Lady Birds Colima
XC Clinic and Tour, January 14-22, 2024
All-women’s xc clinic
This all-inclusive, XC paragliding clinic is the first of its kind. We decided to finally make the clinic and tour that we’ve always wanted to attend! We’re taking a like-minded group of female pilots to the most accessible flying site in Mexico for a week of paragliding progression, connection, and community. We are experts at creating a safe and welcoming environment for women to grow in the sport, increase their confidence, work through fear, and build lasting friendships.
The days will be full of flying as we support you in embodying the term “Pilot in Command”. With two female instructors, this is a full XC clinic and gives you plenty of time in the air to radically improve your handling, thermalling and XC skills. We offer in-flight radio guidance for students who want to use it. Between flights there will be ample time to get 1-on-1 coaching from the instructors, flight log reviews, gear set-up, whatever you need. We will meet you where you are at in your progression
Over the seven days, we will cover a variety of different flying techniques. From foundational pitch control and glider handling, to more advanced XC flying, terrain decisions, micro meteorology and more. By the end of this adventure tour you will feel more comfortable in the air and you will have a confident road map of how to continue progressing in your flying.
About Lady birds
Paragliding is a vastly male sport. In our four years of running women’s specific events, we’ve seen so much growth, support and belonging take place. It is such an amazing format, and we’re inspired to keep expanding it. Our goal is to create an accepting and encouraging space where women feel empowered to ask questions, push themselves, and unlock the amazing gifts that paragliding has to offer. Now, we’ve created a clinic where we get to go deeper into both the skills and training of paragliding, and the female flying community. We’re so excited to have you as part of the Lady Birds community!
Your instructors
These women are the selling point of this trip. They are two of the most respected and experienced women in the sport, yet Their emotional intelligence and commitments to community set them apart, and make this trip so special. You’ve probably flown with them, attended an event with them, or been mentored by them, and now they’re partnering up to create the clinic and tour you’ve all been waiting for.
Sarah Lockwood
Sarah has been flying for 7 years and has traveled extensively with her glider. She has lived in Santa Barbara for many years and has embedded herself in the flying community there as the only female board member at the Santa Barbara Soaring Association. She has founded and led the Santa Barbara and Woodrat Oregon Lady Birds Fly-Ins for the past four years and is a member of the new USHPA Women’s Subcommittee focusing on increasing female participation nation wide. She’s an experienced and conservative XC and competition pilot on her own, and a seriously committed community leader, especially when it comes to women’s free flight and entrepreneurship. On the ground she is a successful entrepreneur in the outdoor industry, and has a blossoming mindset and somatic coaching practice. She loves to garden, dance, surf, and mountain bike with her cute pup, Kalani.
Galen Kirkpatrick
Galen is a renaissance woman and has always had a knack for adventure. The last seven years she has devoted to paragliding and is one of the top female competition pilots on the planet. She’s the current National champion, former PanAmerican champion and a sophomore member of the US National Team. She has traveled all over the globe racing her glider in The Paragliding World Cup and is excited to one day be Overall World Champion. She is an experienced Instructor and has worked with many different major schools teaching at all levels. She has been guiding XC clients on her own for four years and is passionate about empowering students to achieve their goals. She has a background in theatrical performance and comedic improvisation and believes that a good attitude and sense of humor are keys to success at anything in life.
WHO IS THE 7-DAY ADVENTURE TOUR RIGHT FOR?
- P2, P3 and P4 Pilots who want to learn and improve their thermalling technique and XC skills – From experience, we have noticed that all pilots learn more when in a group of mixed abilities
- Women who want to deepen their connection to themselves, others and the world
- Pilots who want to explore the paragliding in Mexico with guides that know the local area
- Pilots who can launch and land with minimal or no help
- People who are open-minded, curious, motivated, enthusiastic, friendly, polite, team-oriented, mindful, and fun!
- Pilots who are looking for a supportive and challenging environment to build their confidence
WHAT’S INCLUDED
- 7 days of INSTRUCTION and adventure with our tour guides
- 8 nights accommodations
- BREAKFASTS, SNACKS AND COFFEE
- Daily site and weather briefings
- In-air radio guidance
- Launch Fees
- 1-to-1 time with both instructors
- Daily shuttles to the launch site, landing zone pick-up and XC retrieve
- An intentional container for women to be themselves
WHAT’S NOT INCLUDED
- Airline flights
- Food and drink (except where breakfast may be included in the hotel stay, our detailed itinerary will let you know once you’re booked)
- Cost of any additional or optional activities
- HEALTH AND TRAVEL Insurance (required)
- Any additional nights accommodation if you arrive early or leave late
Investment – $2950
Testimonials
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Last minute cancelations happen.
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Email ariintheair@gmail.com
ABOUT Colima
Flying conditions
Colima has an easily accessed, drive-up launch. The launch itself is more than 300′ wide and is covered in astroturf. The conditions on launch are consistently perfect for beginners to launch, and local schools even use it for student’s first flights. Colima is near the ocean, so there is moisture that makes the thermals very approachable – soft edges and broad climbs. The site is mainly flatland thermaling, with abundant LZs. It is the perfect place. to learn, which is why we’ve been doing tours here since 2016.
Adventures on the ground
We always maximize flying on our tours but should a day or afternoon pass where it’s not possible to fly, plenty of other activities are at our fingertips to try. Including the beach, hot air balloons, skydiving, tandem paramotor trike flights with a renowned acro pilot, beaches, local culture and cuisine and a massive 12,500’ tall volcano!
Accommodations
We’ll stay in airbnb’s. We want to feel connected as a group of friends. The coffee and breakfast and snacks will be provided. We’ll have a local woman cooking our breakfasts and doing some light cleaning. Most of us will have private rooms, and a few will have rooms with one other friend. We’ll all work together to see what is important to who, and we’ll accommodate each other’s preferences and needs. We’re in this together, and it’s gonna be so good.
(We reserve the right to change the accommodation to a different hotel/bnb at any time, we will always substitute like for like and get the best possible option available – we’re staying with you!)
WHAT YOU NEED
- USHPA P2 license or above or international equivalent license
- Paragliding Equipment
- Certified paraglider
- Certified harness
- Reserve parachute
- Helmet
- Unlocked dual-band VHF radio – we recommend the Yaesu FT-270 or FT-65R.
- Highly recommended to have a cockpit and flight instrument, could be as simple as your phone
- Garmin Inreach or Spot with active service and on www.xcfind.paraglide.us
- Ability to confidently take off and land on your own.
- Basic fitness level – ability to sustain a 35-minute power walk or hike your glider kit 2 miles continuous
- Warm clothes – you will feel the cold once you’ve thermalled to cloud base
- Comfortable and sturdy shoes – hiking boots are ideal
- USHPA does not cover third party insurance outside of USA. You can purchase travel insurance from World Nomads.
Colima, Mexico
Gallery of Colima
