Beginner pilot guide to XC paragliding #1 Tolmin - Gemona first 100km (Full Flight Commentary)

Here’s my full - fist ever 100km - flight from Kobala to Gemona and back.
I’m a beginner pilot with 185 hours in the air, and in these videos I hope to share some insights with people on the similar level to mine. We probably struggle with the same questions, and I hope I can share some answers, and get some advice from you guys in the comments below. I hope you’ll enjoy it! Cheers.
Track: xcportal.pl/no...
#paragliding #tolmin #kobala #xcflying #gemona

[@pepepemariano]

I ve watched thousands of paragliding videos last few years... and i can tell you this is the most beautiful one!!!! WOW MAN incredible.

[@HamsterOnCoke]

I'm humbled

[@oatey8868]

Fantastic video! and you were close with the top-landing, maybe a little tiny bit of butterfly-ing as you approached and you would have been down :) But great footage and narration, I felt like I was there flying it with you

[@HamsterOnCoke]

thanks, so glad you liked it! see you in the sky

[@Cheatercool]

Amazing flight and extremely calming flight report, nicely done!

[@HamsterOnCoke]

Thank you sir! Glad you liked it

[@owentolley3308]

Awesome and very informative video. As a non-pilot this gave me a really good view into what going cross-country and finding lift is really like.

[@HamsterOnCoke]

woah, now that's super nice to hear. I thought this video have absolutely zero value for non-flying persons :) Glad you liked it, thanks for the comment! cheers

[@petrwitt4585]

Gorgeous video and commentary. Smart way to cut it so it is not too long and yet very instructive and fun to listen! Great job!!!

[@T-gashi]

Beautiful couds! This is a textbook of how to use the mountain thermals and go XC👍

[@VinBura]

I don`t need Hollywood movies, this is my Hollywood. Beautiful... Many greetings from Croatia.

[@HamsterOnCoke]

Thanks Vin

[@1shawnob]

Love the video, I want to begin some XC and this was very informative. Thank you!

[@HamsterOnCoke]

Thanks Shawn! Pleasure to hear that. I hope you'll have a lot of fantastic safe XC flights! They're really amasing. Best of luck! Cheers

[@poklet]

I’m blown away. Loved your story, and time lapse. What a unique way of telling your story.

[@HamsterOnCoke]

Thanks, super glad you liked it. Cheers

[@wesleysmith2989]

This is one of the best PG videos I've seen in a while, great use of speed-up video, great commentary--really makes me feel like I'm right in the air with you! How do you mount your 360 camera? Great footage! I also have a 360 camera but I've struggle to find a good location to mount it.

[@HamsterOnCoke]

Hey Wesley! Thanks a milion for the kind words. I mount it on the cockpit: imgur.com/a/wioNPQh It's pretty solid. Good luck with your setup! See you in the sky!

[@7up-weee]

Beautiful!

[@sandrainthesky1011]

This was a great way to use 360! So interesting too, congrats on your first 100km! Et oui Theo est le maitre de wing-overs!

[@HamsterOnCoke]

Thanks Sandra! Yea he's a master. I know how to into wingovers thanks to him :) I am actually thinking about creating a video on my journey of learning them. Cheers

[@paulc7661]

was it a insta 360 ///love the way this is filmed

[@danielosorio5903]

Congrats man great commentary ✌

[@colin8110]

Really great video. Hope to see more xc like this.

[@HamsterOnCoke]

thanks for the motivation. Glad you liked it!

[@interlectual_authority]

great video, thank you

[@KilkennyLights]

Frank in Ireland. Lovely Video. Great passion and beautiful views. Congratulations

[@FlyPhiGuy]

Great scenery and dialogue. Thanks!

[@gerrymc]

Lovely flight, great video. Thanks for sharing

[@HamsterOnCoke]

Thanks for the kind words! See you in the sky!

[@santysmith]

Really enjoyed this video 😂

[@MikkelsenR]

Thanks for sharing, beautiful flight and interesting to hear your decision making in flight!

[@HamsterOnCoke]

Thanks, glad you find it valuable! See you in the sky

[@iamweasel246]

The quality of the video is incredibly high. Also, I think this is a very informative clip for beginners (I consider myself among them). Honestly, one of the best videos on this topic that I've seen. Keep up the good work!

[@HamsterOnCoke]

Thank you so much for these words. Keeps me motivated to create more videos like this. Happy I can be of help! Cheers

[@philippebroers2838]

Beauty, great edit.

[@ambigioz]

mzing, this commentary is very useful for someone wanting to into XC

[@nikolatasev4948]

Amazing video!

[@MrThechef7]

Amazing!

[@lg6877]

Extraordinary!!!

[@BobJones20001]

I did love the video, absolutely 100%. Thankyou so much for sharing

[@lordgargu]

Oh yes... I enjoyed the video ;)

[@VayIncha]

Thanks for the Video, the comments, and for showing how great it is to fly a Phi Tenor on distance!

[@HamsterOnCoke]

Thanks for the kind words, glad you liked it! Yeah Phi Tenor is an amazing Mid EN-B glider. A pleasure to fly!

[@bizzybugseverywhere7801]

im just learning too , in sydney australia . loved the commentry , that was a really awsome flight . thanks for sharing .

[@HamsterOnCoke]

super nice you liked it. thanks for dropping by. good luck with your flying! cheers

[@raphaeleymann]

Subscriber #500 here - amazing Video. This area looks amazing - I need to visit it asap!!

[@timharraway919]

Great footage and excellent commentary; thanks very much for sharing! Best wishes from Queensland Australia.

[@HamsterOnCoke]

thanks for watching and kind words! I really appreciate it! All the best from Poland :)

[@climb315]

Art

[@KarolisLaisvas]

Very nice flight and awesome video! Thanks for sharing!

[@jakegeldenhuys2665]

Stoked! Well done! So entertaining.

[@johnwagenhals881]

that was amazing! very well made.. extremely awesome camera lapse , great explaining , and That Place you live ,, what a place,, that's the Dream,,

[@HamsterOnCoke]

thanks a million, I was kind of scared my commentary will be just random unmeaningful words, but it's super good you found it valuable! thanks for the comment. btw unfortunately I don't live there. I'm a flatlander from Poland :) all the best!

[@rubeng.t.5430]

Amazing scenery and great video indeed Michał! I believe you now look at it from a distance and realize that the shoulder strap wasn't really something to be worried about, however it sure wasn't supposed to break that easily too.. is it a light version harness? The way you make these videos is very captivating in the whole, with the image quality and on top narration that adds a really distinct personality to them. Keep them coming we all appreciate it for sure ;)

[@Gin_FireFly]

great video!

[@benjienys3543]

Fantastic stroy telling man 🤩👌 Hello from tunisia 😁

[@osmera_pg]

Congratulation. What a day and nice flight. Really very good use of 360 camera.

[@HamsterOnCoke]

Thanks. Yes the day was absolutely brilliant! All the best!

[@bertiedavel]

Nice video, great wing and awesome place to fly!

[@MartinG_YouTube]

What a brilliant video of an xc route I love. Subbed!

[@HamsterOnCoke]

Thanks, glad you liked it!

[@desdelaloma7]

Awesome video!! Hope you do mere videos like this one, it would help a lot of beginner pilots to understand XC better.

[@HamsterOnCoke]

thanks! it really motivates me to create another one :) cheers

[@marilurasonyi218]

Amazing! Congratulations! Fantastic video!

[@HamsterOnCoke]

Thanks, super nice you liked it! Cheers

[@wojciechna]

Cheers 🙂

[@marzipanbase4425]

Cool!!!

[@OSCAR1777]

Świetne video stary. Super to opisałeś z nazwami tych gór. Latam tam ale zawsze zapominam jak się nazywają i gdzie są ... teraz będę miał taki reference ; ) Dzięki !

[@HolyCrab774]

It's so interesting. Thx for upload.

[@HamsterOnCoke]

Thanks for watching!

[@kirje33]

Loved it ;)

[@lorandbartha1386]

nice viedo cut my friend!

[@Hemersonr]

congrats..... amazing footage.... good tips to beginners and advanced pilots...

[@HamsterOnCoke]

Thank you. I appreciate your comment, was kind of scared the tips are not good enough :D Cheers

[@qrczis]

Mistrzu!!!🤯100km

[@ChuckyG2011]

Great video, well edited and narrated. Keep it up!

[@HamsterOnCoke]

Thanks for the motviation, will do!

[@alexandertaylr]

Congrats! Last year I was able to fly only to the Stol and back to Kobala, because the peak of the Stol was in cloud. :) I hope next time if I visit Tolmin, I can also fly this dream flight which you succeed. :)

[@HamsterOnCoke]

I hope you'll do it next time you're there. On a good day it's quite easy flight. But if Stol was in clouds... that doesn't sound like a good day at all. Good luck! Cheers

[@lexrox1]

Quality video. 👍🏻

[@johannesbergforsmedia]

Awesome job and video! Exactly what I needed :)

[@HamsterOnCoke]

thank you sir

[@goldgeezer2370]

great comentary

[@HamsterOnCoke]

Thank you, best motivation ever!

[@roberthodzic]

A new dimension of paragliding videos 👏👏Is this your real voice?

[@HamsterOnCoke]

thanks :) well yes, at least when I talk to the microphone :D quite new experience to me, so I try not to care to much on how do I sound, as I have very little control over it.

[@Ducecannon]

Good work and congrats!

[@HamsterOnCoke]

thank you sir! :)

[@siedlarza]

Fajne te hyperlapsy wyglądają na XC lepsze niż video. Long and happy flying 😁

[@SemiFlyingPharmacist]

Good job, great video! :)

[@HamsterOnCoke]

thanks!

[@MateuszNoch]

Fajne bujanie. Gratulacje!

[@HamsterOnCoke]

dzieki wielkie! pozdroweczki :)

[@ramanzz]

veeeeery nice

[@DevilX1975]

Superb video :)

[@HamsterOnCoke]

Thanks man!

[@laffeteckel]

Nice video! ;-) Thanks!

[@rubenpeej9504]

🍻

[@FlyingScot]

That was a beautiful production and flying a Hannes Papesh wing is even better! Great job. What 360 gimbal camera did you use..awesome footage

[@HamsterOnCoke]

thanks man! Yeah I absolutely love the wing, Hannes is The master of design. Looking forward to advance to Allegro X-Alps once my good Tenor Light wores out. Take care! Cheers

[@TrebyZ]

Really nice video! I also got stuck at the "tits", flying from Tolmin, and ended up only getting to Kobarid on the one day I flew there, but it is still one of my favourite flights 🙂

[@davideophile]

awesome flight. is that the One X 2?

[@HamsterOnCoke]

hey, thanks. yes indeed!

[@rychu8656]

All good. Excellent video. Maybe a few f words less 😊

[@Avrora707]

Amazing XC as for beginner👍 I am beginner too and also dream to take my first 100 km route) Can you cross the border between EU countries? For example take off from Slovakia and land in Austria. Or you can"t cross the borders? Just now I read that you have 185 hours experience. It is cool. I have only 50🙂

[@HamsterOnCoke]

Hey. thanks for great comment. yup you can freely cross borders while flying in EU :) I wish you a lot of safe flights and tons of fun! :) cheers

[@Avrora707]

@@HamsterOnCoke Thank you so much for the answer! I'm from Ukraine and we can't cross any country borders😁 Para fliyng is prohibited in Ukraine but sometimes we take a chance to have super secret flying😜 Wish you beautiful and interesting XC and stay safe🤝

[@soulflyingmax]

Great video :) Did you ever fly from Kobala to Bovec? I'm a beginner with around 100 flights (almost all of them in the Austrian alps) and will come to the Soca valey in June. Since we will stay in camp Liza, I wondered if it's possible to fly there from Kobala. Do you have any tips?

[@AndyGonzoGilbert]

Amazing flight & video, look forward to more. Subscribed! Can I ask what the soundtrack is?

[@AndyGonzoGilbert]

Found it Chavah - Gai Barone 👌

[@HamsterOnCoke]

hey! Thanks a milion! yeah that's an amazing track by Gai Barone, have fun listening to it, such an airy tune :)

[@AndyGonzoGilbert]

@@HamsterOnCoke Top tune. And again very inspiring video for low airtime pilots like myself. 👍

[@HamsterOnCoke]

@@AndyGonzoGilbert really happy to hear that! enjoy your flying journey, you're in for the best ride of your life :)

[@adv640ktm]

Such one of the greatest XC video i've seen so far, congrats, enjoy it to the fullest!!! One question, where do you mount your insta? thx

[@HamsterOnCoke]

hey, thanks for super kind words! sincerely appreciate it. insta is mounted on my cockpit using a zip-tie and a gopro mount with 1/4'' screw. if you want - drop me a mail od PM I can send you a picture.

[@adv640ktm]

@@HamsterOnCoke Perfect, thx a lot!!! I will write u😎

[@adv640ktm]

Can text u via instagram?

[@HamsterOnCoke]

@@adv640ktm sure thing, it's Flying Hamster or instagram, or just send me a mail omx.jonson at gmail.com

[@moritzmessner5248]

please make mkre videos like this one

[@brodoswagins9151]

Which wing did you use during this flight? Would it be possible to do this flight with EN-A wing?

[@HamsterOnCoke]

Yup. I flew mid-B Phi Tenor Light, but doing this in todays EN-A is achievable. Some people fly 250km+ flights on EN-A, so yup. Doable.

[@brodoswagins9151]

@@HamsterOnCoke thanks for the answer :)

[@bulentkamali]

You have a Phi glider....For a beginner who wants to do XC, what alternatives would you recommend? You must have investigated Ozone and others.

[@HamsterOnCoke]

hey, to be honest any glider will do. todays gliders are super good machines, and people fly 200km+ flights on EN-A gliders. So it's only a matter of skill at this point. Ozone is amazing brand.

[@kanewilliams1653]

How did you film this? Remarkable camera work and editing! Make a "How I made it" video? :D

[@HamsterOnCoke]

Thanks! Sorry for late reply. It's all recorded on Insta 360 One X2. Super big sdcard and a powerbank. How I made it video is available at remarkable Sebastien Benz channel - I encourage you to check it if you don't know him yet. He's absolute pro!

[@DiegoTheWolf]

Really nice, i'll be there in some weeks, hoping to get to Italy the first time =) really nice to get a narrated version of the route. Question: at 1:54 could you just stick to the Krn ridge to the right and not move over to Stol, or would this be to turbulent?

[@HamsterOnCoke]

Hey. Thanks! I hope you'll get there too. If the conditions are good it's really easy flight. Regarding your question - yes you could absolutely stick to the Krn ridge and advance forward. It's all south facing, with a lot of anabatic wind to keep you up. Of course it depends on the wind, but on the flyable days there should be no problems in flyign out there. Actually it's the second "way back" from the Stol ridge, instead of flying through the "Tits". Just head over to Polovec and then back to the Krn ridge. I have a second flight video in production, where I took this line, so if you're interested in it - subscribe to get the notification in the next couple of days! Good luck with your flying Cheers

[@MaticHrovat]

@@HamsterOnCoke Polovec -> Polovnik :)

[@HamsterOnCoke]

@@MaticHrovat aaa thanks for the correction and sorry for the mistake :) Glad you picked this up, will correct it in the upcoming video. Cheers

[@DiegoTheWolf]

@@HamsterOnCoke Already subscribed! Last time i tried to get from Stol to Tolmin i wasn't able to get any lift at the tits and had to land in Kobarid ... but cloud base was 100m above the stol start so not much to work with. Looking forward to your next video!

[@HamsterOnCoke]

@@DiegoTheWolf yeah I can only imagine it was really hard to do it in conditions like you described. Flying really changes from day to day, and what is possible on one day, is super hard on other. But that's what make it so special, isn't it? Next time you'll make it!

[@egzi]

Za wczesnie przerzucasz cialo w wingoverach, czekaj na najnizszy punkt i plynniej na sterowkach ;)

[@HamsterOnCoke]

Dzięki za komentarz! Hmm, w sumie bardzo ciekawe spostrzezenie. Theo de Blic przerzuca weightshift w najwyzszym punkcie kazdego wahadla, nie w najnizszym. Gadalem z wieloma pilotami Acro i mowia zeby to robic na samej gorze, nie na dole, wiec Twoj komentarz mnie dosc mocno zaciekawil. Oczywiscie jestem swiadomy tego ze w moich jest wiele do poprawy, nawet bardzo wiele, wiec jestem bardzo otwarty na konstruktywna krytyke i dyskusje! :) Pozdróweczki!

[@egzi]

​@Hamster On Coke Wzbudziles we mnie watpliwosc. Co innego robic, a co innego przekuc to w instrukcje, az sam sie zaczalem zastanawiac jak robie :). Bo tez jest kwestia, ze mozna np na szczycie podprostowywac (ale to raczej sterowka, zewnetrzna) tak zeby na dole znalezc sie dokladnie pod srodkiem skrzydla lecac na wprost. Obejrzyj jeszcze raz kzbin.info/www/bejne/mX-0lWBsa9Rjb9U. Wyprostowanie ciala na gorce. Cialo i sterowka na dole (przed najnizszym). Zakladajac wczesniej wychodza bardzo dynamiczne, z duzym przeciazeniem i z mniejszym wyjsciem nad skrzydlo. Sa za to bezpieczniejsze. Pozniejsze zaciagniecie powoduje wyzsze wyjscie i sa ladniejsze, ale skrzydelko mieknie :). Mozna nawet probowac po przejsciu przez najnizszy punkt, ale trzeba to sobie dawkowac bo moze zaskoczyc wysokim wyjsciem i jak nie uda sie w pore odwrocic komor do ziemi to roznie moze wyjsc. Co prawda nigdy mnie nie poskladalo, ale poslady nieraz zaciskalem :). Generalnie to szacun bo robisz prawdziwe wingovery, a mi sie tylko wydaje ze mozna cos poprawic. Nieliczni sie ucza, a jest to wg mnie najlepsza nauka czucia skrzydla, ktora procentuje w turbulencjach. PS, wingoverow nigdy nie przestaje sie uczyc :)

[@HamsterOnCoke]

@@egzi No właśnie uczymy się ich całe życie :) Ja gdzieś na szarym początku z tym jestem więc zawsze super doceniam wszystkie tipy. I jak już jesteśmy przy temacie weightshifta, to chyba wiem o co chodzi, czego w sumie nie powiedział Theo, a na co Ty zwróciłeś uwagę: Na początku figury WS się daje w najwyższym punkcie wahadła, ale gdy już wszystko jest rozbujane (WO na tyle duży że wylatujemy nad skrzydło a komory mamy skierowane do ziemi) i dajemy łapy w górę na samej górze, to wtedy WS + break jest inicjowane jednak praktycznie na samym dole. Co na dobrą sprawę rozwiąże mi jeden problem, bo jak robię duże WO to każdy kolejny jest trochę za mocny i robią się bardziej 270stopni niż 180, właśnie chyba przez zbyt dużo weightshifta. One way or another, mega fajnie że to zauważyłeś, dobra rozkmina. Pozdróweczki i do zobaczenia na Niebie :)

[@micheleren1534]

Bravo! Which 360 action camera do you use?

[@HamsterOnCoke]

thx! It's Insta 360 One X2

[@hydrauliq]

gratuluje pierwszej setki, bardzo dobry film. podzielisz sie radami jak montujesz kamere? widzialem inny kolega bodaj z Pily pokazywal montowanie trytytkami do kokpitu. I zeby zrobic taki hyperlapse krecisz normalny film i pozniej postprodukcja? Ile schodzi GB na godzine lotu? pozdrawiam

[@HamsterOnCoke]

hej. sorry za późną odpowiedź, gdzieś mi umknął Twój komentarz :/ dzięki za miłe słowa :) Kolega z Piły to mój dobry przyjaciel Maciej, i mamy kamerkę zamontowaną w taki sam sposób. Wcześniej latałem z kijem, ale jest to dużo bardziej uciążliwe niż montaż na stałe do kokpitu. Hyperlapse tak jak mówisz. Kręce 6h materiału i później w postprodukcji przyspieszam i kadruje. Na kartę 512gb wchodzi 10h lotu. Czyli dużo. Pozdróweczki!

[@hydrauliq]

@@HamsterOnCoke dzieki pozdrawiam!

[@makermind2050]

I like you

[@SemiFlyingPharmacist]

What is the camera you used for this?

[@HamsterOnCoke]

It's Insta 360 One X2 with 512gb sd card and a powerbank

[@bartoszbe330]

STOOLPEAK

[@LukeSchneider]

So you say you fked up at the "tits"? :D Nice video man! Love Slovenia, the Soca Valley... even tho I've only been there once.

[@HamsterOnCoke]

hahahah the Tits plan is always the best plan :D thanks so much. Yeah it's beautiful out there, I hope you'll get the chance to visit it again.

[@LukeSchneider]

@@HamsterOnCoke hell yeah man! I wanna fly the same route as yo, so I gotta come back 🤙🏼

[@ziadwakim4114]

Very nice video. Keep going. The only bad thing is the cursing and using the word fu.. a lot. A lot of young people (boys and girls) paraglide and watch KZbin, we need to lead by example. Thanks again for the nice video.

[@HamsterOnCoke]

Thanks for the comment. I understand your point, but the video is not targeted for kids audience, which is clearly stated in its settings. I'm not a fan of any type of censorship, and I take the liberty of using the language that - in my opinion - properly gives out the emotions I was in at the moment. I do swear in real life when in emotions, and I don't feel interested in lying to my audience that I don't. Language is a tool, with different tools for different moments. Cheers Mike

[@M12ike]

Sorry, but with this gopro 360 (or whatever) , with this constant blinking of pilot in front of your site, this is absolutely unwatchable.

[@HamsterOnCoke]

Sorry to hear that. I'm aware that some people are not able to watch this kind of footage, makes them dizzy and all. It's a trade-off. I can't erase myself from the video, and there's no other way to show full flight uncut. Thanks for the comment. Cheers