Paragliding XC Flight on the coast
"Is it possible to fly cross-country on the beach?"
That was the question of most of the participants in our last Paragliding Cross-country Training Camp when we offered them to fly on the coast.
One of the best coastal paragliding spots is Matalascanas, Spain
There is a 20 km long cliff along the coast of Huelva, in southern Spain, from Matalascañas to Mazagon, where is possible to paraglide on a gentle dynamic lift for hours and hours.
Technically a pilot can make a 40 km long flight with one turn point,
"So, yes, we can fly XC on the beach! Let's go!"
Perfect wind for a special paragliding flight
The wind was perfect on our arrival to Matalascañas and the pilots started to fly in small groups towards Mazagon: it is an easy flight for the first part but there is a very low zone where the cliff is only seven meters high and the lift is weak; some pilots landed over this zone.
Our gang of pilots passed this difficult area, some of them landed at Mazagon, close to a bar on the beach and some pilots turned back to Matalascañas to complete the task.
This special flight was a very good way to finish a week where the pilots enrolled in the Intermediate Paragliding Course were training their cross-country flight skills and beating their own records.