a class or two. But, because of liability issues and licensing restrictions (trainers have to be licensed) we had no choice but go through a school.
Once again, just as we were about to give up hope, God pulled through and we got a text from Cloud 9 saying they had a cancellation so a spot had opened up for him to take a class! (That seems to be the theme of this trip... God is definitely trying to show us that we should never give up hope!)
We were so excited we could hardly sleep! 6am came quickly and we were up and ready to go. Albeit a bit tired, but the adrenaline was already flowing. We walked out there and met our group at the top of the hill, then we jumped into the truck with our instructor, Alex, and rode down to the bottom of the hill. (Beginners start at the bottom of the hill and work their way up.)
Once we were at the bottom of the hill, Alex handed Jimbo a wing and a harness and the training immediately began. We went over everything from how to unpack the wing properly, what order to strap on your harness straps, to what each one of the strings on the wing does, etc. There’s a lot that goes into it before you can even get the wing up and off the ground!
Alex was an excellent instructor, very patient, and very experienced. He had a way of teaching that helped you remember everything you needed to do in the correct order. Before long Jimbo was soaring through the air and landing. Each time a little higher. Jimbo was either a natural or Alex really was a great teacher (or maybe both) because he caught on really quickly! The three hours flew by quickly and just like that his first class was over.
He’s been bit by the paragliding bug! Can’t get enough of that fun and the feeling of soaring through the air. Still a lot more to learn though. He’s on the waiting list for a couple of classes next week. We’re hoping he can get in at least one more class before we leave SLC on Wednesday and start heading west.