by Kylee Boyter
kboyter@cherryroad.com
On Sat., September 7 the Monroe City Lion’s Park hosted roughly 75 pilots from all around world including many U.S. and specifically Utah based pilots for the first Paragliding World Cup (PWC) hosted in the U.S. in over a decade.
Many pilots shared their experiences with paragliding, including Bill Belcourt, a multiple U.S. XC champion and worlds-level competitor for over 30 years.
“This is only the fourth Paragliding World Cup hosted in the U.S.,” said Belcourt. “This is pivotal for U.S. pilots as we generally have to travel to Europe, South America, and the far corners of the world to compete in the PWC.”
Belcourt shared that he has previously competed in the PWC, last hosted in the U.S. in Sun Valley, California in 2011.
“Competing here in Monroe, Utah is new for the Europeans,” said Belcourt.
He shared that this may give the U.S. pilots a slight advantage, as many have flown in Utah many times, however, the Europeans are also world class pilots and are fast to adjust.
“It will be a challenging week but we all look forward to the task,” said Belcourt.
He shared that on Saturday many pilots ran practice runs, many reaching up to 18,000 feet.
This is an exciting time for all participants, as volunteer Jordan Newton of Salt Lake City shared his excitement to be apart of this historic event.
“I have been paragliding for over seven years now,” said Newton. “I grew up watching the paragliders launch from the point of the mountain and realized they weren’t just soaring, they were flying—I had to be apart of that.”
Newton shared that he has flown in Utah, Washington, Oregon, and Mexico, but many mountains do not compare to the variety of the Utah mountain range.
“Utah has so much flying opportunities—you really don’t have to travel out of Utah to experience some amazing flights,” said Newton.
Newton shared some of the insight of the piloting experience, stating “paragliding forces you to confront fear.”
Many individuals are afraid of heights however, he shared that if you look at it like running off the edge of a mountain versus jumping it makes the leap of faith a lot easier.
“Paragliding is the window to the soul,” said Newton. “It’s a sport of feeling and high consciousness because it forces you to focus on the here and now.”
The Central Utah Air Sports Association president, Lindsey Ripa Burns, shared some of her favorite experiences flying.
“For me there are two favorite experiences to have while flying, first is cloud base and second is flying with birds,” said Burns. “Cloud base is when you are flying through the wisp’s of a cloud, getting to really experience that child like dream of touching the clouds.”
Burns explained that flying with birds is a surreal experience where they notice you and fly alongside you.
“It is an incredible experience to make eye contact with a bird in flight,” said Burns.
The athletes competing in the Monroe PWC will have a daily flight tasks beginning Sunday., Sept. 8 through Saturday, Sept. 14. These pilots will be challenged to fly over 60-120 miles to locations like Green River, Panguitch, or Ephraim in a single flight, in their unpowered aircraft.
Flight times are variable, as they depend on weather and wind patterns, however many recommend viewing times between noon-1 p.m. for the beginning launch.
Throughout the week if you’d like to view the pilots in flight, the best viewing location as shared by Burns would be the Monroe Canyon RV Park, located at 885 S Main St in Monroe.
