(Aug 2025)
Tuesday, 3 February 2026
Failure is not an option.
(Dec 2017)
So close, one could taste the lakeside landing zone (LZ). That was how yesterdays coached paragliding flight with Pete Thompson ended. So close, yet not high enough to make the final transition to the lakeside. Instead I had to settle for landing at the Casa Veijas LZ and cab it back to town with one of the Norwegian contingent.
Today failure (landing short) is not an option, we will make the lake.
After meeting up with Pete, Becky, and Andrew at the Santa Maria church on the south side of town, we ride share a cab up to launch. Pre-negotiating the price is key as the rates can vary significantly - we have seen drivers demand 200 pesos / pilot at the high end down to a car load costing little more than 150 pesos for a group of four. Pushing back a little on the driver can net a median price of about 200 pesos for a full cab.
Up top, the plan is similar to yesterdays - Becky will launch first and thermal about. When things start to spice up, Becky will land and then Pete and I will head out. The winds do not favor a direct over the back approach today, instead we will need to head up and over the Mesa to the northwest of launch. This will require a transition to El Penon and then the Wall. Once over the Wall and onto the Mesa, we can intersect the convergence and ride it to San Agustine and then the lake.
Like yesterday, we choose to wait until the main body of pilots launch and fail to foresee how significant an impact this decision will have.
Pete lends a hand as I set up and launch. While I do find a climb, it is neither as cohesive nor as strong as that which the main gaggle used to climb out and get away. Pete follows me shortly there after and discovers the same. The next hour is filled with a near continuous string of low saves. Failure was not an option.
Tenacity pays off and we finally manage to climb out. A bee-line for El Penon follows. We push past El Penon and proceed to the Wall to find a quick climb out. Once on the Mesa, the flight becomes childs pay and the lake is soon not only within sight but well within glide (with a lot of altitude to spare).
Keeping in mind Petes guidance regarding slotting in between tandem gaggles, I set up to land as Pete touches down. Pete quickly jumps back onto the radio to help ensure that my landing is picture perfect (and dry).
Summary of the day: Ecstatic would be an understatement.
Teamwork is essential when conditions become challenging.
Working the LZ.
Past Penon and onto the Wall.
The Mesa awaits.
On glide to the lake.
Landing Zone (LZ) below.
In the queue.
On base.
... and final.
Pretty stoked.[/caption]
Trial Flight: Paragliding Coaching in Valle de Bravo.
(Dec 2017)
Over the years I've come to realize that there are a quartet of relationship silos that everyone in my life falls into one of.
Romantic, Personal, Professional, and Business.
Each of these is disjoint and once a person is placed into a silo, they almost always remain there. Romantic is my significant other. Personal starts with family at the upper end and close friends at the bottom. Professional are acquaintances and work colleagues. Business is everyone else.
When a person is met and the relationship starts to establish, they are judged based upon a trio of criteria - Chemistry, Compatibility, and Currency. The higher up the relationship ladder, the higher the expectation in each category. Chemistry is attraction and is used exclusively within Romantic. Compatibility includes outlook, values, communication style, self awareness, awareness of others, common courtesy - basically the things that help people get along. Compatibility applies to everyone aside from Business. Currency encompasess what the person brings to the table that is of use to me and, as we look further up the ladder towards Romantic, are they able to maintain a lifestyle similar to mine (if a person cannot afford to do the things you do, you are likely not going to see much of each other).
Coaches. Now coaches occupy a unique position, requiring a pseudo Personal relationship within a Business like arrangement. This means that the Compatibility requirement is uncharacteristically high for what is otherwise a straight forward exchange of money for time.
This unique characteristic requires that I test the waters before going all in when engaging a coach. I like to talk to them, get a sense of how we get along, see how they provide feedback and is the communication two way? In the case of paragliding, that means a test flight.
And today is that day.
I had met Pete Thompson briefly the night before on the van ride back from the Piano LZ after our sunset flight. Listening to him engage with his current client, Becky, gave me the sense that he would be very worthwhile approaching regarding some in air coaching. So the next morning on the ride up, I began to query Pete about his background, teaching style, rates, and outlook. All the boxes were quickly checked and by the time we reached launch a deal to get both of us in the air together that day was reached.
The plan
Pete would have Becky launch after the first handful of gliders have marked a consistent climb. Then while on radio, Becky would be directed through the motions of thermaling and working with other pilots sharing the same climb. Once conditions got too strong, the gaggle too large, or Becky starts to show signs of an out of memory error - Pete would direct her to land and we would head out.
The goal for the day is simple, climb out, head out over the back towards the San Agustine turn point (the wind was lining launch and the turn point up perfectly), and make a run for the lake. Direction and commentary would be provided by Pete while in climbs and on glide. Pete points out that he can be very verbose in the air, which I prefer.
The flight
Once airborne, we quickly climb out and begin drifting as expected. The run to San Agustine is a straight forward affair with a low save over La Casa on my part. Along the way Pete provides comments on my thermal technique, use of bar, points out good points to looks for thermals ahead (and why) and macro observations of how the day/conditions are shaping up.
Sadly the lake was not to be as I set down at the last good LZ before town, Casa Veijas. But that is quickly forgotten in my elation as to how the day unfolded. Pete is given a huge thumbs up and booked for every day leading up to the XCSkyRace.
Pete on launch eyeing conditions and climbs.
Climbing out.
Linking up with Pete on the Orange/Red Ozone Zeno.
On glide.
Diving into La Casa, looking for a save.
Climbing again.
Another glide.
Lake off in the distance, likely not going to make it.
Lower right, Casa Veijas LZ.
Paragliding Coaching with Pete Thompson.
(Dec 2017)
The tagline for FlyinOrange.blog includes the search for 'Coaches, Courses, and Comps'.
The latter two are a relatively straight forward affair, simply hit up paraglidingforum and find the latest course/tour listing or comp posting. Locating coaches, proper one on one coaches, is difficult. We have no one offering 1:1 coaching back home in Southern BC and for good reason, it is not worth it given the high cost of living in our region. Instead our local schools focus exclusively on tandems and training unlicensed students - the former due to the quick turn around and the latter since the student is going to buy several thousands of dollars in equipment by the time they graduate (plus several can be trained at once).
Finding a coach normally means looking outside the prime training/tandem months and that translates to travel south.
Enter Pete Thompson.
Pete flies/teaches out of Colorado during the core flying season and has been recently recognized as the first pilot to successfully fly the length of the Colorado Rockies. During the winter months he travels Latin America flying, competing, and most importantly, coaching.
As luck would have it, Pete snagged a ride with our group back to Valle at the end of my first day here and while he was talking to some other pilots, my ears perked right up when he said, "I spend the winter months doing some coaching.".
Pete's current client, Becky, is learning the ropes of thermalling and not yet ready to fly cross country. While under Pete's guidance Becky would launch when the lift was just starting to work, receive instruction via radio while thermalling and working with the gaggle, then land when conditions would start to strengthen near mid day. From there Pete and I could launch and go Cross Country (XC). A perfect arrangement.
I explained to Pete that I was looking for a tune up after a few months of not flying ahead of the XCSkyRace comp the following week. Pete queried about comfort level, general flying ability, wing selection + weight, and any particular goals that I may have. Pete went on to then explain his teaching style and what we can expect to try while working together.
The experience thus far has been everything I could have hoped for and more. Hopefully you will see the results in my flying over the course of subsequent flying posts.
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