Paragliding on Wheels in India is a High-Flying Stunt
A skilled paraglider has wowed crowds by combining paragliding with electric mobility and soaring through the skies on an electric scooter. The daring feat has captured attention on social media, aiming to inspire adventure enthusiasts to explore innovative extreme sports.
By Beth Snider · December 18, 2023
Harsh, a paraglider from Punjab, recently turned heads in Himachal Pradesh by soaring through the skies on an electric two-wheeler. The spectacle, captured by astonished locals quickly went viral on social media. The incident unfolded at Bandla Dhar, a renowned tourist destination in the northern part of India, and one of the top soaring sites in the world. Harsh chose to redefine the boundaries of adventure sports by attempting a daring feat that had never been seen before in the region.
What set this escapade apart was the fact that the pilot was seated on an electric scooter during the entire flight. He had removed the battery reducing the overall weight and ensuring a smooth flight through the picturesque landscapes. After completing the groundbreaking flight, Harsh claimed that this might be the world’s first instance of combining paragliding with an electric scooter.
Bandla Dhar, with its stunning views of the Govind Sagar reservoir, provided the perfect backdrop for this skylarking. This site is a popular hub for acro-paragliding, a sport that involves performing acrobatic maneuvers while airborne, such as loops, turns, wingovers, and infinity tumbling. The simplicity and accessibility of gliding as an adventure sport make it an exhilarating experience for participants seeking an adrenaline rush. Pilots launch from elevated points, harnessing rising air currents to navigate the skies with parachute-like wings. Skillful control and understanding of weather conditions are essential for a safe and enjoyable experience. The video continues to circulate on social media, encouraging others to push the boundaries of this extreme sport, and showing that the possibilities are as endless as the open sky.
Himachal Pradesh boasts a rich tapestry of over 2000 villages celebrating various festivals with approximately 6000 temples, such as the Bijli Mahadev, known for its 20-meter stone structure believed to attract lightning as a divine blessing. Distinguished for its adventure tourism and range of activities such as ice skating, paragliding, rafting, skiing, boating, and more. Bir Billing hosted the Paragliding World Cup in India in 2015, a prime destination for soaring enthusiasts with a launching site of 2400 meters (8,000 feet). The Spiti Valley region is known for its picturesque landscapes and ancient Buddhist monasteries and is a haven for adventure enthusiasts seeking trekking, mountain biking, and exploration of tribal villages.