Fernie has a small group of dedicated paragliders that launch off the 6900ft Morrissey Ridge. They can be seen soaring well above the ridge on clear evenings. Here is a short video featuring their spectacular flights:
A few evenings flying in Fernie
Posted by Ron Clark on Saturday, September 27, 2014
Paragliding is the recreational and competitive adventure sport of flying paragliders: lightweight, free-flying, foot-launched glider aircraft with no rigid primary structure. The pilot sits in a harness suspended below a fabric wing comprising a large number of interconnected baffled cells. Wing shape is maintained by the suspension lines, the pressure of air entering vents in the front of the wing, and the aerodynamic forces of the air flowing over the outside.
Despite not using an engine, paragliders flight can last many hours and cover many hundreds of kilometers, though flights of one to two hours and covering some tens of kilometers are more the norm. By skilful exploitation of sources of lift, the pilot may gain height, often climbing to altitudes of a few thousand meters.
