Of frosty fingers and a smooth sail…

Ever since I skydived at Dubai, the jumper in me was itching for more thrills. So, on this rather unplanned trip to Uttarakhand (India), I decided to paraglide my way through 2020. What a brilliant way of ending the year!

After SkyDiving (and conquering my fear of heights), this was such a smooth sail.

What and Where?

I took a short-flight as my main idea was to try something new.

• Start at Dehradun and head towards Raipur. Halt at Maldevta.
• It’s barely a 30-minute drive from Doon.

Listing the paragliding deets for you guys:

• Paragliding at Maldevta, Uttarakhand
• Via: Adventure Buckets
• Flight: Short-flying
• Type: Tandem
• Height: 3,500 ft.
• Flight Duration: 7 mins
• Approx distance: 4 km
• Weight: 85 kgs max
• Cost: ₹3,500 (Additonal: ₹500 for video, ₹500 for acrobats)

Total Time Taken?

Keep 1 hour in hand for the whole drill/thrill. Reach the pick-up point, i.e. their Maldevta Office, gear up for a 10-minute jeep ride, suit up and set up for the jump, descend to their landing point, wait for them to drop you back to the office, download the video onto your phone, check and pay for the video. If you need a video coverage, let them know in advance. They’ll fix up a GoPro for you to shoot away on selfie-mode.

When to Jump?

The recommended time during winters would be sometime between 11.30 a.m. – 2.30 p.m. The more you delay, the lesser the visibility will be. They wind up the ride by 5 p.m. during these frosty days.

The Challenge:

While paragliding as such wasn’t really a challenge anymore, I had to do it for the experience (and the thrill). The major challenge, however, was jumping off the hills on a cold and frosty evening. For a person like me who can’t tolerate chilly winters, this was quite a challenge! By the time we started the chute-descend, it was nearly 4.30 p.m. My hands were frozen, and I just couldn’t feel my fingers, so much so that I couldn’t even control the camera as my fingers stiffened in the grip. But, if there’s no challenge at all, there’s no fun! 😀

Handy Tips:

Here are my tips for a smooth winter ride:

• Wear gloves
• Keep yourself warm by layering up
• Carry a scarf or cap to cover your ears and head
• Wear something comfortable like track pants or jeggings
• Don’t eat anything heavy + keep a gap of at least 2 hours after your major meal
• Stay hydrated before and stay relaxed and breathe normally all through the glide

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***Disclaimer: This is not exactly a sponsored post, although I did get a Travel Blogger’s discount! Jump at your own risk – this is purely a compilation of my experience.