Wow, what a ride!
Was that in the Alps?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=esFmUaz55VA&t=94s
Above is an older video (2013) so the video isn’t as good, but they do a good job of representing a high-energy song by RUSH (”Headlong Flight”).
Years ago my mom and dad stayed in a bedroom at a house in the Alps (Austria maybe?). They were driving through this little village and dad stopped into a store to see if the shopkeeper knew of any hotels or guest houses. The town was too small for anything like that. But the shop keeper said “Well - we have a bedroom in the basement if you would like to spend the night! You’ll have to wait a few hours until I close up.”
So they followed him up into the country out of the village and it turns out they not only had a bedroom but the full walkout basement with a patio over looking the valley. They stayed a few nights, and three years later stayed 3 weeks at the couples’ home!
The hang gliders were popular back then (1980’s) and dad would watch them from the guy’s house and sometimes they would go right overhead. He wanted to try it, but mom wouldn’t let him (he was in his mid -60’s).
My neighbor’s son does this all the time and has done commercial stunt work. He does it for the “rush” (literally, it seems).
Amazing.
How?
Ridge soaring
https://www.hanggliding.org/wiki/Ridge_Soaring
Also works for sail planes.
Last time I saw the Eiger, Clint Eastwood was climbing it to find out who killed his friend…. (The Eiger Sanction)
Ping.
That is a wild ride. Imagine the rush doing it in person instead of vicariously.
a part of me is always concerned for adrenalin junkies needing to stand above the rest. but this is one sport that has very small margin of error compared to others!! lol...