Winter missions to harness every flyable opportunity.
Black Mountains - Wales
The British winter can be a cruel and temperamental mistress. So often it is easy to pass on anything outdoors as the nights draw in and the weather deteriorates. But, if you know where to look, and you take the right approach, there are some great opportunities to be had.
Riding in the hill tops are clear. Laden with paragliding kit on our backs, we begin the ascent into the hills, pushing hard with the added weight. Conditions are questionable but with optimism we pushed on, hoping and praying for a clear line of sight at take off. Our steep and sharp ascent led us through boggy and sodden ground - reaching the freezing line near the summit came as a relief as we finally regained some traction. As we arrived at the ridge, thick orographic cloud was forming just below leaving our take off blanketed in a thick fog, killing any chances of flying. Alistair gets his wing out just incase, but even our optimism couldn't stand up to the prevailing conditions. Small clearings in the cloud toyed with us as we waited patiently but none were long enough nor safe enough to launch.
With darkness imminent, the sunset soaring was not meant to be. We packed away the gear and continued with the second half of the route under the cover of darkness. Although we didn't get to fly, we still had the opportunity to enjoy some of Wales' finest single track as we weaved our way down the 2km descent. The bogs, rocks, rain and darkness made for a loose but exhilarating descent.
This one didn't quite work out as hoped, but as with anything, you don't know until you try. We'll be back for round 2 very soon, determined to make the most of the British winter in anyway we can.
