Golden’s active skies

Golden, B.C., plays host to an international gathering of paragliders and hang gliders every summer

1 of 5Paragliders and hang gliders take to the air near Golden, B.C. — Photos courtesy The Willi Muller XC Challenge

2 of 5A lone paraglider flies above the Columbia Valley in southeastern British Columbia. — Alex Raymont photo

3 of 5Foot-launch pilots prepare to fly from Mount 7 near Golden, B.C. — Photos courtesy The Willi Muller XC Challenge

4 of 5These foot-launch pilots are ready to fly from Mount 7 near Golden, B.C. — Photos courtesy The Willi Muller XC Challenge

5 of 5It's a perfect day for hang gliding near Golden, B.C. — Photos courtesy The Willi Muller XC Challenge

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If it’s a clear summer day and you’re in the vicinity of Golden, B.C., look up. Golden is the home of the Mount 7 Lookout Launch, a world-famous free-flight area for paragliders and hang gliders—also known as foot-launched pilots. Glance upward and you’re likely to see a number of these intrepid folks high above you, cocooned in their gear and suspended from their chosen aircraft.

For his 40th birthday 22 years ago, Randy Parkin’s wife gave him the gift of a parachute jump. While Parkin didn’t particularly enjoy exiting the plane, he loved the experience of flying the parachute to earth. Soon after his jump, he made a trip to Cochrane, Alberta, where Willi Muller was offering paragliding instruction, and Parkin became hooked on the sport.

In short order, Parkin found himself part of a group of enthusiastic paragliders and hang gliders in Golden. Mount 7 provided them with an excellent launching spot because of the superb thermal updrafts in the area, giving access to the air space over the adjacent Columbia River valley. Thanks to the passionate enthusiasm of this group, the Lookout Launch has become Canada’s mecca for foot-launched flying.

High-flying company

In mid-July of this year, Golden hosted the Canadian Hang Gliding National Championships; the winner was 52-year-old John Théoret of Prince Albert, Saskatchewan. Then from July 26 to August 3, the annual Willi Muller XC Challenge took place in Golden. Formerly called the Golden XC Challenge, “The Willi” was renamed in honour of Muller after he died in a paragliding accident in 1998.

“This year’s event attracted more than 100 pilots from as far away as Ontario, Utah and Alaska,” Parkin said.

According to Parkin, these aerial sports are appropriate for adults of almost any age. Now in his 60s, he still glides for the love of it, and he also continues to compete. He said that besides the thrill of flying and his appreciation for the beauty he sees everywhere around him when he’s aloft, he values the companionship and shared focus that he experiences with other foot-launched pilots.