New to paragliding?
Need a refresher or a flying coach?
Customized instruction and coaching available for beginner and intermediate pilots.
Not rated in Canada? You can find ratings information (P1-P5) on the HPAC website, including all the required skills for each level.
2024 TRAINING SESSIONS:
P1/P2 April 13-16 & April 27-30 | May 11-14 & May 25-28 | June 8-11 & June 22-25 | July 6-9 & June 20-25 (New Dates Added!)
P1 Only 6 starting slots per course date.
P2 Only 4 slots per course date.
Beginner
P1 Training
+ 5% on credit card and Paypal fees
Pay by Interac for no extra fees
Novice
P2 Training
+ 5% on credit card and Paypal fees
Pay by Interac for no extra fees
Daily Rate
Coaching
+ 5% on credit card and Paypal fees
Pay by Interac for no extra fees
• Slope Soaring
Included in FSF, P1 and P2 Courses
A half-day course where we teach you the basics of the gear, ground handling, launch and landing techniques, and get your feet just a little bit off the ground on a “bunny” slope.
• First Solo Flight – including ground school
Included in P1 and P2 Course
We add in more repetition of launching and landings skills and take you to higher launch sites where you can get in a turn or two.
You will take a couple of hours of class theory to understand more about how the paraglider works, weather, air regulations, and appropriate flying etiquette.
We finalize this with a hight flight (over 300 feet), where you put the full course into practice. This will usually take two days, or one perfect weather conditions day.
• P1 Student Rating – 6 Solo Flights
A total of 6 high-flights under different conditions or locations over a 3 -4 day weekend.
This is an immersive course where sometimes (depending on weather conditions) we visit multiple sites in Vancouver, Fraser Valley, and Cache Creek. This provides students with the experience of assessing new sites, and give us the best opportunities of flying .
There will be long days filled with lots of learning. We often do an overnight camp so we can maximize flight time. We do spend some time in vehicle, a great time for “class time”. At the end of your P1 you should have some good confidence with your launching and landing skills.
We usually finalize this training with a Pemberton high flight. Be aware that Pemberton is a tricky sight, so you don’t get to fly here until you show ample skill in your flying ability at our other training sites. This is just a stepping stone to flying solo, an exam is required to finalize this step.
• P2 Novice Rating – 26 Solo Flights
You will complete your P2 training at your own pace. The more compact your training, the more you retain and the faster you learn.
In this session:
• we add more high-flights,
• introduce you to turns and other regular maneuvers required to fly solo
• slowly pull back on instructor’s input for you to start making in-flight decisions,
• you start making your own flight plans based on your new skills, being competent in reading conditions and weather forecasts for the day.
We run the shuttle service to launch in Pemberton, so we are always available to supervise and instruct you for your pre-requisite flight and skill requirements to get you signed off for your P2. All shuttles are included on your training.
Once you have completed the P2, you can fly solo without an instructor (within specific parameters set out in the rating guide). Expect to dedicate at least 10-14 days to complete to the end of the combined P1 and P2 courses.
A specific exam is required to finalize this level, along with signing up with the local and national organizations, to recognize your license- including insurance required to fly many of our sites. You will be expected to spend your own time continuing what you have learned and practice ground handling outside of class time as well.
You can take this course in combination with P1 , or by itself to complete your training and obtain your paragliding solo pilot license.
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PLEASE NOTE: Pilot Training courses represent the average students learning curve, and are ample for most pilots to graduate. As with any course, some students may need to purchase a few more classes beyond the usual if they have difficulty with some of the requirements.
Paying for the course or having previous experience does not guarantee a completed license. If you fail the course or your final exam, you will need to extend your course or take another test. Our instructors will do everything they can to make you a safe and effective pilot as quickly as possible. It is up to you to make yourself available during the course dates (or to make appropriate arrangements for alternate training times).
To all prospective students: we are a very small company, and it’s small because we are not here for the money, we are here because we are very passionate about the sport. During the summer we are swamped with students and tandems. If you send us an email, please be patient (and kind), read through our website, and if you have more questions send us an email. We try to answer all messages at the end of the day , sometimes it may take us a little longer (it doesn’t mean we are ignoring you) as we are either flying or exhausted after a long day under the sun. We do not have a “syllabus” or a day-by-day schedule: paragliding doesn’t work that way, we rely completely on weather conditions, and forecasts are never 100% accurate. If you are impatient, aggressive or totally un-cool on your approach, we are definitely not the right school (or sport) for you, we recommend searching other options.
Cancelation policy. Courses are non-refundable within 30 days prior to the start date and there is a change fee of $300 for changing dates within 14 days if we cannot fill the space. Course payments are valid for 2 years.
Our student gear buy-back program is valid for the year the gear is purchased in only. We will gladly help any pilot sell gear at its fair market value, minus our current commission.
• Specialized Courses
We offer a variety of specialty courses to help pilots improve on specific skills. These are “Pemberton-centric” courses to help you become familiar flying the local valley, and in turn, translate those skills for use everywhere else.
Thermaling and an Introduction to XC – Great for freshly minted P2 grads. Learn to hone your skills at catching lift and connecting thermals to go on your first distance flights. Course takes 3 days.
Pemberton XC Specialty – Great for P3/P4 pilots (90+ flights) needing more XC experience. Expand your XC skills to take you for the big distance. Learn the tricks and conditions for specific big flights in the Pemberton Valley, and how to translate that to other sites. We will discuss instruments, the appropriate kit for more advanced flying, honing your skills at finding/utilizing thermals -allowing you to connect and transition to maximize your distance in a safely manner. Course takes 3 days.
Introduction to Vol-Biv – Learn the basics of “fly-camping” (flyping?). Great for pilots in the P3 -P4 range (+90 flights). Fly to a remote mountaintop and top-land for the night, before flying off the next day to further adventure! Learn how to pick the right sites, know the hazards, and predict the weather for such excursions. We will go over gear and preparedness on a prior day. Course takes 3 days.
• Coaching and out-of-town students
We can customize training for pilots wanting to learn and master specific skills like thermaling, cross country, top landing, ridge soaring, or just expanding your experience in the Pemberton flying area.
This is a great option for pilots trying to work on pilot-specific issues. If you are proficient at flying in Pemberton, you can fly anywhere.
Pemberton Student Housing – We have limited accommodations available for out-of-town students. Private room, kitchen access, deck overlooking launch and Mt Mckenzie. Accommodation rooming fees applies and not included in training fees. Meals not included.
Contact us for availability.
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• Tours
Currently we offer instruction and XC tours in Mexico during the winter months. Take a look at our tours page – we start planning in the Fall after our season ends in Canada.
Have questions? Contact us for details
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