“We’d gone to the top of the hill and it was the first time I’d managed to inflate the glider,” says Greg Hudson. It had a glide ratio of about 3.8 to 1 he remembers.
“My friend came from behind, screaming ‘it’s good, it’s good!’ and pushed me into the air. I didn’t even know how to turn the thing.”
So began Greg’s paragliding career, which has spanned 350 sites in 35 countries, international competition, adventure travel and now breaking world records.
After two years of trying he came back from the Kerio Valley in Kenya this year with a world record – 100km out-and-return at 42.34km/h.
“It was the most challenging flight of my life,” he says.
Whether it’s the politics of Open Class competition paragliders, advice on how gliders should “fit like a glove” or the intricacies of planning a world record Greg has something to say – and it’s usually something worth listening to.
Read the full interview in issue 148
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