Paragliding across Canada
Published on:
14 Sep 2016
Paragliding across the entire span of Canada's Southwestern Mountain ranges this summer, Ozone's Benjamin Jordan discovered that impossible is sometimes just a code-word for fun.
His adventure, “From Pacific to Prairie” took the 35-year old filmmaker from glacial peak to high desert to rocky mountains, landing high when possible and near villages to re-stock supplies when needed.
Solo and unsupported, Jordan took his time, walking only when necessary and spending time on-summit for up to one week during bouts of temperamental Canadian weather. Though often in solitude, hikers would occasionally find the pilot playing ukulele, waiting out stability or strong winds, and ask how many days had passed or how much distance he'd covered. "They thought I was being an a**hole" he said "because I had no clue. But it didn't matter to me, and, if I was looking at those numbers I probably would have gone crazy!"
In the end it took him 39 days to cover 1000 km, much of which had not previously been flown. The first 100 km of the journey was made on foot as Jordan marched away from the stabilizing effects of the Pacific sea breeze. Once nestled in the mountains, things came together and, despite having to wait patiently for good weather windows, a mere 75 km had to be walked between the first and last cross-country flights of the journey, some spanning up to 140 km of uncivilized, un-landable terrain, shattering Jordan's expectations of both flying in Canada, and himself as a pilot.
When asked if this was a record, he said "Perhaps it will be one day, but first someone else needs to be crazy enough to give us something to compare it to." For now, Jordan's goal is to share what he's learnt about the land, the air and himself through photos and stories. This week Ben will take us for a ride inside his journey crossing across his mother land via Ozone's Instagram, stay tuned and join Ben for a lifetime flying experience.
Thanks Ben for making of the impossible fun, your approach to life and flying is an inspiration!
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