Email Kari
Two years ago my sister and I decided we wanted to ride our bikes across the US. The year 2020 gave us enough time to prepare and given the fact that I came up with the idea to do it when I was 20 AND that 20+20+20=60 AND I happen to turn 60 this year and my sister was 60 in the beginning of this year…you get it…the plan was hatched!! Ok fast forward to now……my sister had her knee replaced, she’s out (Very Sad Face) but doing well (Happy Face). I’m in Baja training when the Pandemic hit. We decided to self isolate there instead of trying to travel home to the unknown in March/April. So here I am now in Bishop ready to ride but because of the current state of affairs I’ve decided to postpone my 20~20~20 ride. I’ve made the difficult decision not to go for many reasons, out of respect and concern for others as well as my own safety. I feel that it is something that is not necessary and with so many people going thru hardships right now, I just don’t feel right being out there acting like nothing is going on. I imagine people feeling like they would prefer that visitors stay home for now. I could be wrong, I could be paranoid but that is my decision right now as hard as it is. Plus one of the biggest reasons for me doing this trip was the connections I was hoping to make with people along the way. I’m sure there would be some but it just doesn’t feel right at the moment. So I”m going with it. There are so many wonderful things to do right here in my back yard while I stay home and respect others at this time. Stay safe out there….
Hope to see you soon!
What a treat to fly with and mentor 20 great students at the Applegate Open Super Clinic this year.
We had at least 5 returning pilots and the rest were new to us. We flew everyday but the first, so needless to say everyone was happy and tired from a week of flying. We were like family at the end, I feel very lucky to do what I do for a living!!!
Dan and Marybeth Wells did a great job organizing the 1st Applegate Open Paragliding Championship and Super Clinic. Thank you for all the hard work!
3x World Champion Pilot
Posted in Events
Kari Castle is a pioneer in the world of “Para-guides” in the U.S. running her first XC Thermal Clinic in the Owens Valley in 1992. Since then she has traveled all over the world with clients visiting one flying site after another!
With Kari’s rich history of traveling to other flying sites around the world as well as the Owens valley allure, experience the beauty and intrigue under the watchful eye of this competent legend. Let Kari with her fun loving spirit guide you around, introduce you to any of the amazing flying sites, help with your thermal and cross country skills, help plan your XC route, Google Earth/track log analysis, how to use your GPS and vario to its full potential….etc
Kari Castle is a three time Hang gliding World Champion, Hang gliding and Paragliding National Champion over the 37 years she has been flying and competing, she held 2 Women’s Hang gliding World Records (open distance and declared goal) for over 15 years until they were broken in 2017, set three others as well as many National, State and local records. She holds the current open distance record in a tandem paraglider in Australia flying 228km set in 2008 with a very lucky passenger!!!
Poser
Not only is Kari a formidable competitor (winner of the 1996, 2000, and 2002 Hang Gliding World Championships; 7 time Paragliding National Champion; as well as holder of several distance world records in both paragliding and hang gliding), but her outgoing and fun-loving personality has caught the attention of the media as well.
Kari was the cover feature of numerous magazines, calendars, and two international posters. She has also been the spotlight of major magazines, including; Women’s Sports and Fitness, Rock & Ice, Climbing, Gravity, Conde Naste, National Geographic, Explorer and Outside. Add to that her frequent television appearances on nationally and internationally televised shows such as Newton’s Apple, and it’s easy to see why Kari is recognized world-wide as a true champion, whether in outdoor sports, motivational speaking, or successfully advancing her sponsor’s product line.