Stubai Magazin

hammer himself develops the prototypes for this
brand of paragliders: „I am actually a trained roofing
tinsmith and forwarding agent, but I have my
own visions and notions, and live my dreams instead
of always merely running behind them. And that is
why I count myself among the exceptionally gifted.“
The pro also managed to make an excellent name for
himself at home and abroad in this sphere with an
orderly portion of diligence. Innovations are constantly
being developed in Markus Gründhammer‘s
company: „As somebody who reels off an altitude
difference of 230,000 metres per year, I know what
like-minded individuals are enthusiastic about!
For instance, I have created the mountaineering paraglider
‚Reinhold‘, which with a weight of only 2.3
kg - roughly 6.5 kg is otherwise customary - can
easily be taken along anywhere. But the paraglider
is so demanding that up to now it is reserved for
only a handful of specialists. In addition, a series of
other experimental paragliders such as „Deathblade“,
which once again give the reputation of „crossover
artist“ a more profound meaning, also caused a commotion.
But no matter what the glide performances
are, the smaller and faster the piece of fabric is, the
more sensitively the paraglider reacts to turbulences,
which can naturally be at the expense of safety. Markus
Gründhammer knows this risk. In his professional
career of now 26 continuous years as an acrobatic
and test pilot – a total of over 11,400 flights have been
recorded – he has logically experienced everything
there is to experience. Crash landings and emergency
parachutes included! But he has become calmer, the
„madman“ from former times: „In retrospect, I appreciate
my luck. Wild dogs do not live long. You are
a pro when you reach age 60!“
Speed flying is only for pros
Unfortunately, quite a few others do not always
seem to think so far in this respect. In recent years,
partially serious accidents have happened, particularly
with regard to the newly fashionable sport
of „speed flying“, which is why it is now prohibited
in the Stubai Valley: „Many people also pursue the
sport with brains, but like everywhere, here there
are also ‚black sheep‘,
simply because they
are irrational!“ Certainly
those pilots
who very professionally
tension the
lines can experience
„Everything I have done in my life,
I‘ve pursued to the extreme. Yes, I
would even say I am a fanatic“
Markus Gründhammer
wonderful moments under the very small, fast
and agile paragliders. But they overdo it with the
‚ground-level adventure‘ and it is really dangerous!
„These paragliders are much more dynamic but at
the same time also more demanding. One would
have to fly with more foresight, but people tend to
overestimate themselves. That is why I agree that
speed flying should remain exclusively reserved for
professionals and experts. But a speed glider personally
does not provide me with enough performance
anyway, because I intend to enjoy my flights
as long as possible!“ "
Er ist eben ein ganz eigener
Vogel, aber dass er unbeirrt
sein Ding macht, ist gut
so, denn sonst stünde
Markus Gründhammer
heute sicher nicht dort wo
er ist! Immerhin gehört er
der erlesenen Riege der
erfahrendsten und besten
Gleitschirmpiloten auf dem
Globus an und hat es noch
dazu geschafft, sein Hobby
zum Beruf zu machen.
He is just a very peculiar
bird, but it is good that he
does his thing undeterred,
because otherwise Markus
Gründhammer would
surely not stand where
he is today! After all, he
belongs to the select squad
of the most experienced
and best paraglider pilots
on the globe and has also
managed to make his hobby
a profession.
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