HGFA Skysailor Magazine

14 SKY SAILOR November | December 2018 W ith our ‘light-weight’ (17kg) paragliding and bivvy kits, and a loose plan to travel coast to coast, we waited patiently for the perfect weather window, but as 11 days of poor weather passed us by, with no signs of easing, we could wait no longer and began our adventure regardless. Day 1: Slow and steady starts Overcast skies, pouring rain and broken phones delayed our start in San Sebastian, but by 2pm the skies partly cleared, communication mechanisms resolved and we began our hike to the top of La Rhune at 905m (albeit driving/cheating for the first 10km) and the start of our vol biv adventure. At the summit, the classic turquoise Basque coastline shimmered behind us, and rolling green hills welcomed us eastward. A light westerly allowed us to soar up the mountainside before we glided over the back eastward, filled with excitement – our adventure had begun. The rain-suppressed thermals, straight glides to bomb-outs, followed by summit hikes, kept our progression slow but steady while we enjoyed passing friendly miniature horses and flocks of sheep in grassy alpine meadows. As the sun set, we followed windy Spanish roads through small villages, rewarding ourselves with cold beer and pizza for dinner before settling down in a luxurious abandoned building for the night. Progress: Flew 16km, walked 11km – 441km to go. Day 2: The first thermal Thick fog obscured the morning sky as we strolled blindly into France with hopes of flyable weather. Sadly, the clearing fog revealed only the disappointment of an overcast sky. We sheltered from some smattering of drizzle in a small hut, gorging on our foraged wild fruits before resuming our progress. As we hiked over a col, a surprising kettle of vultures soared above, and we soon launched into unexpected magic convergence lift. We got tossed around in the rough, inconsistent wind, but slowly X-Pyrenees A Tigh Adventure Another new experience for my brother Allen and I: an ambitious cross-Pyrenees vol-biv, hiking and flying 440km from the Atlantic Ocean to the Mediterranean Sea. by Shane Tighe Day 1 launch Launch at cloudbase on Day 3 Cloud quickly fills the valley on Day 4, Allen a speck as he glides out All photos: Shane Tighe