Paragliding: 20 Skills to Master Ridge Soaring

Most pilots are familiar with ridge soaring, but may not have experienced all the nuances offered at some sites. In this video, I present 20 skills, some basic, and some more advanced, to take ridge soaring to the next level.
⏱️TIMESTAMPS
0:00 - Intro
01:02 - Launch and turn
01:22 - Check your wingtip
02:04 - Clear the turns-Look/lean/break
02:19 - Hug the ridge
02:31 - Descend and Land
03:39 - Know the ridge rules
04:40 - Distance flying
05:35 - Crossing gaps
06:20 - Avoiding blow-backs
07:31 - Bombing out safely
08:31 - Slope side landing
09:02 - Launching in High wind
09:56 - Deciding whether to fly or not
11:16 - Flying mini wings
11:41 - Top landing
12:32 - Combining soaring and thermalling
13:00 - Scratching
13:34 - Beware of the rotors
13:58 - Dune gooning
14:50 - Challenge yourself

[@MahMegahed]

That's the best material ever made about Ridge Soaring. Thank you so much for sharing this great content and valuable information

[@clearcloudparagliding]

Thanks for your kind post Mahmoud

[@filipstoyanov3068]

Agree!

[@LeifDjurfeldt]

Lovely good ITV wing!!! its a shame you dont see so many of them.

[@916senna]

What an excellent video. Great content delivered without any sensationalism 👍

[@windsailsurf]

i think this might be your best video ever. If not its in the top 3 , lots of great info and camera views 👍

[@clearcloudparagliding]

Glad you think so Eric 🙂

[@paraglidinghowto8516]

honestly - this vid was unreal, so so good - thankyou

[@clearcloudparagliding]

Thank you 🙂

[@bubstacrini8851]

So Good!🇨🇦

[@clearcloudparagliding]

Glad you like it

[@ParaglidingChronicles]

nice1 karim brother

[@clearcloudparagliding]

Thanks bro. I like your videos too.

[@jwburton]

Fantastic video! Thanks for taking the time to make it.

[@clearcloudparagliding]

Glad you like it

[@TonyDavisFlying]

Excellent video, Karim! Well done!

[@clearcloudparagliding]

Thanks, Tony 🙂

[@joshiasbaja3934]

Thank you. I really enjoyed your tips. I’ll be moving close to the beach and I’ll be trying out paragliding

[@clearcloudparagliding]

Good decision! The more the merrier 🙂

[@imambm5638]

As a novice pilot this is really help me to understand ridge soaring. Thank you for uploading 👍🏻🙏

[@clearcloudparagliding]

So happy that you enjoyed the video!

[@derekandthechannel]

Excellent video, thank you!!

[@clearcloudparagliding]

Thank you. Happy that you like it.

[@cloudnineparagliding]

Very good and instructive video! Thank you!

[@clearcloudparagliding]

Glad it was helpful!

[@Thepintaproject]

Great video! Thank you for taking the time and putting all these tips together for us!

[@clearcloudparagliding]

You're very welcome

[@rachellebasset4671]

GREAT content! Thanks for the killer angles, great tips, and for sharing your knowledge.

[@clearcloudparagliding]

I'm glad you found this tutorial useful 🙂

[@jimsharpe9432]

Awesome video! Very much looking forward to flying with you again

[@clearcloudparagliding]

Thanks Jim. Same here!

[@cihanemre1]

Dear Karim, I am really pleased to watch such qualified and detailed paragliding instruction videos, thanks for your effort. Keep uploading such teaching video in future, surely they will be useful to many novice pilot all over the world😊

[@clearcloudparagliding]

Thanks for the encouragement :) Much appreciated.

[@johnmendes9191]

Nicely done my friend!!

[@clearcloudparagliding]

Thank you! Cheers!

[@renegade1283]

Excellent video.

[@clearcloudparagliding]

Thanks for the visit

[@TuanAnhPham]

Thank you

[@clearcloudparagliding]

You're welcome

[@Tlasheen]

Great video thanks a lot

[@clearcloudparagliding]

You are welcome!

[@bijanhekmat7375]

great

[@alicankutrup]

Great documentary 👏🏻👏🏻

[@clearcloudparagliding]

Thank you!

[@adayinthelife5772]

5 stars ***** Excellent video and excellent visuals. T

[@clearcloudparagliding]

Thank you. Glad you liked it.

[@streetphone4619]

Super super SUPER video. Thanks for making it. Saving, Liked, and Subscribed.

[@clearcloudparagliding]

Awesome, thank you!

[@shanesunassee2676]

Thanks, great video and really helpful for beginners like me

[@clearcloudparagliding]

Awesome! Happy to help

[@charliewalsh9247]

Very cool bro

[@clearcloudparagliding]

Thanks bro

[@ripmanridin7092]

Nicely done, Karim..........hope to fly with you one day!

[@clearcloudparagliding]

Sounds good! Meet you on Long Island or may be we'll come down to Florida with Charlie :)

[@CanaaniteRanger]

أحسنت ... ألف شكر لك

[@clearcloudparagliding]

Thank you 🙂

[@andytroy]

Not overtaking is nice when everybody flies the same wings, but doesn't work here at the dunes where I fly. Some people fly bigger wings and I normally fly mini wings like the Flare Moustache, which is probably twice as fast, turning around causes the same problem again. So I normally I just flare out and overtake at a lower altitude. Also it helps to do a more cobra start with strong winds, way safer. I've seen so many people at my local spot who can't do this and got dragged into the trees behind the top start.

[@clearcloudparagliding]

Good points Andy! Mustache and hang gliders can maneuver around slower gliders. And yes the cobra launch is my favorite in strong wind. Cheers

[@Zhendoz]

Going on my first one tomorrow. Thank you for helping me built the confidence. Best of luck🤗

[@clearcloudparagliding]

Awesome! Happy flying!

[@willieguapo]

Very nice. I thought they shut down flying the North shore.

[@clearcloudparagliding]

Thank you 🙂

[@chicketychina8447]

Paradoxically!!!! Ha ha 😂😂

[@philmarshall6192]

What locations were used in these videos? The "Fly or Not" section shows the weather in Rocky Point, NY. It's near me, but I've never heard of anyone flying there.

[@philmarshall6192]

Apple Maps says Rocky Point, NY is near Plattsburgh, but Google Maps says it's on Long Island...

[@clearcloudparagliding]

Phil, part of the video was filmed in Rocky Point, Long Island. Google maps shows it as Tides Beach. There is also some footage from Wellfleet, Cape Cod, and the top landings section was filmed in Lima, Peru.

[@ttr2429]

Where is this site? Looks very nice.. I am looking somewher like that in NY Long Island

[@clearcloudparagliding]

2 locations: Rocky Point, Long Island and Cape Cod, MA (Wellfleet)

[@renejungbar4243]

Great video. Where did you film this?

[@clearcloudparagliding]

Thank you. That's filmed in Long Island, NY, and Cape Cod, MA

[@jeffturner2693]

Karim, what are odds of meeting up with you some day at rocky point. I have not flown there. Coming from nj

[@clearcloudparagliding]

Jeff, message me whenever you're heading to Rocky Point.

[@jeffturner2693]

​@@clearcloudparaglidingthank you for such a fast response. Will be seeing you rather soon then. Thanks again, looking forward to meeting you and flying with you.😁

[@bijanhekmat7375]

in 12:57 what is the name of this software?

[@clearcloudparagliding]

Syride, the vario manufacturer. All GPS tracks can be found on their website www.syride.com/en/ranking/&paysMap=0&since=0&order=&tri=

[@turkeyphant]

Where was this filmed (the snowy dunes not Miraflores)?

[@clearcloudparagliding]

The snowy dunes are in Long Island, New York (Rocky Point)

[@turkeyphant]

@@clearcloudparagliding Thanks. Doesn't look very busy?

[@clearcloudparagliding]

@Jon, A few locals fly here and occasionally on weekends we get a dozen gliders if the conditions are good, but those days are few and far between

[@josephfreeman5289]

where is that first spot? please

[@clearcloudparagliding]

That's Rocky Point, Long Island, NY

[@joshwatah]

Hey Karim I’m local and just came across your page. You on ig?

[@clearcloudparagliding]

Sorry, not on ig. Do you pg?

[@erikamoretti9887]

speed of wind??

[@clearcloudparagliding]

usually 10 to 15 mph

[@onlysilvercj]

Видео очень поучительное. Сделайте пожалуйста субтитры на русском языке, спасибо за ранее

[@clearcloudparagliding]

Thank you, Alexander. I'll try to find someone to do the translation.

[@markmcgoveran6811]

I'm not that big a fan of learning to fly at minimum sink because minimum sink is a very low speed and it's very close to stalling the wing. If you're flying ridges and you're doing that close to the ground you need to have some speed on so you can get out of the trouble with your flares.

[@clearcloudparagliding]

Agreed, you don't want to stall the glider. But even a little brake will improve performance in lift.

[@markmcgoveran6811]

@@clearcloudparagliding I saw cross-country paragliding champion that weighed as much as I do and was a foot taller. He didn't want to suggest that he was clinging onto the edge of a stall for a long time but he did explain that he who glides slowest glides best. I'm just starting out so I kind of want to just fly with weight shift only for my turns. I was lucky enough to scratch together enough nickels and dimes out of the couch cushion to buy an epsilon 9 used. The advanced company said it would do best in turbulence if you just put your hands up and got out of the brakes and let the wing fly. I don't see any possible way it wouldn't fly better in still air. The ridge where you live is a beautiful thing with a great big huge flat laminar wind flow, hitting a ridge. Where I live the air service looks like a prune. I really like the part about the traffic and I really wish I had to even consider traffic once in my career here. When I leave the school I will be all alone and I will have to figure out what I have to do myself with no one to talk to. I ask everybody on here a lot of questions and I are you with every answer until I get as good an idea as possible about how they think. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for responding to my question.

[@clearcloudparagliding]

The Epsilon 9 is a great wing. Did you fly it yet?

[@markmcgoveran6811]

@@clearcloudparagliding so far I went out ground handling in a 9 mi an hour wind and I got it to launch . I kind it wrong in the wind was on the rise but when it hit the 45 degree angle and A Yank me through space 15 feet and I hit the ground on my face. One-flight so far 15 feet. My mom died and left me a little bit of money and I spend it paying up my bills and I bought the epsilon 9 wing and the harness and the lessons and the reserve and everything from one guy. I went of the school and stayed a couple of weeks a couple of times. I'm trying to catch onto the ground handling. The instructors all fly with other people all the time and don't really understand what I'm trying to learn to do when I'm going to be flying all alone. I'm fortunate in that they have tow truck winch launching. I loved tinkering on stuff and I've already came up with a new line bag for my gear. I'm working on glide slope meter with a rifle scope for my right eye and a level for my left eye. I will have a mouth piece, like boxer. I stick it in my mouth and I look at where I think I want the land and if it is too far away I will be able to see that I can't get there at a 6 to 1 slope. I love that epsilon 9 because they said it would fly better and turbulence if you just put your hands up and let that damn thing fly. I want to get up in the air a long ways and then stole the brakes and just sit there and not think about anything. I have one place to launch from and it's a farm and I'm going to fly up under clouds and throw out a bag of corn starch and try to get it to rain on the farm that lets me launch. If I ever have anybody believe that I can Make It rain sometimes I will get invited to fly out of all sorts of farmland. I've been having a good time all winner looking at videos and drawing pictures and doing calculations and figuring out different things about how I'm supposed to fly the epsilon 9. I weigh 240 lb. I'm flying the biggest model of the epsilon 9 and I'm right at the top of the weight limit.after I learn to fly I'm going to take a ball of yarn with me and throw it out over my shoulder and flying a tight circle and catch the string and bite it off. Then when to get on the ground I will measure the string. I'm very curious about the number of feet in diameter my tight circle would be. I think if you were trying to catch thermals and you had about a hundred yards of bright orange yarn behind you, it would be very easy to tell if you were in the lift. As soon as I get my pilot's license I'm going to come home and promote myself to the squadron commander of the number 13 cloud seeding squadron. I want to try and make high anxiety videos while I'm paragliding and cry because I have to land. I'm going back to the school this spring when it warms up a little bit more and work on my ground handling. I see all these guys with these little bitty high aspect wings. I'm happy that that epsilon 9 looks like a circus tent, flying through the air.

[@clearcloudparagliding]

Mark, cool ideas! Let me know how it goes when you try them. By the way, when thermalling, you can get a lot of information from a Variometer; like climb rates, glide ratios and GPS tracks. I'm very fortunate to live by the beach where I get so many opportunities to practice ground handling. I would recommand to anyone who's starting in this sport to get training somewhere you can practice every day (May be Point of the Mountain, Utha.) Also get a good instructor who's willing to spend a lot of time with you to build a strong foundation. Cheers

[@stevereed7249]

Nonsense about giving way to lower pilot,pilot with ridge on right ALWAYS has right of way.

[@pintail120]

This narrator sounds like a newbie. Weight shift first, it’s more efficient and then top up with breaks to turn. You omitted to mention while soaring along ridge weight shift away from ridge and counter with break, when you have a collapse just let break up

[@clearcloudparagliding]

2:02 look, weight shift, brake

[@loums52]

Very nicely done. I fly at Torrey Pines in San Diego, CA (USA) quite a bit and still learned some good tips…and was a great refresher! Thanks so much!!!🪂

[@clearcloudparagliding]

Glad you liked the video Lou. Torrey Pines is on my bucket list 😊

[@loums52]

@@clearcloudparagliding Hope you can fly here soon!🪂