Issue No. 15

I’m running downhill, worrying whether I’m
going too fast or too slow, but suddenly the
land falls away before me and I’m airborne.
We’re soon above the trees and, even
though I’m not good at heights, I realise
there’s nothing I can do, as the pilot is in
complete charge. We’re circling, trying to
find thermals, and climb higher, experiencing
some turbulence. I’m told there’s
nothing to worry about unless I start
feeling sick. Apparently, at this point, some
people experience severe nausea with the
expected results and it can’t be pleasant
cleaning up afterwards.
We keep spiralling upwards and I see one
of my friends way above me. The views are
tremendous down the valley and I begin to
feel I could stay up for ever. Indeed, in
conditions like this it’s normal to travel for
miles, harnessing the thermals to soar over
the mountains. After about 45 minutes, I
begin to hanker for solid ground and am
relieved to find we’re starting to descend.
On the way down, I’m offered the controls
Rupert has a bird's eye view of the valley
from his sky high position
but I politely decline - better to leave it to
the professionals.
As the valley floor comes nearer, there’s a
tractor mowing the grass dangerously
close to the landing site. Not to worry, my
pilot can land on a dime, but he does
instruct me to stand up immediately he
gives me the order. I see the freshly mown
grass rushing towards me, I’m worrying
about twisting my ankle, or smashing my
feet, and it looks like we’re going too fast.
He tells me to stand, I stay sitting and land
flat on my bottom, much to his disgust. I’m
just relieved to be down, glad to have
survived intact and pleased I’ve done
something I’ve always dreamt of.
Find information about Samoen's summer
activities: samoens.com
Hotel Les Glaciers makes a comfortable
base: hotel-les-glaciers-samoens.com