I hope my contribution is not counter-productive, but I also have a friend who
was injured paragliding, and could easily have been killed. He hurt his back
in a hard landing, after a deflation - he lived , but won't be doing any more
sporting activities. What scares me about it is, according to his account of
the incident, there was a nothing he could have done to predict or prevent
this event, and b nothing he could do about it once he was caught in it.

This is different from aviation, where virtually everything that is likely to
befall us is the direct result of our actions, and we have, at least
theoretically a the possibility to preclude them from happening, and b the
possibility to recover from many situations, even after we have allowed
ourselves to get into them.

I have no business (or desire) in trying to scare someone away from something
that millions enjoy, and that I know little about - but that helplessness
doesn't sound like fun to me. I won't be joining you up there, even if the
open air must be exhilirating.

G Faris