Why fly in Iceland? by Tomasz Chrapek
What is so great about paragliding in Iceland?
Flying in Iceland gives me sort of an exotic feeling of doing something extraordinary; the whole idea of soaring above sub-polar lava-land somewhere in the middle of the Atlantic gives me a very positive thrill. Sometimes it’s challenging and requires a lot of patience and weather awareness because local elements tend to turn deaf ears to our prayers 😉 As a newcomer I really appreciate the feedback that Icelandic nature gives me while flying (and af course at take-offs) – all those unique landscapes are even more beautiful when seen from above. The lack of trees and the grassy landing fields seem to be made for paragliding pilots.
What is your favourite site and why?
I find it really hard to point out just one site, it’s simply because you can find a place to launch at almost every slope. I really like the relaxing after-work-flying at Hafrafell, which also serves as a social hub for paragliding pilots, but my real love is to fly where not many pilots have flown before. One such place with huge potential is Skaftafell National Park, where I made my unforgettable flight close to the glaciers – I hope this season I’ll go back there.
Iceland is a true paradise for that kind of adventurous flying with almost the whole country covered with unflown sites waiting to be explored.
Tomasz Chrapek is originally from Poland but migrated to Iceland on the waves of the winds a few years ago. He is a relatively new pilot and a shooting star, taking third place at the 2010 Icelandic XC League, and one of a small group of hard-core pilots refusing to be grounded by the temperamental Icelandic winter.
He is also a skilled photographer, check out his images here.
* The featured image is by Tomasz while flying in Ingólfsfjall.
