The Grouse Mountain paragliding joke Coriolistic Anachronisms - A Vancouver Blog

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Sep 16
   Vintage! This is a random post. The year was 2007...

Some fences are made of old planks, others are dashed with barbed wire.

Yet another kind, the one I’m most familiar with, has none of those restrictive elements. No nails, no warning signs, no sharp edges, no electricity, no height, not even presence. That kind of fence uses, for only defense, immensity. It’s called the ocean - more efficient as a barrier than any obstacle I’ve seen, while even more appealing and inviting because of its very own nature. It’s the ultimate fence, the one that keeps you out until it forever keeps you in. Once the Sea flows in your veins, she will never get out. But until that moment, she is the meanest guardian of everything not here. Trespass, promise, threat.

And orange at times.

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2007-09-16 13:17 • Posted in Always: & Photoblogs: & Vancouver:

6 Comments

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  • 1 - marie says:

    « I have the cleanest and wettest LCD screen on the planet right now... :-)

    Um. That really doesn’t sound right, does it. There’s a rabbit around here somewhere. »

  • 2 - Marie says:

    « Pee Ess, as estorbo would say.

    It’s all gorgeous, but the ship with the light, as though sliced, is amazing...very special feel. »

  • 3 - Brigit says:

    « 3 to 6 : kitsilano beach ?
    once again, ces photos sont troublantes. à la limite d’une autre réalité.
    merci de les avoir publiées.
    B »

  • 4 - Vince says:

    « Marie: Thank god LCD screens have no emotions... ;-)

    Brigit: no, in fact they were taken from English Bay, at the bottom of Davie... »

  • 5 - NewYorkangel says:

    « Nice pictures. Incredible light!
    Soothing effect. Thanks Vince. »

  • 6 - Vince says:

    « Hi Em’

    Nice of you to drop by. How are you doing? Glad to hear about the soothing. They do that to me too. »

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We now go back to current chronological entries:
Aug 18

This year’s Grouse Mountain Fly-in was held on August 9th. I didn’t attend, not being able to meet the experience requirements. [sound of grinding teeth] Besides, I hold a serious grudge against the people controlling paragliding up there. They seem to have established a very cozy nest and obviously want to keep it private and secluded. They charge $199 for a 20 minute tandem flight (I can rent a solo Cessna for what, about half that price? And for a full hour!) and if you would like to fly as a licensed guest pilot, you’d better come recommended by an instructor, otherwise you need to have a minimum of 150 logged flights and 50 hours airborne. And even like that, you’ll always have to fly with a club member, period. Or you can wait for the annual fly-in and its supposedly relaxed rules. Let me laugh out loud. What paragliding site anywhere in the world only welcomes guest pilots 2 days a year?

I mean, I understand that our airspace is quite unique due to typical Vancouver density. Helicopters, seaplanes and other traffic have to share a corridor between the city and the mountains. Then there’s the overhead Controlled Airspace that acts like a lid on top of a pressure cooker. But still. I’ve modestly flown in many places, in many countries and many different conditions and airspaces and I’ve never seen such elitist restrictions on who can or cannot fly somewhere.

Any way. Here’s the cover of our free daily newspaper the following Monday. I’m glad to see that even from the top of their 150 flights and 50 hours wisdom, the pilots attending still managed to land on their arse. Ha!

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2008-08-18 18:12 • Posted in Vancouver:

4 Comments

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  • 1 - Sigrid says:

    « So there! »

  • 1.1 - Vince answers:

    « Indeed. »

  • 2 - Marie says:

    « You spell ass like an Englishman!

    If you fell on your ass would that be like crushing your donkey? »

  • 3 - sigrid says:

    « Yes, Marie absolutely. And animal abuse is highly against my principles! »

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