Paragliding is the simplest form of human flight. A paraglider is a non-motorized, foot-launched inflatable wing. It is easy to transport, easy to launch, and easy to land. The paraglider itself is constructed of rip-stop nylon from which the pilot is suspended by sturdy kevlar lines. The pilot is clipped into a harness and oriented in a sitting position. With a paraglider, you actually fly like a bird, soaring upwards on currents of air.

For more information on paragliding and how to safely get into the sport, contact Aerial Paragliding. Aerial offers award-winning instruction at one of the best training facilities in the country. Aerial is owned and operated by Doug Stroop and Denise Reed, U.S. Hang Gliding and Paragliding Association's Instructors of the Year in 2004. Visit them at www.aerialparagliding.com

Paragliding sites in Washington are listed below.

Sites:

Asotin - Located on a sagebrush bluff above the Snake River, this site is seldom flown - but only because there are few pilots nearby.

Baldy Butte - Sitting high above the Yakima River Canyon, Baldy offers exceptional thermal adventures, at least when not scoured by the frequent high winds that blast off the Cascade foothills.

Big Johnson - One of two sites (with Black Mtn) on the road to Mount Baker.

Bingen - Sitting in the eastern mouth of the Columbia River Gorge, Bingen can be a stellar ridge soaring site -- or, if the Gorge winds kick in, it can be a wind-ravaged slope (in which case, you can just go watch the kiting boarders on the river).

Black - One of two sites (with Big Johnson) on the road to Mount Baker.

Blanchard - Located at the southern end of Chuckanut Mountain, near Mount Vernon, Blanchard Mountain offers some of the most scenic soaring in Washington, lofting you high above the shores of Sammish Bay.

Chelan - One of the premiere free-flight sites in North America. The butte sits high above Lake Chelan and the upper Columbia River. Cross country flights across the river to the east lead to miles of open thermal-generating flatlands.

Cliffside - An east-facing launch just east of the Columbia River Gorge, near The Dalles.

Eagle Butte - This small ridge soaring site is popular with RC glider pilots, though paragliders find the site an outstanding soaring option when west wides scour Kiona.

Fort Ebey - The lone (for now) coastal ridge soaring site in Washington. "The Fort" is tempermental, but when conditions are good, there's no better place to fly -- as the local bald eagles will attest.

Hamilton Butte - This hike-to-fly site offers the best of both worlds for pilots who like to hike (or hikers who like to fly). The mountain sits near the western edge of the Columbia River Gorge.

Kiona -

Rampart Ridge -

Saddle Mtn -

Tekoa -

The Ranch -

Tiger Mountain -

Toutle -

Warren's -