Paragliding over Kaprun valley and visiting the high mountain reservoir and dam: Eurotrip Day 04
After watching the paragliders take off from Schmittenhöhe summit the day before, I was determined to do it myself. I made an appointment for around noontime, but had an hour or so to walk along Lake Zell before being picked up at the hotel.
This first picture may be my favorite of the day: a half sunken rowboat.
I walked south along the shore pathway until I reached the small town of Schüttdorf, which doesn’t really have anything exciting besides some houses and a boat club.
This pile of firewood is perfectly stacked.
This next shot shows what an average house in the area looks like.
As I walked back to Zell am See I snapped a pic of a departing train. The tracks are so close to the water, it makes for a beautiful when traveling through by train.
The next three pictures are part of a series entitled benches you are not currently sitting on. The light glinted off the water’s surface like glass; what a beautiful morning.
This next one pretty much sums up the whole Zell am See experience. Yep.
I met with my tandem partner Louis, and we road the cable car to the top of the mountain. The next bunch of photos and video were taken with a combination of his GoPro camera fashioned to the end of an extendable pole, and a cheap Canon point and shot I carry around with me because it fits in my pocket.
The harness is very simple, and doesn’t really amount to more than a big backpack you put on that that straps to the front of Louis. His backpack is bigger because it carried our gear and a counterweight, and also features a large cushion on the bottom. You basically land by sliding to a stop on your ass.
It was cool because the day before I was a spectator watching the paragliders take off like everyone else, but now all those people were standing around and spectating me 😀
Louis unfurls the windsock.
The takeoff strip. All you have to really do is start running forward, and the parachute drags along the ground until it rises up like a kite. When you get to the edge you’re supposed to keep on running, and as the ground falls beneath you you simply float away 🙂
Here is the video recorded of the takeoff.
Sailing over Kaprun valley. It basically just feels like your sitting in a recliner. It’s very comfortable and not scary at all. Pretty much the closest thing you can get to flying, Louis essentially has a dream job.
This next video is my favorite and shows us flying.
