In the world of adventure sports, perhaps the most popular one is paragliding. The act of strapping a lightweight, free-flying glider aircraft on your back and launching off the edge of a cliff can be quite an experience. And the quaint village of Bir in Himachal Pradesh is a hotspot for this sport.
Paraglider flights do not use an engine but can still last in the air for many hours and cover wide distances. In April 2022, Austrian pilot Philipp Zellner covered a distance of 272 kilometres from Bir, and the flight lasted over eight hours.
Every year, The Paragliding World Cup Association (PWCA), a Paris-based agency, organises global adventure sporting events. The Paragliding World Cup (PWC) is one such cross-country flying competition that is organised in only five to six different locations worldwide.
In 2015, India hosted the PWC for the first time in Bir, and this year, they are all set to host a pre-world cup event — the Cross Country World Cup Paragliding International Championship — from October 26 to November 2.
A total of 33 countries have registered over 180 pilots. The number of participants is capped at 150 and selections are based on registrations, visa requirements, accreditations, and participation in previous tournaments and championships. This year’s pre-event in Bir will be the largest it has ever hosted.
Paragliding in Bir-Billing | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
The goal is to fly around a predetermined course that has a starting point, four to six turn points, and a finish line. Pilots carry a GPS receiver to record their flight track, which is used to verify that they correctly follow the course and determine timings.
Paragliders at the PWC 2015, Bir | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
There are six take-off sites at Billing (a peak overlooking Bir) and according to weather conditions, the paragliders will fly an areal distance of 100-200 kms. Since paragliding is a high risk adventure sport that has a higher fatality rate than skydiving, the rescue and retrieval team for this year’s competition in Bir is one of the best in the world.The Indian Army will have helicopters on standby at Palampur, Dehradun, and Dharamshala — areas from where they can get to the paragliders’ rescue in under 15 minutes. A total of six ambulances with fully equipped medical first aid kits and doctors will be stationed around the take-off and landing sites.
“We also have a collaboration with the Himalayan Mountaineering Institute, Manali, who will be stationing 16 trained instructors and rescuers in eight to 10 vehicles for rescue and retrieval. Equipped with radio for easy communication, these vehicles will be spaced out through the flying zone,” says Anurag Sharma, the president of the Bir Billing Paragliding Association.
A total of 24 Indian pilots have been confirmed for participation for the event — including Vijay Soni, who is India’s number one Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI) Ranked Paraglider, and Sunith Rao, who currently holds the record for the longest flight by an Indian pilot.
Observers from Aero Club of India (ACI) and Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI) Switzerland will draw up a report after the event and gauge the overall performance of the host country. According to factors including rescue rate, the host country will be able to bid on their chances to host the world cup.
For details, log on to billingparaglidingassociation.com.
