i wanted to practise some groundhandling, but the wind was way too strong for my groundhandling paraglider (advance alpha 3 24sqm).
so i simply took my PL twister 7.7 sqm and voila: it turned out to be a very useful high wind ground handling device.



the twister saved the day - again and again !
(so would do any other good foil - wish i had a reactorII 10sqm or a vapor or similiar high performance buggy kite..)

so if you want to get into paragliding, and want to practice stuff at groundlevel , just go ahead and try it! its more fun than it looks like in the video.

p.s. i am not suggesting you should ever try to take off (running down a slope) with a kite. that would be a deadly idea. also try groundhandling with your kite only in conditions you think you could handle it safely.
though you can add maybe 5-8 knot to the top end because you are so close to the kite.
i think the wind in the video was something between 10 an 18 knots - normally i wouldnt fly the twister in kite-mode on handles and 30 meter lines above 14 knots.

very cool herc

Excuse the non initiate. I thought the LE faced away from the pilot when paragliding?

@flyjump: thanks its really nice also to be able to watch your kite so closely. so much details to discover about its flying characteristics.

@WIllardTheGrey: not necessarily - in groundhandling, you can face the glider or face into the wind / flying direction.
if you have at least a little breeze, you usually launch the paraglider facing to the glider (backward launch), then - if everything is fine (no bridle snatches, canopy nicely inflated and stable above you) you turn 180° into flying direction and run fast downhill to launch into air. thats the safest launch method.

but usually the "dedicated forward launch" is teached -- which is technically easier , but not as safe as backward launching your paraglider...


btw - "groundhandling" is a whole kind of sport itself - experts like mad mike küng prove it:

paragliding is why I got into kites. I wanted to fly around but there were no schools around here and there was no way I would be able to take the lessons. dang it would be awesome to be a glider pilot

The u-turn glider is so sexy.

Mad mike is insane!!!

You're going it wrong way round - you should be using that 24m paraglider for kiteboarding :D
Cute video though

I used a 15m speed wing a couple of times for ground handling in higher winds (nothing like one of my instructors showing me what for by ground handling it with her feet.) I thought about doing this with my 11m fixed bridle just so I could practice before I got my own wing.