www.FlyingMax.com

Panorama Mt. Village

Breathtaking scenery surrounding an intimate mountain retreat style village, a world class mountain with over 4000 vertical feet (1200 meter) of exiting skiing and paragliding! From double black diamond glade skiing to un-crowded wide open groomed cruising to exclusively novice only trails, Panorama truly is for everyone.

The first 1 hour flights start as early as February. And the first X-Country flights to Invermere or Mt. Swansea can be logged as early as March (Cloud-base 3300m)

NOTE: Please do whatever you can to enhance the image of our sport and to ensure we continue to be welcome visitors at this great site. Also do not just get a paragliding ski ticket and not bringing your wing. Meaning that the ticket is only valid if there is a chance to fly.

 

• 2,380m (7,800 feet)
• Great winter flying and skiing resort
• Host for the annual Easter Paragliding meet
• Single day Paraglider ticket  for $20.00 (plus tax)
  Available only for Pilots with annual site briefing on a flyable day
• Over 4000′ vertical feet to the Landing Site.

Access

Panorama Mt. Village is located only 2 hours southwest of Banff or 30 minutes west from Invermere.
Click here for Google Map

Requirements

• Novice Rating
• HPAC Liability Insurance
• All pilots to sign a waiver
• Pilots are required to attend once a year a on-site orientation.
  For orientations please contact Brad Brush or George Duncan at Panorama (Tel.250-341-4122) or Max at max@flyingMax.com
• No launches after 3:00 pm
• Cross lifts with at least 300 feet
• Pilots need to have skis or a snowboard to get a ride with the lift
• Contact RK Heliski before you head up the Mountain at 250 342-3889.
  This is just to let them know we are flying as they will inform their pilots of the activities.

Panorama launch site

We have 2 Launch sites.

• Summit Launch “Roy’s Run” (1200m vertical) Steep, wide open launch (up to 5 gliders) facing W to SW.
• 2/3 up the mountain below the outhouses where the Cappuccino Hut used to be (870m vertical).
  Easy shallow launch accommodates up to 5 gliders facing NW

Launching Tip:
The launch from here is shallow and on skis you will not have the same initial power to inflate your glider like by foot. We recommend to ski into the loose lines and hold your front risers above your shoulders to inflate the wing.  The acceleration is also very slow compared by foot launches, so keep your chest forward (after your glider is already well above you)  and give it some time to create the necessary takeoff speed. Do not try to take off by pulling your break lines right away as the canopy will stall with the little speed you have.
The launch areas are only accessible with skis/snowboard and therefore we launch with skis/snowboards.  Respect and watch for skiers/snowboarders before you launch. We launch in their terrain.

Landing

The designated landing field, is the Golf Driving Range and is located about 50m above the triple chair lift.

Flying Suggestions

Here are a few suggestions which may be of use to those unfamiliar with flying a Paraglider at Panorama. They are based on the experience of Paraglider pilots who have been flying the area. There is no guarantee that you will be safe even if you follow all these guidelines.
Do not take off if the average wind speed is over 20 km/hour; winds aloft may be even higher. When deciding whether to fly or not, bear in mind the performance differences of various gliders and differences in the level of risk various pilots are willing to assume. Also be aware that wind speeds in the valley may be higher than, or lower than, or in a different direction from those at peak-top level.
Do not drift behind any of the peaks in a thermal unless you are at least 150 meters above them and your angle with respect to the peak is less than 30-45 degrees. If you leave the thermal into head wind and sink, you may be unable to glide out to the valley. It may take a day or two to walk out from the wrong side of the range.
Continually keep an eye on the wind direction aloft and on the ground, as indicated by the flags, ponds, cloud drift, thermal drift, etc. Panorama is known for sudden changes in wind speed and direction. Be especially observant if there are storm clouds crossing the valley: gust fronts of 50-70 km/hour have been experienced up to 20 km away from storms in the valley