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50

Rocky Mountain High

Hang Gliding in Colorado

Denver, Colorado, U.S.A.

Imagine flying like a hawk, gliding over the landscape as thermals lift you and move you along. And imagine that landscape is some of the most dazzling on earth—the Rocky Mountains, to be specific. This is how it feels when you’re soaring for miles in a hang glider high above the mountains of Colorado, some of the most breathtaking in the Western hemisphere. It’s just you and the earth, with only the sound of the wind for company. This is a singular and solitary thrill—an experience that will linger in your memory.

Airtime Above offers hang gliding experiences in Colorado. While the company is based near Denver, arrangements can be made to learn at several training sites along the Front Range and the Western Slope. When hang gliders are soaring off Lookout Mountain, you can see them from downtown Denver, about 20 minutes away. Other popular spots are on Kenosha Pass, where you can glide over the vast South Park, and on Williams Peak by Green Mountain Reservoir.

Hang gliders have a frame structure that holds the wings in a rigid configuration, so they won’t collapse. The pilot is suspended below the frame in a harness. You can foot-launch hang gliders off a hilltop or mountainside, or get an aerotow by an ultralight plane. Once you’re airborne you can glide or soar for up to 400 miles (644km) riding the ridge lifts and the thermal lifts.

If you’re uneasy about hang gliding solo, sample the sport during a tandem ride. You and an instructor will share a hang glider. The two of you and your craft will be towed by an ultralight plane up to about 2,000 feet (966m), and then let loose. As you soar through the skies, the instructor may let you handle the controls yourself. Meanwhile, enjoy the quiet and the views of the earth below you.

If you like the experience, start taking lessons. First you learn what’s involved on flat ground, then progress to a small hill and finally to a hill with a 600- to 1,000-foot (180–300m) drop. It can take several months to be properly trained, but experienced hang glider pilots say there’s nothing like the feeling when you take advantage of the wind—a gliding flight can become a soaring flight that can last for hours. —LF

Airtime Above ( 303/674-2451;www.airtimeabove.com).

Denver.

$$$ Brown Palace Hotel, 321 17th St. ( 800/321-2599 or 303/297-3111; www.brownpalace.com). $$ The Timbers Hotel, 4411 Peoria St. ( 800/844-9404 or 303/373-1444; www.timbersdenver.com). $ Innkeeper of the Rockies, 1717 Race St. ( 303/861-7777;www.innkeeperrockies.com).

51

Hang Gliding in the Alps

On a Wing & a Prayer

Interlaken, Switzerland

Interlaken is Europe’s nerve center. The array of spine-tingling adventures available in this staggeringly pretty place makes it something of a mecca for adrenaline junkies. But before you get busy with the many ground-level activities here (hiking, biking, rafting, sailing, or canyoning, just to name a few), get a bird’s-eye view of the greater Jungfrau region by hang gliding over it.

Set between two lakes (Thun and Brienz) in the Berner Oberland, Interlaken began as a summer resort more than 300 years ago. Since then, it’s evolved into a hotspot for outdoor enthusiasts. Today, hang gliding in tandem with an experienced pilot is actually one of the easier extreme sports to do here—if you can muster the courage to try it. A 10- to 20-minute flight provides a huge rush while displaying the most thrilling views of the sparkling white snow-covered peaks, bright turquoise water, and green grassy meadows.

After getting into a helmet and sturdy harness with multiple ropes and carabineers, you go through a pre-flight training with your pilot and then together are attached to a colorful wing. Side by side, the next step is just to run. As you jog down a hill for a few paces, suddenly your legs are spinning through thin air. And as the adrenaline gushes through your body, you realize you’re flying. You can even reach your arms out and soar like an eagle as the pilot steers your flight and you just