Welcome to 2026 to all our Pilots and Friends!
Looking forward to seeing all our friends and pilots this season. We had a great season with you all last year and so far this year is shaping up well with trips to Mexico and Japan that produced amazing flying.
As always our goal is to promote our community safety and your safe progression in this sport. With a focus on continuous improvement our instructors have been busy working on some amazing course material for the upcoming season.
Pilots from near and far had some amazing flights locally at our Kind Eddy flying site, plus some incredible XC days, with many new pilots notching up their best ever flights! We are grateful for your ongoing support of our site and local business, as it is this support which is at the core of our maintaining our tenure at King Eddy and the Coldstream Ranch.
Japan Trip
Our 8th Annual trip to Japan was a success, taking on the most incredible cultural and paragliding experiences like no other! Japan is best seen when you can be guided into the beautiful and quiet little parts most visitors never see.
With our long standing bonds with our Japanese Colleagues and friends - we provide a unique focus on Japanese culture, along with paragliding every flyable day, in addition to sharing in the most incredible and affordable Japanese cuisine!
Our Paraglide Canada Japan tour provides an experience that no other School is able to provide - due exclusively to the longstanding relationships we have fostered over many years with our partners.
Our tour includes the fees for local guides, accommodations, flying dues, retrieves plus travel to the numerous sites that provide an experience like no other.
Check our link for more information on our tour for next year and to see photos of this year.
https://www.paraglidecanada.com/collections/courses/products/japan-tour-2027
Spring Start
Upon returning from Japan we have been busy preparing for this years courses and new students. To say we are excited is an understatement. Training classes are expected to start in late March early April, and we look forward to meeting our new students as well as those continuing to develop skills and progress through their goals and current rating. We will start the season with Instructor and Tandem training and expect to offer our P2 courses early April. Please continue to check our website for course dates.
Jonathan Klimow Bursary fund
We are honoured that in 2025 we were able to provide sponsorship at the WCSC Cup event in Valle de Bravo. Benjamin Lavertu took first place in the sport class category and won $300, congratulations on a successful event.
Each year we will find unique ways to continue to honour Jonathans memory and of course you can always make a contribution to this fund by emailing us at bursary@paraglidecanada.com
July Canadian Nationals
This July, Paraglide Canada will be helping organize and run the Canadian Nationals in Golden BC. Unfortunately the event is already full and has a long waiting list so a bit unlucky for pilots who would like to join but there is room for volunters so please check the website at https://cpgro.org/upcomingevents
And of course, there will be much more to add so you can look forward to updates as they progress. If you would like to be on our Emailing list, please click link at the bottom page to add your name.
Thank you
Wing buying/Upgrade decision
I’ve had a few pilots contact me about upgrading their gear so I put a list of questions to help you in that decision.
Here is a list of the questions I want all of you to ask yourself before you contemplate purchasing a new wing or upgrading class.
Of course this is not a complete list and many more questions and variables may arise so you are always welcome to reach out to me for a discussion.
You’ve come to thinking about your next wing, well upgrading a paraglider isn’t a badge of progress—it’s a risk management decision. The right move depends less on hours logged and more on how you fly and why you want to change. Here are the key considerations, from most important to most ignored.
1. Your real skill level (not your rating or hours)
Ask yourself honestly:
* Can you consistently control pitch and roll in active air?
* Do you anticipate collapses, or only react after they happen?
* Are full stalls, asymmetric recoveries automatic and calm or still freak you out?
If any of those feel shaky, moving up a class will magnify your weaknesses, not hide them.
2. Flying conditions you actually fly
Many pilots upgrade for performance they rarely use.
* Coastal soaring / smooth air → higher class gives little benefit
* Thermal, inland, mountain flying → higher class demands sharper energy management and timely response.
* Strong summer conditions → faster gliders punish hesitation
If you mostly fly mellow conditions, staying lower class can actually increase safety and enjoyment.
3. Why you want to upgrade
Good reasons:
* You’re hitting performance limits (glide, speed, penetration)
* You’re flying long XC and managing air confidently
* Your instructor or mentor says you’re under-glidered and ready to upgrade
Bad reasons:
* “I’ve been flying X years”
* “Everyone else has moved up”
* “I want more speed just in case”
Speed without judgment is how incidents happen.
4. Step size between classes
The jump matters more than the destination.
Typical progression:
* EN-A → Low EN-B: big increase in feedback, manageable for many
* Low B → High B: serious jump in energy and collapse behavior
* High B → EN-C: requires disciplined piloting and frequent flying
* EN-C → EN-D: only if you train regularly and fly often
Skipping a step often leads to confidence collapse before wing collapse.
5. Frequency of flying
Higher class wings demand currency, not just skill.
* Flying once every few weeks? Stay conservative.
* Flying weekly in varied conditions? Upgrade may make sense.
Rust + higher aspect ratio = surprise.
My thoughts here on currency are as follows but of course we should discuss more about it as there are additional factors.
Less than 50 hours a year stay A or low B,
50-100 hours per year B or B+ is great,
150 hours per year or more and no less than 2 SIV’s on your B glider, maybe now, just maybe you are ready for a C wing.
Notice that I fly a B wing as my currency for flying solo is less due to teaching, not my ability to fly a higher wing.
6. Wing feedback tolerance
More advanced wings:
* Talk to you earlier, sometimes very rudely.
* Require faster, smaller inputs
* Punish over-braking and slow reactions, leading to cascading events.
If you like a wing that feels calm and forgiving, don’t chase numbers—chase compatibility.
If you want to land feeling great and happy, not holy shit that was crazy.
7. Weight range discipline
Flying:
* Top of range = faster, more dynamic, more demanding
* Middle of range = more forgiving
Upgrading class and loading heavy is a double jump many pilots regret.
8. Training before (or after) upgrading
Before moving up, you should ideally have:
* Recent SIV
* Collapse management in turbulent air
* Speed bar confidence with active piloting - Many pilots state they don’t use speed bar but want to upgrade? I question that.
A new wing does not replace training. It requires it.
9. Resale and exit strategy
Be honest:
* If this wing scares you, will you sell it—or stop flying?
Smart pilots choose wings they’ll enjoy for hundreds of hours, not tolerate for 20.
Bottom line (straight talk)
A paraglider upgrade should:
* Reduce stress, not increase it
* Match the worst conditions you fly, not the best
* Feel “boring” after 10 flights—not exciting after 2
If you want, tell me:
* Your current wing and class
* Where and how often you fly (coastal, mountain, XC, etc.)
* Your total airtime and recent currency
I’ll give you a blunt recommendation—move up, move sideways, or stay put.
Norm Krcmar
Paraglide Canada