US team pilot Nick Greece has released a brilliant video from a paragliding and paramotoring trip to Iran
Nick, it’s a beautiful video. When did you go to Iran?
October of 2015.
What was it like?
It was fantastic flying with big air, incredible culture, inspiring hospitality, glorious food, immense sites of antiquity over 2,000 years old, and truly passionate and skilled pilots.
How different was the flying scene from what you are used to in the USA?
It is very similar although there seems to be significantly more female pilots in Iran.
What’s the flying like?
The flying is diverse. From big air flying to evening glass offs. The Rokh is reminiscent of the Owens Valley with 6,000 meter cloudbase and 200 km flights are normal for a few months a year, and Damavand close to Tehran has great mid day flying and magnificent glass offs in front of the highest volcano in Asia.
Why is this story something that you want to tell? Why were you so attracted to flying Iran?
I wanted to go because of the flights in the Rokh that I saw on XContest, but also to try to dispel some of the stereotypes that are prevalent in the USA about the middle east and Iran. I felt like I had a golden ticket in the form of the Iranian paragliding community to do that – and they proved me right.
