160 paragliders take flight for Oregon's "Rat Race" | Oregon Field Guide from the OPB Archives

Organizers call it a yacht race in the sky. But for the 160 paragliding pilots navigating a series of checkpoints and complicated turns while flying within feet of each other, the Rat Race Paragliding Competition can also be a hair-raising experience.

“They have to fly the course we want,” says organizer Mike Haley. “But it’s not easy.”

The Rat Race launches from the top of Woodrat Mountain near Jacksonville, Oregon. The event attracts the best paragliding pilots in the world for the seven-day event, though most of them will not complete the difficult course.

This story originally broadcast on Oct. 6, 2011 *NOTE: since our broadcast, the event has been renamed the “Applegate Open.” It was canceled for 2024 due to a lack of early sign-ups.

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Chapters
0:00 A swarm of colored wings
0:33 What is the Rat Race
1:30 Designing the Rat Race course
2:20 The debriefing
3:17 Paraglider launch!
4:20 The one critical rule of paragliding
4:50 The Oregon Field Guide crew tries paragliding
6:04 Fuel with no motors
7:15 Touchdown!
8:40 Summercamp for adults
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