HGFA Skysailor Magazine

18 SKY SAILOR January | February 2019 I was resigned to the idea that I might not fly for a year, possibly longer, if I couldn’t find affordable glider options come the European spring. It was a daunting prospect to lose hang gliding, my ultimate stress release valve. No longer could I rely on an endorphin-filled XC flight from Tamborine to wash away the mental exhaustion after a shitty work week. After spending a month watching dust devils and potential record-breaking XC conditions across the Mongolian flats, mountainous Kyrgyzstan was calling. I found myself forced into crossing the land borders of Kazakhstan. It had never been in my plans, but it wasn’t so bad as I saved a lot of money on an expensive Mongolian flight. Plus, I’d heard Kazakhstan was a lot more beautiful and advanced than the movie ‘Borat’ had suggested. I arrived at the southern edge of Kazakhstan and was greeted by sheer 4000m snow-capped mountains towering over green alpine forests, turquoise lakes and Central Asia’s most cosmo- politan city, Almaty. Hang Gliding in Kazakhstan May 6th, 2018: I’d packed my bags, put my harness and glider up for sale and was hopping on a one-way flight to Beijing. The plan was to backpack through Mongolia and Central Asia before settling down in Europe… by Billy Miller-Macleod Spectacular views Photos: Billy Miller-Mcleod