What is the fastest way to get from the top of Mount Bellecote, where the popular ski resort of La Plagne is located, to its foot, 3400m below?
Skiing, of course. But before you strap on a new pair of Fischer skis, take a moment to repent of your sins, and launch yourself from the heady perch with the careless abandon of a man or woman with nothing to live for, there’s another piece of gear you need. I will need. With parachute.
This combination of ski and parachute means that you are no longer skiing, but riding at full speed.
Fast riding takes the familiar principle of skiing down a slope and transports it up the side of the mountain, throwing rock outcroppings, steep drops and avalanche risk for good measure. Obviously anyone attempting this under normal circumstances would be on a fast track to a broken neck, but the paragliding element the parachute adds ensures as smooth a descent as possible. Basically, when you run out of nice terrain you take to the air.
This exciting extreme sport was invented at the end of 2003 by a group of paragliders, including Francois Bon, who has become one of the leading figures in the sport. In early 2008, Good could be seen on the BBC’s flagship programme. top team show, putting the sport of fast driving to the test when he raced Richard Hammond, driving an Audi RS6, up the side of a mountain. He won the combination of skiing and paragliding.
Specially customized canopies, about half the size of those used in paragliding, are used, allowing the daring skier to glide along the surface and when the time comes to effectively float over any approaching obstacle. This is accomplished by pulling on a rope which causes you to rise into the air, but not high enough to send you flying off on a tangent to abruptly encounter an opposite cliff. For this reason considerably smaller pavilions are used. They’re also used for braking, which can be quite useful when you’re hurtling headfirst down the side of a mountain at speeds up to 75mph.
As with any extreme sport, fast driving is extremely dangerous if you don’t know what you’re doing, and dangerous even when you do. However, it has a better safety record than other similar activities and it is possible to purchase insurance if you are inclined to do so.
Something that many skiers are doing. The popularity of this literally stunning twist on the more familiar pastime of skiing has swept across Europe’s ski resorts and communities, stretching from its birthplace in France, along the alpine spine to Switzerland and then on to Italy. , Germany and Austria. Equipment is designed and sold specifically for that purpose and there are tournaments, events and championships springing up everywhere.
Skiing ability is naturally a prerequisite for anyone seriously considering increasing the ranks of those already entrenched in the sport of speed, and some paragliding experience is also a benefit. Instructors are available and designated practice tracks to get you up to speed.
So the next time you’re on a skiing holiday and have taken some time to scale one of the nearby mountain peaks, only to realize you’ve left your chalet door unlocked; Strap on your skis and parachute and take off. You’ll be home before you know it.
