Dorf Tirol, 600 m.a.s.l.

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[comments in Italic by Daniel, as always] – I surprised Daniel with an early birthday present (it’s still a month to go but the occasion is just too good) and we took Daniel to Dorf Tirol under a pretext. It was hard to get him to wear ankle-high, sturdy shoes which you need for take-off (to run along downhill) and landing, because he thought we were just going to drive around a bit and mostly walk through the village.

So you can imagine his surprised face when we finally told him at the foot of the mountain Hochmut that he is going to fly, too. Now. 🙂

There are many flight schools and suppliers where you can book a tandem flight, without the need to take multiple day course to learn it to fly all by yourself. To be honest, neither did I research a lot nor compared prices, but I went through a tourism portal which led me to Tirolfly. I emailed them to check if they are still offering tandem flights in October -positive- and called in a day before to reserve a flight. They were very friendly, both via e-mail and telephone. Later I found out they have the most competitive prices, as well.

This was really a great experience! It was the very first time for me and, with a fear of heights, not the easiest step – but I didn’t have a choice 🙂 I really liked it! The flight itself is very comfortable and stable, I assumed there would be much more turmoil. You have a great view and are able to fly really close to mountains and trees – it feels as if you can touch them. I was also given the chance to steer the paraglide and at least took two to three turns but nothing compared to the maneuvers Aaron flies normally. This was an experience I’d never want to miss, and I am thankful to Julia for giving me this opportunity – I would have never done this on my own.

Flying with a champion

The company has everything prepared and you can just skip the line with all the hikers at the valley station to get on the ropeway towards the top of the mountain. I booked a thermal flight for Daniel which takes you above the mountain peaks before flying down. It was a nice surprise that Daniel got to fly with a professional paragliding pilot, Aaron Durogati, who has won paragliding championships in Europe and worldwide, and who demonstrated a bit of his talent in a maneuver before their feet touched the ground again.

// Paragliding: tandem experience with Tirolfly