Numerous close calls were reported via various means during the Summer. Pilots generally walked away from these side hill crashes into bushes or trees. Experience tells us that this is just good luck. On an unlucky day, the same crashes could result in serious injury. Some were deflation events, some were spin/ stall events. Deflations come from insufficient brake and stall/ spin events come from too much brake.
A few things about this:
1) kiting is key, if your glider always deflates when you are kiting, then you don't know how to feel the brakes and you shouldn't be flying in thermals - kite enough so that no wake or gust or thermal etc. deflates your glider
2) kiting is key, if you oftentimes over brake and your kiting is characterized by constantly having the glider on the ground and having to inflate once again - you guessed it, you are likely to stall and/ or spin it in the air and you shouldn't be flying ( especially in thermals )
3) few pilots get really good at managing too much vs. too little brake while kiting or flying on their own - we all need help - get with your instructor, get with your friends - this is the finest are in paragliding
4) correct responses are key - paragliders ( by definition ) want one thing - one second and another thing the next
5) again on the kiting - the absolute best thing you can do to prove that your in air responses will be correct is ---> don't let your kiting be characterized by the glider coming to rest on the ground every few seconds ---> let every fumble ( and we all fumble ) ---> let every fumble flow into an amazing recovery
This is how you qualify for flying in stronger air - its not 100% guaranteed but it's about as good as it gets. Some maneuvers training, some good navigation ( staying out of the lee ), some good sensibility about what kind of conditions are flyable and a solid team might make your odds of staying off the side of the hill a lot better.
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