Dates:
Iquique␣Chile␣2011␣Paragliding␣Trip␣Program␣
Instructional Days – Saturday, Nov. 19th (arrival) to Thursday, Nov. 24th (departure) – (P-1 to P-4 level) Iquique Days #1 – Thursday, Nov. 24th (arrival) to Monday, Nov. 28th (departure) – (P-2 to P-4 level) Iquique Days #2 – Saturday, Nov. 19th (arrival) to Monday, Nov. 28th (departure) – (P-2 to P-4 level) Iquique Days #3 – Monday, Nov. 28th (arrival) to Monday, Dec. 5th (departure) – (P-2 to P-4 level)
Organizers:
Wallowa Paragliding & Atlanta Paragliding Enterprises
Tour Leaders:
Todd Weigand, Luis Rosenkjer, & Kari Castle
Guaranteed flyable days!!!:
Get a refund if you can’t fly everyday due to weather conditions!
Early payment discounts!!!:
Check our discounted payment schedule down below.
Tour Descriptions:
This year we divided the tour into 2 different segments that offer similar programs every week for the Iquique Days option. The Instructional days will overlap with the first week of Iquique days. Pilots that sign up for the Instructional Days will receive more dedicated instruction focusing on perfecting ground handling, ridge soaring and basic thermal flying skills.
Instructional Days- (6 days, 5 nights)
This package trip is focusing on P1- P4 pilots who would like to improve ground handling, launching, landing, and flying skills. The first 3 days of this tour will focus on intensive basic training with many instructors available to help you adapt to Iquique’s unique high wind launching conditions. This is a perfect opportunity for pilots who fly less than 30 hours per year or for any level of pilot who would like to improve basic skills. We will be focusing on kiting and launching to ensure that low airtime pilots will gain good control and knowledge, and advanced pilots will get pointers that will take them from good to great! Most visiting pilots are humbled when they arrive to Iquique and find that they don’t have as good of kiting or launching skills as they thought they did. So if you aren’t sure you have those skills, you need to join this trip! We will also be coaching you throughout the flights and will have instructors at launch and landing. With radio communication we will also help you stay in the air longer by pointing out where the thermals and ridge lift are, and we will have at least a 1:3 instructor to pilot ratio to allow more individual attention throughout the first 3 days. Then for the remaining 3 days we will have at least a 1:5 instructor to pilot ratio to provide assistance.
Iquique Days #1 – (5 days, 4 nights)
This 5 day long tour in Iquique will be focused on novice (P2) to advanced (P4) level pilots who would like to log some airtime and work on thermaling, launching and kiting skills on their own. Novice (P2) pilots are required to attend the Instructional Days before joining the Iquique Days. All pilots attending these days are required to have good launching, flying, and landings skills. If you do not have good high wind launching skills then we expect you to sign up for the Instructional Days. Iquique and the surrounding flying sites are superb training grounds for less experienced pilots but will also satisfy the advanced level pilot who would like to improve overall skills. Less experienced pilots will be able to log many hours of airtime plus practice in the moderate wind conditions at the dunes. More advanced pilots will be able to fly until they are exhausted and hungry! The conditions are excellent for fine-tuning thermaling skills, flying small out and return XC flights up and down the ridge, working on top landing skills, and perfecting your kiting skills at the world famous Palo Buque flying site! During the last 2 days, we will try to do some short XC flights.
Iquique Days #2 – (10 days, 9 nights)
This 10 day long tour is basically the same as the Iquique Instructional Days and the Iquique Days #1 combined. But, this option does not offer any training during the first days. All pilots attending these days are required to have good launching, flying, and landings skills. If you do not have good high wind launching skills then we expect you to sign up for the Instructional Days. Iquique and the surrounding flying sites are superb training grounds for less experienced pilots but will also satisfy the advanced level pilot who would like to improve overall skills. Less experienced pilots will be able to log many hours of airtime plus practice in the moderate wind conditions at the dunes. More advanced pilots will be able to fly until they are exhausted and hungry! The conditions are excellent for fine-tuning thermaling skills, flying small out and return XC flights up and down the ridge, working on top landing skills, and perfecting your kiting skills at the world famous Palo Buque flying site! During the last 2 days, we will try to do some short XC flights.
Iquique Days #3 – (8 days, 7 nights)
Continuing with our Iquique Days, this part of the tour is still designed for P-2 (novice) to P-4 (advanced) pilots. During this portion of the tour, we will try to fly some other sites and also seek for some XC flights during the last 3 days. All XC flights will be lead by Todd and Luis, and radio contact will be mandatory. Pilots for the last days of this week need to have experience in strong thermal conditions and turbulence since we will be flying during the stronger mid day conditions. Any P-2’s that are still hanging in will probably have to land earlier during the XC flights, and before any of the difficult crossings. The experience of flying 20 or 30 miles will still be exhilarating for most pilots at this level. Iquique is probably the most consistent flying site in the world, and we will be flying everyday! Good, high wind launching skills are very important for this week!
Commentaries:
Iquique is located in the northern part of Chile along the Pacific Ocean, 120 miles south of the Peruvian border. The city has a population of 250,000 and is thriving due to the duty free zone and mining in this northern part of Chile. This area is also known as the Atacama Desert, which is why the flying conditions are so consistent. It NEVER RAINS, and the winds are always coming from the Pacific Ocean, generating incredible lift along the 300 mile range between Iquique and Antofagasta. The ridge varies between 1,500 and 4,000 feet altitude and XC flights can be done in both directions quite easily. In November, the breeze normally starts blowing at 10 AM, and lift lasts until 7 PM. There are several takeoffs near Iquique and all of them allow pilots to reach beach landings while flying above the city and the dunes. There are many other launches to the South and to the North.
Palo Buque, a site just outside of Iquique, became famous when the SAT Team shot their first video here. The launch is at the “bottom” of a 3,000 foot sand ridge! Yes, depending on the wind, you only need to kite your glider up 30 feet or so and then you can soar all the way up to the top of the ridge to start an XC flight back to Iquique, practice top landing, ski in the sand, or just enjoy the beautiful views of the Pacific Ocean!
Patillos is the classic cross country site where we get special permission to fly past the airport all the way back to Iquique! This site allows pilots to fly a 35-mile XC flight back to Cavancha Beach and the Choza Bamboo restaurant and bar! The thermal/dynamic flying conditions in Iquique are so consistent at this time of the year that this flight is possible almost everyday! After a hard day of flying it doesn’t get much better then to dine out at one of Iquique’s many restaurants to feast on Chile’s reputable sea food and pisco sour.
Accommodations:
We will be staying in the four-star Terrado Club Hotel, www.chile-hotels.com. Everyone will have a “double room” with private bathroom for themselves. Each apartment style “double room” has 2 rooms, 2 bathrooms, a big living room, a kitchenette, and outside balcony overlooking the Pacific Ocean. The hotel is incredibly nice, and is a short walk from one of our morning/mid-day LZ’s. A top buffet breakfast is included every morning to make sure you are powered up for a full day of flying!
PRICES, CONDITIONS AND PAYMENT DETAILS:
The price includes:
• 1st class accommodation (1 double room for each person, 2 rooms per apartment – breakfast included) • Transfers to and from the Airport on arrival and departure days • Transport to and from all flying sites • Daily weather updates
• Site information and flying tips • Launching supervision • Radio communication with guides and drivers during flights • Flight retrieval back to launch site • Flight retrievals • Free DVD movie of the trip • Free custom designed 2011 T-shirt
Prices:
• Instructional Days – (6 days, 5 nights) • Iquique Days #1 – (5 days, 4 nights) • Iquique Days #2 – (10 days, 9 nights) • Iquique Days #3 – (8 days, 7 nights)
• Per day rate any week • Extra cost for single room apartment per night
Discounts and payment options:
$ 1,790 $ 1,190 $ 2,190 $ 1,790 $ 280 $ 40
For either partial or total advance payment the following range of discounts will be applied proportionally to the received amount.
If you book 2 portions of the tour If you book 3 portions of the tour Before June 20th, 2011 Before July 20th, 2011
Before August 20th, 2011 Late bookings after October 20th, 2011 We accept cash, checks, credit cards, and PayPal
10 % (in addition to any discount down below) 15 % (in addition to any discount down below) 10 %
7 %
5 % add 5 %
Refunds:
We are so confident with this site’s reliability at this time of the year, that we will refund each grounded pilot $200 per day if 50% of the group (including guides), are unable to fly for an entire day due to weather conditions.
Requirements:
P1 certification, VHF radio, certified equipment, reserve parachute and helmet, and a good attitude because we are going fly heaps and have lots of fun!
Bookings or questions:
Atlanta Paragliding Luis Rosenkjer
Wallowa Paragliding Todd Weigand
Kari Castle
Guide Information:
Luis Rosenkjer-
Todd Weigand-
Kari Castle-
www.paraglidingtrips.com
www.atlantaparagliding.com luis@atlantaparagliding.com
www.wallowaparagliding.com wallowaparagliding@gmail.com
www.karicastle.com kari@karicastle.com
Cell 404-931-3793 Cell 541-325-9407 Cell 760-920.0748
-Advanced USHPA Instructor and Instructor Administrator -Multiple Argentinean National Champion -Argentina former Open Distance record holder- (158 miles) -Chilean Open Distance record holder- (128 miles)
-12 years of guiding experience in Argentina, Chile, and France -8 years guiding experience with USHPA pilots in Iquique -Iquique Open Competition Champion (1992)
-Tandem Instructor, USHPA Instructor, Competition Pilot, and Aerobatics Pilot -Iquique Open Competition Champion (2005 & 2008) -Iquique commercial tandem pilot and guide for 6 seasons -Previous Chilean Open Distance record holder (120 miles)
-6 years of guiding experience with USHPA pilots in Iquique -Seasonal commercial tandem pilot in New Zealand and Canada
-3X Women’s World Champion – Hang gliding -Multiple US Paragliding and HG Female National Champion -16 years of guiding internationally and within the US -Advanced USHPA Tandem HG / PG Instructor, Instructor, Competition Pilot -30 years of flying experience -Australian PG Tandem Distance Record Holder 227km -Multiple World Record Holder – Open Distance, Declared Goal, Dog Leg