Paragliding India: 170km Across the Himalayan Foothills

I arrived in Bir without much of a plan, but the forecast looked promising — so I decided to make the most of it. Taking off from Billing at around 2,400m, I headed north-west along the main ridge towards Dharamsala, pushed past it, then turned south-east, flying past Xavier’s 360 (a well-known camping/bivvy spot), and finally made it back to Bir just in time for pizza and a sunset landing.

The early crew launched at 9:30am but were struggling to gain any height. I got away an hour later at 10:30. They might have been a bit early, and I was probably a bit late… 10am would’ve been ideal. Either way, I caught them just before the first turnpoint (wherever that was — I didn’t exactly have a plan).

For those who haven’t flown in India before, the Billing take-off is where the first thermals usually kick off. It can get busy, but today I had it mostly to myself — 10:30 still counts as an early-ish launch (at least today). The conditions were good, the air was working, and the terrain makes for some brilliant flying.

A proper tour of India’s Himalayan foothills — 170km all in, and an unforgettable day in the air.