Carl Weiseth
Where do you live? Salt Lake City is home-base, but approx 1/2 of each year is spent travelling to Speedride/Speedfly!
What do you do for work? I serve as manager for Ozone's Speedwing dept, and run the largest Speedflying school in the U.S. via Speedfly.com
What year, and how old were you when you started flying? I’ve been Speedflying for 10 years. Like many pilots who started at that time, my first flights were on an Ozone Bullet with zero formal training or prior canopy experience – running it off cliffs in Lauterbrunnen Switzerland. After several close-calls, I decided to pursue formal training, and was surprised at l how difficult it was to find quality instruction in the U.S.
This led me to create the first formalized rating and training program within the U.S. and begin hosting Beginner-through-Advanced training clinics here in Salt Lake City.
Did a family member introduce you to paragliding? Although no-one in my family had a history of flying, my brother quickly jumped on board and is now a skilled Speedwing pilot and paraglider. Somewhat more surprisingly, I recently learned that my cousin, who I hadn’t spoke with in about a decade, also was a Speedflyer and Paraglider. Clearly the Weiseth-clan has some genetic propensity for flight!
What other passions do you have, or activities do you enjoy? I love hiking (you’d better, if you want to speedfly regularly in the U.S.), skiing, kite-boarding and surfing. If it involves risk-mitigation and immersing yourself in nature, I’m probably down.
Why is flying important to you, and what does flying mean to you? Flying, and Speedflying specifically, represent the epitome of “freedom” and “individuality” to me. It’s just you, your magic-backpack, and the mountains. Striking out into nature on a treasure-hunt for new Speedflights with one or two of your best friends… Does it get any better?
The ability to participate in pioneering new lines, in a relatively new sport, feels like a special and unique opportunity. In a world where “it’s all been done before”… Speedflying still feels like uncharted terrain!
