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Thermal Crossings: A Paraglider’s Journey

Why just read about past adventures, when you can nudge new ones into existence...

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Thermal Crossings: A Paraglider’s Journey

Thermal Crossings: A Paraglider’s Journey

Thermal Crossings: A Paraglider’s Journey

Thermal Crossings: A Paraglider’s Journey

Thermal Crossings: A Paraglider’s Journey

Why just read about past adventures, when you can nudge new ones into existence...

Why just read about past adventures, when you can nudge new ones into existence...

Why just read about past adventures, when you can nudge new ones into existence...

Why just read about past adventures, when you can nudge new ones into existence...

Rhys Fisher
Rhys Fisher
Rhys Fisher
Rhys Fisher
1 Campaign |
London, United Kingdom
$5,129 USD $5,129 USD by 74 backers
$4,799 USD by 69 backers on Jan 11, 2016

“One morning I had this crazy idea to give people an opportunity to experience the world of paragliding like never before” – Rhys Fisher, Agile Existence

 

In June 2017, along with Mark Baldwin and Fons de Leewe, we will attempt a coast to coast Pyrenees crossing–powered only by the elements.

From the Bay of Biscay to the Mediterranean sea, We will navigate through epic peaks, confront demanding flying, loaded hikes, and wild camp deeper than any of us have ever gone before.

To get you closer to the action, I've co-founder Adventures Unbound with Alice Horwood, and soon we will have a custom project website (reachinglostmountain.com) where you'll get access to LIVE tracking and social updates and an exclusive paragliding game level.

Project Thermal Crossings

Thermal Crossings is a “bold new approach” for adventuring that makes vol-biv paragliding more accessible, more transparent and more engaging to fans. Above all this, it allows Rhys, with your support, to inspire the next generation of adventurers.

“Everyone who lives, dies. Yet not everyone who dies, has lived. We take these risks not to escape life, but to prevent life from escaping us” – unknown

Rhys is assembling some of the most successful and recognisable names in paragliding and adventure athletics to guide him through a demanding training to prepare him for this expedition. He is once again questioning untested assumptions and taking his team through an innovative new model. This model starts by inviting you to crowdfund the first phase of the project--budget and itemize.

In return, he will provide fans with HD videos edits that capture his XC flying and vol-biv paragliding expeditions in stunning detail. Revealing a never before seen perspective into such an expedition, and providing you with an opportunity to nudge an adventure into existence.

"It's the first time anybody has offered the opportunity to be so involved, to be able to access all of the training data, and the inside stories” – Stan Radzikowski

Read more of Rhys's story here.

The History of Paragliding:

 

In the 1960s, the military needed to train parachutists how to perform safe landings. In order to fit more landing practice into a day, they would attach the parachutists to a truck with a tow rope and once high enough, would release the tow rope so the parachutists could descend back to earth. Many parachutists soon became more interested in the floating part instead of the landing part.

For fun, they would launch themselves off steep hills and parachute to the ground below, experimenting with how they could harness air currents to stay in the air longer.

This soon became a sport and really picked up steam with the invention of the ram-air parachute. Also known as the parafoil. Developed by Domina Jalbert in 1964, the ram-air parachute called a wing or canopy -- was broken up into cells. As the canopy caught the wind, air would "ram" into these cells, inflating the wing. The shape allowed the wing to glide further.

 

 

 

Modern paragliders have evolved a lot since the early days and have since become highly sophisticated ultralight aircraft. A complete gear can weigh between 8kg–20kg, and enable pilots to fly at speeds between 20km/h–70km/h. They have glide ratios of 10/1. The performance enhancements allow pilots to stay in the air for many hours at a time and to fly many hundreds of miles in a single flight.

Here's what one of Rhys's Flights looks like visualised over a 3D map.

 

A Winning Team

The thermal crossing’s team is still growing but is already home to some of the biggest names in adventure athletics. The superheroes of today. With that said, it's a pleasure to introduce you to the team.

Rhys Fisher: Cross Country Paraglider 

Rhys has written about tech, lifestyle, business and more. And is quickly making a name for himself as a lifestyle hacker by blazing an uncommon trail, making the seemingly impossible possible, and sharing his learnings along the way. He has helped companies grow large audiences, thoroughly enjoys traveling the world and meeting new people, and is eager to embark on his biggest adventure yet. Follow his journey on Instagram and Facebook if you're into that sort of thing.

Advisors:

Stan Radzikowski: X-Pyr competitor

Stan has earned podium placings internationally since his first season flying–including multiple PWC and FAI events. His dedication and training have given him the skills to fly deep into extremely remote and hostile mountains while always maintaining a healthy safe risk to reward ratio. He has since served as Chief pilot at Everest Paragliding, set solo and tandem distance records, has competed in the X-Pyr race, and now offers a range of tandem and XC guiding services–eager to pass the knowledge he has accumulated as the one of the world's ultimate flying explorers. See more of Stan at Parakros.com.

Krischa Berlinger: Redbull X-Alps supporter

Growing up as a swiss, Krischa has been climbing in the alps since he could remember. Two and half decades in the mountains and the draw to pursue the rock warrior's way in the vertical world around the globe hasn't diminished. He grew his wings in 2012 in Tahoe, California where cowboys still roam. After learning how to paraglide, his obsessiveness switched towards flying very quickly. Talent and Airtime would bring results, earning him a supporter role for Team USA4 in the RedBull XAlps 2015. See more of Krischa on Instagram.

Nick Neyens: Redbull X-Alps competitor

Nick has been actively exploring the world hiking and flying (vol biv) since he learnt to fly in 2007. Trained as an engineer, after returning from one year working in Antarctica he took two years off to travel. Following hike and fly competitions in the Pyrenees (X-Pyr 2014) and South Africa's Drakensberg mountains (X-Berg 2014), he completed the 2015 Red Bull X-Alps in tenth place. He hopes to write about his subsequent adventures in South America while studying to become a meteorologist. See more of Nick at Share MyJoys.

Adél Honti: Entrepreneur & XC Competition Pilot

Adél started flying in 2004 and became an instructor, cross-country guide, and competition pilot in 2013. Since then she has participated in 11 competitions, and has earned 7 medals. She is the ambassador of a 700 pilot strong Facebook group for female paragliding pilots, has given lectures on the psychology of female pilots at the Hory a Mesto Extreme sports film festival, and has started to work on an international training program for female pilots, currently raising sponsorship money for an event series. She is dedicated to helping others fly safer, higher and further. See more of Adél on Instagram

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