Soaring from the 鈥楶eak of Vancouver鈥� isn鈥檛 anything new for Vancouverite Bill Nikolai, but experiencing the view certainly never gets old.
The 63-year-old has spent 13 seasons with the 鈥� the managing body for paragliding and hang gliding at Grouse Mountain Resort.
The group鈥檚 colourful parachutes can be seen gliding down from the peak of the mountain and landing at Cleveland Park from May to September. Their take offs and flights have become quite a tourist attraction over the years.
鈥淲e launch from 4,000 feet, which is the peak of Grouse,鈥� Nikolai told 麻豆传媒映画.
鈥淭here are occasions where we will thermal up 鈥� work the warm air bubbles 鈥� and get up to 6,500 feet, you don鈥檛 want to go any higher than that because you could get run down by a plane.
鈥淥ur flights can be as short as 15 or 20 minutes or they can be several hours long, it just depends on the wind conditions and the thermals.鈥�
Earlier this month, while gliding through the sky Nikolai, and fellow pilot Rod Frew, decided to take out their iPhones and a GoPro to film the magic for the rest of us land dwellers to enjoy.
The three-minute video, may just inspire you to spread your wings.
Nikolai said he liked to showcase just 鈥渉ow beautiful it is鈥� to be in the air.
鈥淚 think the perspective of the 麻豆传媒映画skyline is really unique when you鈥檙e up and out in front of the Grouse Chalet,鈥� he said.
鈥淭here are times where I can see cruise ships crossing underneath the Lions Gate Bridge, I can see the Capilano Suspension Bridge down below me and all sorts of other landmarks.
鈥淲e frequently see bald eagles. It鈥檚 just amazing. Not to mention some of the mountains behind Grouse, if we get high enough we get amazing views of Crown Mountain.
鈥淚t鈥檚 as close to flying like a bird as you can get.鈥�
While it looks like an incredible experience, not just anyone can solo glide from Grouse Mountain.
Nikolai said all 30 members of GMFT had intermediate or advanced flying ratings.
鈥淚t takes a bit of time to get the skills necessary to fly from Grouse,鈥� he said.
鈥淵ou have to be a guest for a season before you can apply for full membership. We screen participants very carefully because it is a very high profile site.鈥�
Nikolai, who is getting close to his 200th flight, said he was always cautious and kept a close eye on weather conditions before taking to the skies.
鈥淚t鈥檚 better to be on the ground wishing you were in the sky, than in the sky wishing you were on the ground,鈥� he laughed.
In all his flights he has never had an injury or scary landing 鈥� but he said things could get, what he described as, 鈥渟picy鈥� if conditions changed unexpectedly.
鈥淚f the weather is about to change from better to worse then the air can be quite buoyant and sometimes those thermal bubbles have, what we call, sharp edges and you can get rocked around a little bit,鈥� Nikolai explained.
鈥淏ut generally, it is actually just an amazing experience.鈥�
An avid traveller, Nikolai has ventured with his glider to some incredible destinations, including Japan, Turkey, France, Portugal and Hawaii. And he isn鈥檛 finished yet.
He credits an adventurous couple for inspiring him to take flight back in 2000.
鈥淚 saw somebody flying tandem from the highest mountain in the Fraser Valley 鈥� Mount Cheam 鈥� it was a husband and wife, actually, they had hiked up and they proceeded to unfurl the glider and take the easy way down.
鈥淓ver since then, I thought: 鈥榯hat鈥檚 the way to go.鈥欌��
