Ivan Ripoll
Instructor / tour guide
XC / Hike&Fly
Being the son of a paraglider, Ivan had no choice than to spend the holidays flying as a passenger since he was 9. By the age of 15 he started flying solo in his native Pyrenees. 24 years in the air later Ivan developed almost a bird instinct for finding the best weather windows and to smell the “not fun” flying conditions. Nepal has been his playground for 10 winters and he probably thermalled every corner around Pokhara.
Ronald Enrique Mendoza
Instructor / tour guide
XC / Acro / Hike&Fly
Another nomad pilot, Ronald, originally from Venezuela, flew the skies of Colombia till in 2013 he switched to the flying heaven of Nepal. A skilled pilot in all disciplines, you can see him tumbling in the air or pushing the speed bar to full on a XC competition. In our tours, you’ll see him next to you when you most need him, helping you in a low save, to core a thermal or to find the best gliding line.
Jamie Messenger
Instructor / tour guide / Nepal pioneer
XC / Hike&Fly
One of the first pilots opening his wings in Nepal, everybody in the Nepalese paragliding scene knows Jamie! An avid competitor, he’s won several times the Nepal Open championship and ranked on the top 20 world FAI ranking list. He is a natural instructor, an incredible thermal corer and if he bombs out it’s a 100% sign there was not a single lift left in the air.
Michal Gierlach
Instructor / tour guide
Hike&Fly athlete / XC
Michal, aka “Spike”, is a confirmed Hike and Fly athlete, having participated several times at the famous RedBull X-Alps and other H&F competitions. Based in the south of the Dolomites, Spike knows how to navigate through big mountains in the air as well as on the ground! He also lived in Pokhara for a few seasons, so he is another “local foreigner pilot” of Nepal.
Isabella Messenger
Tour guide
XC / Hike&Fly
Bella landed in Nepal just after doing her PG license and accumulated pretty fast an extraordinary ammount of hours in the sky thanks to the excellent conditions of Nepal. Just a few seasons later thermalling with the Himalayan vultures, she became german XC champion. Aside of an excellent pilot and communicator, she is our link with KarmaFlights foundation, a non-profit organization supporting rural areas where we fly in Nepal.
Dilan Benedetti
SIV instructor
Acro / XC
The instructor behind LetFly and this tour, with a gigantic passion for paragliding and Nepal! Acro pilot in his heart, Dilan became an XC pilot too as he couldn’t escape the beautiful pleasure of flying up the Himalayan mountains (and not just tumbling down). He is our joker eye in the sky, our Nepali translator and an essential contributor in our daily debriefings.
Any questions? Is that trip for me? If you are interested to join in the next XC Nepal tour 2023 but you have doubts, please, contact us and we will give more details of our trip.