Denver, Colorado, U.S.A.

Imagine flying like a hawk, gliding over the landscape as thermals lift you and move you along. And imagine that landscape is some of the most dazzling on earth, the Rocky Mountains, to be specific. This is how it feels when you’re soaring for miles in a hang glider high above the mountains of Colorado, some of the most breathtaking in the Western hemisphere. It’s just you and the earth, with only the sound of the wind for company. This is a singular and solitary thrill, an experience that will linger in your memory.

Airtime Above offers hang gliding experiences in Colorado. While the company is based near Denver, arrangements can be made to learn at several training sites along the Front Range and the Western Slope. When hang gliders are soaring off Lookout Mountain, you can see them from downtown Denver, about 20 minutes away. Other popular spots are on Kenosha Pass, where you can glide over the vast South Park, and on Williams Peak by Green Mountain Reservoir.

Hang gliders have a frame structure that holds the wings in a rigid configuration, so they won’t collapse. The pilot is suspended below the frame in a harness. You can foot-launch hang gliders off a hilltop or mountainside, or get an aerotow by an ultralight plane. Once you’re airborne you can glide or soar for up to 400 miles (644 km) riding the ridge lifts and the thermal lifts.

If you’re uneasy about hang gliding solo, sample the sport during a tandem ride. You and an instructor will share a hang glider. The two of you and your craft will be towed by an ultralight plane up to about 2,000 feet (966 m), and then let loose. As you soar through the skies, the instructor may let you handle the controls yourself. Meanwhile, enjoy the quiet and the views of the earth below you.

If you like the experience, start taking lessons. First you learn what’s involved on flat ground, then progress to a small hill and finally to a hill with a 600- to 1,000-foot (180–300 m) drop. It can take several months to be properly trained, but experienced hang glider pilots say there’s nothing like the feeling when you take advantage of the wind—a gliding flight can become a soaring flight that can last for hours.

Airtime Above ( 303/674-2451; www.airtimeabove.com).
Denver.
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