How is gleitschirm, or paragliding, a unique experience?

What is gleitschirm?

Gleitschirm, on its English name – paragliding, is an adventure sport aimed at getting the best out of the flying experience. It consists of literally flying above preferably amazing landscape and enjoying the ride alone, together with someone dear, or in the company of a paragliding instructor.

The popularity of the sport comes from it providing lots of fun and at the same time being safe. The packing required is also light, which represents a great plus for everyone. The complete equipment can be introduced in a backpack and carried for hours without posing any problems.

Once in the air, you can fly above the earth for approximately one - two hours or even more. During your flight you will experience great doses of adrenalin and the sight from underneath you is sure to take your breath away.

How many types of gleitschirm exist?

The activity is the same, but depending on some features, it comes under different names. This is why the sport divides into hang gliding, powered paragliding, speed flying or kite skiing. Its history dates back to the beginning of the world, because this is how long people have been dreaming about flying. But the dream was shaped into reality only starting from the 1950s, together with the evolution of parachutes.

Hang gliding is often considered a different sport from paragliding, but the experience is similar in both cases. A hang glider is a kind of airplane, but resembles a rudimentary one. While the feeling of flying with such a machine is great, the glider is simple: a triangle shaped wing and an aluminium bar underneath it that serves as cockpit.

Powered paragliding differentiates from simple paragliding by the fact that the pilot is propelled by a small engine, placed on the pilot's back. With a powered glider, the person flying it can reach a top speed of 70 km per hour.

Speed flying is great during winter. Using a small fabric wing, you are propelled fast on a steep slope. When practising this sport on a surface covered with snow, the sport is known as speed riding or ski gliding.

Who can practice gleitschirm?

The activity is aimed at the large public, as anyone can enjoy a ride alone or accompanied by a professional instructor. The feeling it provides is unforgettable and companies specializing in this sport are constantly looking for more unique places from where to start.

Professional paragliders will know their favourite places and will always be in search of new locations from where to launch themselves into the amazing abyss of the air. A novice, however, will surely look for a company such as Paragliding Luzern to suggest location and to give a hand with the technical part.

Paragliding is a great way of escaping the daily monotony and at the same time a great surprise gift for someone dear. However you decide to enjoy it, it is a great sport any time, at any age, for everyone. Take-off and fly above the earth with Paragliding Luzern. You can find more information at www.paragliding-luzern.ch