High Sierras, Paragliding Guides, Spain Algodonales, Accommodation, BHPA Pilot Development school — Attraction in Algodonales

The first thing to say is that I have been away on two holidays with High Sierras already, and plan to make another trip later this year. That itself probably sums up how highly I can recommend them.

As an aspiring XC pilot the package offered by High Sierras has been fantastic for my personal development. Whether you are booking on one of their courses or a guiding week, Chris really spends time to get to know what you want to achieve from your trip and ensures that he books you in with a group of likeminded pilots. This personal approach goes a long way and is in stark contrast to some of the bigger paragliding companies operating in the area.

The team at High Sierras are brilliant. Chris has an extensive knowledge of the region and will use this to get you in the air – even if that requires driving some distance out of the area. Chris is assisted by fellow instructor Ray. This means that the small group will often have the use of two guides in the air at the same time! Their responsibility doesn’t begin and end in the air though. Instead you can expect thorough morning briefs detailing a challenging but achievable task, debrief and review of your track log, through to an occasional beer or meal together in the evening. Chris’ lovely wife Lynn takes care of driving the retrieves. This efficient retrieval makes for some easy stress-free XC distance, and meant we could often fit in two XC flights per day. Or at least some late evening soaring if the first flight was particularly big.

The weather and local terrain make for a perfect environment for both upcoming and experienced pilots alike. The main takeoffs are big and easy, and there is an interesting mix of both mountainous and flatland flying. On my most recent trip we flew every single day, and previously only a single day was lost due to the weather. In this case, Chris offered other activities including mountain biking or a guided walk in the mountain – showing that his local expertise extends outside of paragliding.

I am already starting to plan my next trip with High Sierras and I look forward to getting back out to the Algodonales region and beating some more...

High Sierras paragliding is a top notch operation. I couldn't recomend them enough. My brother and I flew to Spain on a whim and called Chris last minute and he fit us into his schedule with no problems. He provided guiding service, along with Ray Wooding, for the next 5 days. We flew everyday and had some really nice XC flights. Chris communicated brilliantly and was super generous and sincere with his guidance and advice. They manage groups really well and do there best to help everybody achieve their goals.

As a new xc pilot, the service these guys provided was perfect. Using their expertise of the area and knowledge of local weather, they help you set goals for the day and brief you in the morning using interactive maps on a big TV about how best to reach goal. Its super helpful talking about it, seeing it, and seeing past flight paths and that sort of thing.

Above all, it's all about enjoying yourself and landing safely, which was never lost in my time there, and for that I am the most appreciative.

They provided really nice accommodation in downtown Algodonales and take care of all transportation while you are there, so a car really isn't necessary.

Thanks Chris,...

I recently spent a week flying with Chris, also supported by his wife Lynn and colleague Ray. Having not flown for many months, it was reassuring to know Chris was there to help guide and advise me, especially when flying from new sites. Their set up is perfect for pilots of all standards, and there was a mixed level of experience during the week I stayed with Chris. The accommodation on offer is available in two nearby locations (Algodonales & La Muela) and pick up from each location is provided by Chris. Even though the weather was faultless during my stay, Chris goes above and beyond to get you flying, often twice a day. The goal for myself was to improve on XC flying, which I had only a limited amount of experience. I soon felt the skills I'd learned previously and High Sierra's professional coaching coming together. This culminated in achieving a XC flight of 37 km, which far surpassed my previous best. This was soon followed by another XC flight over 50 km. I would thoroughly recommend flying with High Sierra's paragliding development school in Algodonales and look forward to booking my next holiday adventure with them again. Thanks...