What I liked...
Finally a presentation that shows off competition paragliding. This DVD gives a great feel for what it is like for competition pilots competing in a world class event (FAI sanctioned). There are many interviews with top pilots from around the world; it soon becomes clear there are several different approaches to flying an open distance task. There are XC tips and strategies from accomplished pilots that may help you improve your own flying. This is one of the few DVDs that I have seen that actually introduces you to some of the personalities in the sport (as well as some without personalities!) A day by day account of the conditions and distances flown gives you a chance to follow the progress of the competition as pilots report how far they flew. All in all this is a professionally put together package, superbly edited, which will keep you entertained right `til the end | What I didn`t like...
Before I say anything, let me say that if I had produced this I would be more than proud of myself, BUT...a few niggles...
The music was not to my taste and a few of the composite shots were a little distracting. Much of what was filmed was also shot from the ground up. Limited use was made of air to air filming. With a bigger budget I expect the production team would have been able to do more, but superb editing can only go so far. I felt it was lacking some of the fantastic camera angles brought to us by Sean White`s `Never Ending Thermal`. This is not in the same league as `From nowhere to the middle of nowhere`, but it deserves a place in your paragliding collection.
All opinions expressed are the sole responsibility of Mark Andrews (that`s me!) - this is my unbiased view. |
