If you love the mountains, besides hiking and cycling, there's a third way to experience the beautiful nature of the Pinzgau region intensely. Super intensely, we might add. This third way is paragliding. Those with a license and their own equipment can, of course, fly solo. For others, it's very cool and safe to fly together with a tandem pilot and their professional equipment.

At the small airfield in Zell am See, right behind the golf course, you regularly see skydivers coming down, and you can do that here too (solo or tandem). Paragliding is something completely different. You launch from the top of the Schmittenhöhe mountain and, after a short run-up, glide silently, like an eagle, over the mountain ridges. In the summer season, thanks to the thermals, you often climb higher than you descend, eventually landing down in Kaprun-Fürth at the official landing site. That's practically our backyard.

solo flying

Of course, we don't need to tell solo pilots anything about this wonderful sport, except perhaps that the Schmittenhöhe and the subsequent "Pinzgauer Spaziergang" (Pinzgau Walk), past Piesendorf towards Mittersill, is one of the most beautiful cross-country flying areas and very suitable for pilots who want to fly their first cross-country flights. There is plenty of thermal activity, but it's usually not too strong. It doesn't get any better in the Alps. Naturally, there are some rules for take-off and landing.

Tandem paragliding

The Dutch tandem pilot Hajo Smit, who with his company vip-paragliding.com Hajo, who is active in this area, is also happy to give solo pilots a few practical tips. And that brings us to the possibility of experiencing paragliding with us as a tandem flight. You sit in front as the passenger, and the tandem pilot sits behind you. This way, you experience the flight much like a solo pilot. You're even welcome to try your hand at steering a little. Hajo or one of the pilots from his team will give you explanations. You can also have a nice chat. Try doing that with a parachute jump!.

If you you register on the VIP paragliding website, You'll receive all the instructions regarding the right clothing, the meeting point, and the best viewing spots for any spectators. Good binoculars are provided. With the longer flight (all-inclusive), it's possible to fly over Piesendorf, but also, for example, over Lake Zell or the Maiskogel mountain. So, just give it a try and see if you catch the paragliding bug. Whether you then want to learn solo or simply fly tandem more often.