Paraglide/Paraski!

Not one to follow the snow, I fight the initial signs of spring every year but then gently let skiing go as I rediscover my golf clubs, tune up my bicycle and raise the mast of my sailboat. Summer itself, and all the possible outdoor activities (that can be done with just one layer of clothing) becomes a distraction from skiing and then suddenly, fall creeps up and excitement about the new winter approaching eclipses the joys of warm weather activities.

This year, maybe due to global warming, summer is not leaving easily. An October weekend that other years could have been a leaf-peeping excursion to ski country became instead a bike trip to Block Island via the Point Judith Ferry from the Rhode Island mainland.

Car traffic on the main road out of town was minimal which meant that bicycles and scooters could travel safely in spite of the fact that there is no bike path out to Southeast Lighthouse. The brick beacon stood beautifully against the blue sky but the real delight was waiting just beyond at Mohegan Bluffs. A sight that brought skiing to mind on a summery day!

Paragliders were soaring, dipping and rising just off the cliffs and above the rocky waters. It was joyful, graceful, silent movement—except for shouts of encouragement from the ground and whoops of achievement from the sky—Just like skiers!

I've learned that these sails combine with skis in at least two ways—para-skiing and ski-gliding. The first is what the folks at Mohegan Bluffs were doing—with the addition of take-off and landing on skis. The second is being propelled by a parachute or sail across a flat, frozen surface. Ski gliding involves flying in the air; Paraskiing involves flying while earthbound. Neither one is recommended for people without a high tolerance for risk.