'Hedley Paraplegic Fly-in':

Dear Friends in Free Flight: I am reaching out to you as a friend, filmmaker and paraglide pilot , with some event experience, but not a true competition organizer. I have enlisted the help of a few experienced competition pilots for an event in an incredible location, hosted by our First Nations or Native Indian people. It's coming together as a real community affair with people contributing in all aspects. I could use some help to pass this on to your contacts, post on your websites as everything helps us out in getting the word out. If you have a bit of time and could help translate this and send it out to paragliding sites in your native language, and other countries, that would be really great.

Along with the regular FAI competition we are chosting the World's first paraplegic/disabled FLY IN with some fun tasks planned.

I wanted to personally invite you to this inaugaral part of our event, It would be so awesome if a few of you guys turned up. Jedrzej a Polish friend flyer , as well as Andy Campbell and a few more are attending already. You can read more on www.explorex.net

Besides paragliding I have people organizing some exploratory outdoor activities with kayaking, rafting and mountainbiking. Through the Flyability website, I hope to put the word out to other disabled flyers out there. I also wish to encourage those that wish to learn more about the sport to come out as well. We plan to hold some beginner groundhandling workshops as well as discuss gear , weather and other important elements in Hedley's beautiful setting.

The Upper Similkameen Indian Band wishes again to invite the world paragliding community to the Hedley Open, and Mountain Festival May 3rd-10th,2006 . Tasks will be GAP scored and all include the usual fun GPS tasks such as race to goal via turnpoints over Hedley's excellent terrain. This will be an FAI, Canadian , Class 2, B event valid for international points. Read more on www.explorex.net, register at www.vents.dowsett.ca/

This is a new and exciting Canadian venue with " huge air " potential. Besides paragliding there will be many attractions,mountain films,Salmon BBQ's, evening film nights, seminars, and multi-sport festivities. For more information, see www.explorex.net . The flying venues include soaring above the spectacular Mascot Gold Mine, see www.mascotmine.com and amazing new, often unexplored, cross country potential. To register for the competitive part of the event please go to events under www.dowsett.ca . The price is $100 and includes free camping. A purse and a variety of prizes, cash and other, will be made available to the top ranking participants. Stay tuned to listed websites for further developments. We welcome any questions from potential sponsors, media and any interested parties. Registration is open until the first day of the event. Contact ; petercperu@yahoo.ca and info@mascotmine.com For more information scroll through pages 1,2,3,etc. at bottom of www.explorex.net home page for Hedley related stories.

Background; While filming in the Upper Similkameen valley , a group of paragliding enthusiasts discovered the incredible flying potential high above Hedley, British Columbia. The area offers a combination of incredible soaring and thermal conditions with launch sites 3000ft (1000meters+) and 4,000ft above valley floor . The spectacular Snazai'st rock formation, offers soaring at a venue several times the width of the El Pinion rock in Valle De Bravo, Mexico. See www.monarcaparaglidingopen.com for pics from that venue. Hedley BC is the "Utah of Canada" with a desert like ambience and our nations hottest climate. Last Canadian Thanksgiving on October 7th, 2005 a first inaugural Fly In was held in Hedley. Over fifty paraglide pilots, including four hang gliders, along with a hundred enthusiasts attended the event on a short three weeks notice. The flying was fantastic. Hedley proved to be the best place in Canada to fly this late in the season. We expect phenomenal thermal conditions for May 2006.

If you wish photos, you can pick them off www.explorex.net , scroll through pages 1,2,3 etc at bottom of home page till you find HEDLEY stories and pics with each article (more on bottom of each story)

If you are short on room we could include only the first parograph and the rest with a "read more" reference to our websites. Regards, Peter Chrzanowski