The day is glorious when you arrive. You step to the edge. You launch. Presently, you are high above the valley, gliding here and there, watching the other pilots drift forwards of the ridge. Clouds begin to cover the sky. You watch pilots tuck their wingtips in and head for the valley. You wonder what is going on. Then you see your shadow, far below. You are going nowhere. You are trapped! The wind is howling, pushing you back, and you drift backwards, towards the looming mountain ridge behind.
1. Get away from big obstacles
Fly upwind of any mountain as fast as you can - hands up off the brakes, and check your penetration (forward speed over ground). The glider can be accelerated in smooth air by at least 25% by pushing the speed bar. If your glider lacks a speed bar, pull down on the A and B risers (it's tiring). Some paragliders fly faster with the wingtips tucked in than with them inflated. Test that on your next flight, before you need it.
2. Get down
Wind usually increases as you get higher, especially in pre-frontal conditions, when the airflow is laminar. Quite often you can escape the wind by descending towards the ground, where the wind-speed is less. Use 'big ears' (tucking in the outer A-lines of your canopy to collapse the wingtips underneath). Do not spiral or use a B-line stall, as both of these manoeuvres will cause you to drift downwind. Narrow valley systems (like the Alps) constrict the air below, which can cause very strong valley-winds. If you are presented with a narrow valley below you, it may be best to try and slope-land, or to land near a wider part of the valley.
3. Do both
It is quite safe to tuck the ears first, then to push out on the speedbar as well. This increases your forward speed and increases your rate of descent, and the glider remains very stable.
4. Recognise that you're going over
The earlier you can do this, the better your chances of taking action. Analyse your flight path after trying the first three steps. If you are going backwards rather than forwards, and are drifting back towards the mountains, you need to make a decision. Tuck bigger 'big ears'. Is there any way in which you can safely slope-land low down on the windward side of the mountain? Better to have a windy slope-landing in constant airflow than to land in the rotor turbulence behind the mountain.
5. Up, up and away
Make the decision quickly, don't fight a glider all the way down into the compression on top of the ridge to work out you are not going to make it. Get as much height as you can in the situation. As the wind blows over the mountain, it is forced upwards in places. Wherever there is lift (cliffs), the horizontal component of the wind will be less (it's going up, not sideways), so you will have improved forward speed. You may be able to climb in the lift for some time, building up more height and safety.
6. Go for the gap!
Manoeuvre yourself towards the best-looking crossing point. Conical peaks are great when they have large drop-offs on all sides. Any area where there is a 'bite taken out of the ridge-line' will have a venturi effect and increased wind speed. These are good areas to run through, as the airflow is usually smoother - less prone to rolling rotor turbulence. Climb, climb, and as soon as you reach the top of the lift band, you must turn and run.
7. Air space
Having acquired the most height possible, you now want to increase your ground clearance. Fly at an angle across the wind, away from the peaks. Thus you avoid the worst of the rotor, and race away with the wind. As the ground falls away beneath you, you have more and more space in which to fight the beast.
8. Run
If the route is clear, run downwind. To get your best glide angle, fly off brakes but don't use the speedbar. It is more effective to stay as high as possible for as long as possible, while the wind pushes you from behind. After some time you will enter the sinking air at the back of the mountain. Be ready to catch any wobbles and thumps on the brakes. Pray.
9. Rotor!
Most paragliders are designed to stabilise, so be prudent with your brake-input. Let the glider fly, but fly actively - dampen out the wild surges, keep the wing as much above your head as possible. And keep heading downwind.
10. Touchdown
If at any point during the escape, you find yourself close to the ground, turn into wind. A downwind landing into rocks is deadly. Even into wind, the landing will be unpredictable. Neutralise your glider, by front tuck with the A-lines (which requires good timing in strong wind. Practice it on a field.) Unclip from your harness immediately after landing! Gusts of wind can tear you away down the slope, even though your landing was fine.
11. A round of applause
Whoa! You made it through! Congratulations, you've got one big story to tell the guys in the pub. I hope that this is the last time you need to go over the back, for this is one game where it is better to score a One than a Ten. Those guys that landed out in the valley earlier on? They were the real winners today.
12. A note on reserve parachutes:
You may have noticed that I have not mentioned throwing a reserve. The reserve is your last chance: you know you are going to die, so you throw your reserve. It may prevent a hard landing, although in rotor this is unlikely. But you will be dragged far and fast on the reserve, and slammed into anything in the way. It is difficult to collapse most reserves. I recommend having quick-out buckles on your harness.
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