Gurpreet Dhindsa is India’s top ranked pilot, and has been for some time. He is the only certified instructor in the country and has 20 passionate years in the sport. Gurpreet has been on the podium six times and has been a very integral figure in pushing paragliding in India and has truly given his life over to free flight. In this entertaining episode we discuss the political and bureaucratic difficulties he’s experienced as a pilot in India, the importance of being in the moment while flying, how he’s recovered mentally after two friend’s accidents, the value of struggle, changing strategies in order to learn and now worrying about scores, and how he’s learning to fly his own line and why he’s chosen to take less risk in competitions. This is a fascinating talk with a fascinating member of our community. Enjoy!
A fascinating article about Gurpreet and the difficulties he and other competition pilots face in India: http://www.ibnlive.com/news/other-sports/victimized-by-system-indias-top-paraglider-gurpreet-dhindsa-carries-on-1164174.html
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Show Notes:
- Gurpreet talks about the challenges of learning and flying in India
- How to change your mental attitude to win and overcome holes in your game
- The value of struggle for improvement
- How Gurpreet has dealt with accidents that friends have had and recovering mentally
- The value of being in the moment
- Giving up scores in the interest of improvement
- Becoming a mentor and how to progress as a pilot
- Cerebral vs flying your gut
- It’s all about psychology- how to find the flow?
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 49:51 — 57.1MB)
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Episode 10- Josh Cohn and Staying Consistent
Josh Cohn in his comfort zone
Josh Cohn has been the most consistent competition pilot the US has ever seen. His competition CV reads like Kelly Slaters. Soon after Josh learned to fly at age 16 he has been dominating the US comp scene and has notched up not only state and world distance records (New Mexico, Hawaii, Texas) but PWC wins, two National Championships and task wins at the Worlds to boot. In this episode we dig into how he’s maintained his consistency and passion, accidents, reserve throws, what can be done on non-comp wings, the current state of the CCC class since banning open gliders in 2011 and a LOT more. Josh talks about how he trains, his best and worst flight, best and worst wing, advice he’d give to his 16 year old self after all these years, and how important it is to switch gears- and how you know when to do it. This is a great talk with a guy who knows how to fly fast. Enjoy!
A buck an episode, that’s all we ask.
Subscribe to the Cloudbase Mayhem Podcast on Stitcher Radio, Google Play, Tune In, or ITunes!
Show Notes:
- Josh talks about how he got started paragliding at the age of 16, his mentors like Bruce Goldsmith and Robbie Whittall and how he got hooked
- Josh talks about throwing his reserve and some of his more memorable scary flights
- Travel experiences, going to competitions, and the headspace he’s looking for
- Josh talks about his most memorable flights, best wing he’s ever flown- and the worst wing!
- What’s Josh’s secret? We talk about Speed to fly and other techniques
- How much you can get done on a safer glider
- We talk about Josh’s “style” and how hard he pushes (and sometimes how not hard).
- Josh talks about how important it is to switch gears
- The current state of the USHPA insurance
Flying over the Palouse, Washington during US Nationals
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 54:31 — 62.4MB)
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Surfing the Sierras in Sidetracked Magazine
I’m really digging Sidetracked Magazine, an image-heavy publication dedicated to adventure. True Adventure. Our vol-biv expedition up the Sierra range in 2012 was certainly the epitome of epic. We began with 6 people and 18 days later at the Oregon border we ended with 3. All of it was shot by Jody MacDonald. It was my first experience with vol biv and frankly I was scared shitless to do a trip with so many legends. Here is our story.
We also made a short photo/journal piece about the expedition if you’re not so big on reading:)
Surfing the Sierras from Offshore Odysseys on Vimeo.
Episode 9- Thomas de Dorlodot and the Endless SEARCH
Paul Guschlbauer and Thomas de Dorlodot rest during a Pre-Shoot for the Adreatic-Circle in Berchtesgarden, Germany on June 26th, 2014
Thomas de Dorlodot is probably the most enviable pilot in the world. He’s made a living out of traveling the world and documenting his expeditions. A 5 time Red Bull X-Alps competitor and Red Bull Athlete Tom started flying when he was 15 years old. He’s flown above 7,000 meters in Pakistan, paramotored over the Marquesas in French Polynesia, glided over volcanoes in Guatemala and Tanzania, hucked acro over Victoria Falls and is currently working on sailing around the world. His accolades and accomplishments are too many to even list here, but it hasn’t all been a rosy romp through la-la land and in this episode we dive into his two accidents this year, one a major accident during his Adriatic expedition with Paul Guschlbauer and the other that ended his X-Alps campaign on day 7; we talk about how Tom approaches risk; how he plays the sponsorship game; how he prepares mentally and a lot more. Check out this highlight reel of some of Tom’s incredible travels and then have a listen, prepare to be entertained!
A buck an episode, that’s all we ask.
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Show Notes:
- Tom talks about how he got started paragliding at the age of 15, his mentors like Raul Rodgriguez and Ramon Morales and how he got hooked
- Tom talks about how he approaches flying new places and getting over the fear of flying new sites
- Tom talks about competing in the X-Alps at age 21 for the first time, and how accidents have affected his approach, and how he’s come back mentally from injury
- Tom talks about the usefulness of acro and SIV training for staying safe
- How important it is for being honest with yourself and being mindful of the saying that “if there is a doubt, there is no doubt.”
- How much you can get done on a safer glider
- Tom talks about his experience of flying high in Pakistan, and one flight without oxygen where he passed out
- How important it is to enjoy the sport rather than chasing numbers
- What’s next for Tom?
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:27:43 — 100.4MB)
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Episode 8, Nick Greece and Progression
Nick Greece
I met Nick Greece in Haiti in 2012. I was living in Morocco trying to figure out how to become a better pilot, and getting an invitation from Nick to fly around in the sky wasn’t something I could pass up. Nick has become a great friend and one of my greatest mentors. We have worked together on film projects like 500 Miles to Nowhere, and Malawi and I’m forever trying to figure out how he’s always at the top of the stack. In this episode we learn how Nick got started, how 9-11 affected his choice in careers, what brought him to Jackson Hole, his epic 204 mile flight in 2013, winning US Nationals in 2014, why the US Team hasn’t done well in the Worlds, and all his own mentors in his own journey to the top. From his beginning at Torrey Pines flipping burgers to becoming the editor of Hangliding and Paragliding to being among the best cross pilots in the world, we cover a lot of ground, including his recent work with Karma Flights and the Cloudbase Foundation in Nepal. Nick is sponsored by Kavu, Keen, and Eagle Creek and is doing some fantastic work with GoPro for a Cause. Prepare to be entertained!
A buck an episode, that’s all we ask.
Subscribe to the Cloudbase Mayhem Podcast on Stitcher Radio, Google Play, Tune In, or ITunes!
Show Notes:
- Nick talks about his beginnings at Torrey Pines and watching the plane hit Tower 1 on 9-11 and how that changed his life.
- How does Nick stay on top of the gaggle? We talk about how he samples a lot of air and climbing strategies.
- Nick talks about his many mentors along his journey- Jamie Messenger, Bob Drury, John Patterson, Jon Hunt, Steve Cox, Martin Orlich, Alex Hofer, Russ Ogden, Jerome Maupoint, Felix Wolk, Nate Scales, Rob Sporrer, Chris Santacroce, Chip Hildebrand, Josh Riggs, Bill Belcourt, and more
- Nick talks about his current concern with the increase in accidents and what it could mean for US insurance
- Reserve tosses- throwing out the laundry works, and we discuss Nick’s own experience with reserves
- Nick talks about what’s going on with Karma Flights and the Cloudbase Foundation in Nepal
- Nick discusses his special relationships with Kavu and Keen
- What’s next for Nick?
Nick’s guard dog in Haiti
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:08:28 — 78.4MB)
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CNN’s “The Great Big Story” takes a new view of 500 Miles to Nowhere and More
Just completed a fun project with CNN called “The Great Big Story” that came out really well. They took a bunch of the footage from 500 Miles to Nowhere and some other tasty bits from other shoots from around the world and packed it into a really fun couple of minutes. Stunning, and makes me want to get out there! Hope you enjoy.
Living it up- MtnMeisters podcast goes live
“There will be an end. And we all share that end, and I’m ok with that. I figure sometimes you’ve got to push it.” — Gavin McClurg.
It was a great pleasure to sit down with the MTNmeister’s Ben Schenck recently to discuss adventure, risk, mountains, rivers, sailing around the world a couple times, the Red Bull X-Alps and a lot more. The MTNmeister podcast is dedicated to “exploring the minds of those who explore” and I guess that’s what I’ve been doing most of my life. Have a listen, we had a lot of fun with this one.
Traversing the Rockies Podcast with Judith Mole
Top land, camp, take off the next day. It doesn’t get much better than this.
Last winter I “sat down” with Judith Mole and the Paraglider.com via skype to discuss the Rockies Traverse, the expedition I completed with Will Gadd in August/September of 2014. The expedition was filmed by ReelWaterProductions and produced by Red Bull Media House for their “Explorers Series”. Judith has held onto the podcast until the film was released, and with the upcoming premiere at the Banff Mountain Film Festival in November, 2015 the time has finally come.
Many people don’t know that Will and I met the day before the expedition began. In the podcast I discuss the group dynamic that evolved, the stress of completing such a dangerous mission combined with making a great film, crashing for the first time, and sending it through the most awesome terrain that has maybe ever been flown. We completed the line from McBride, BC to the US Border, a straight line distance of 702 kilometers by flight only- ie all forward progress was done in the air. This style of vol-biv was a new precedent, but we also discovered it was the only way we could have done it. The terrain for the first 1/3rd of the expedition was ridiculously deep, and getting out by foot would have hellishly difficult. Will and I were awarded the National Geographic “Adventurers of the Year” for the feat, which made it very special indeed.
To date, the Rockies Traverse pretty much tops the list on the Rad factor for me, I still can’t believe we pulled it off. It was often intense, but we had some pretty awesome laughs too:
Time for a break on Kinebasket lake, day 4. Will Gadd catches up on some serious reading.
Listen to the podcast here.
Episode 7- Mads Syndergaard and the Art of Winning
Mads Syndergaard, Author of “Flying Rags to Glory”
Mads Syndergaard started paragliding in 1987 and it quickly became his life. He began competing in 1994 and hasn’t looked back since. From learning how to soar in Denmark to becoming one of the leading wing designers in the world with UP gliders, Mads has been a vocal figure in the competition scene for twenty years. In this episode Mads discusses the mental attitude necessary to win; his thoughts on the dissolution of the Open Class and how we got to the CCC class; the debacle last year with Ozone’s Enzo 2; what he calls “priming” your head to fly to win and a lot more. This is an awesome talk with a living legend and we go DEEP on topics like safety, risk, making good decisions, anarchy and a lot more. Enjoy!
A buck an episode, that’s all we ask.
Subscribe to the Cloudbase Mayhem Podcast on Stitcher Radio, Google Play, Tune In, or ITunes!
Show Notes:
- Mads shares his history in paragliding and how it became his life
- We discuss the accidents in the Owens during US Nationals and possibly what contributed
- Mads discusses how the comp scene is being dominated by one manufacturer and how it’s hurting the sport and keeping young pilots out of the game
- Mads discusses the loss of the Open class and how it’s hurting glider advances
- Why he’s a proponent for anarchy, but how the Ozone debacle last year was so upsetting
- The three rules of winning
- What “priming” your mind to win is all about
- The value of having a coach, and the value of staying positive
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:13:37 — 84.2MB)
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Episode 6, Ben Abruzzo and training for the 2015 X-Alps
Gavin Mcclurg (USA2) and his support team of Ben Abruzzo and Bruce Marks celebrate at the final turnpoint in Monaco
Ben Abruzzo was the guy who turned me into a machine for the 2015 Red Bull X-Alps. My knees are a cartilage wasteland and I’d never done any endurance training or racing in my life. But when I approached Ben about doing the X-Alps he was all-in and had zero hesitation that he could get me there. This episode is kind of an “inbetween-cast” of the usual Cloudbase Mayhem in response to all the myriad of questions we’ve been receiving about how I prepared for what is billed as the hardest adventure race on Earth. In this episode we go deep on Ben’s approach and methodology and what came down to handling not only how to get me ready physically, but how he supported me in the actual race and helped keep my head together. My team, Ben Abruzzo and Bruce Marks laughed their way across the Alps and what should have been a total sufferfest was actually a total blast and was one of the greatest things all of us have ever participated in. Find out what we did right, where things went wrong, and how I became pain-free in my knees for the first time in twenty five years. Follow Ben’s work and find out about his training programs on his website thesnowgoat.com.
A buck an episode, that’s all we ask.
Subscribe to the Cloudbase Mayhem Podcast on Stitcher Radio, Google Play, Tune In, or ITunes!
Show Notes:
- Ben talks about his history in the Army and how he became interested in physical training
- Why Ben knew he could make my knees handle the task of the race
- Ben discusses his long-view approach to the training and the various stages we had to tick off on the way
- How most people train incorrectly
- How Ben trains people in the special forces, elite marathoners, and elite athletes
- Learning from mistakes and failure
- The value of having a coach, and why you can’t do it on your own
- The methodology and difference between training for “normal” hard-core adventure races vs the X-Alps
- The value of rest and recovery, and how we approached the taper
- The important of “having a frame”
- Some of the specific exercises we repeated and why
- The value of programming specific exercises for psychological gain
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:10:31 — 80.7MB)
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