Pilots from nearly 30 nations to compete in paragliding event at Bir-Billing in Kangra district

Tribune News Service

Lalit Mohan

Dharamsala, October 25

Pre-World Cup Paragliding tournament will begin at Bir-Billing in Kangra district tomorrow. Chairman of Himachal Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation (HPTDC) RS Bali will inaugurate the tournament.

Vinay Dhiman, District Tourism Officer, said that tournament would be held from October 26 to November 2. Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu would preside over the concluding ceremony on November 2. About 120 paragliding pilots from around 28 countries would participate in the event.

Bir-Billing is ranked among the top 10 paragliding sites of the world and attracts thousands of paragliding enthusiasts from across the world every year. Paragliding pilots and tourists fly solo or tandem flights, taking off from Billing ridge located at a height of 2,400 m from the sea level, hovering in skies along the ridges of Dhauladhar mountain ranges and landing at Bir.

Open valley beyond Billing take off enables fliers to cover long distances. At present, record of flying 257 km in a single flight from Billing is in the name of India’s Debi Chaudhary. The long distance that can be covered from Billing makes the site attractive for free fliers from all over the world. Nowhere else in the world such long distances can be covered in a single flight.

The site shot into prominence when the Himachal government organised the first pre-World Cup paragliding championship at Bir Billing in 2003. The second and third pre-World Cup championship were organised in 2006 and 2008.

For a year or so the official championship remained suspended due to alleged political rivalry between the local paragliding association and the state government.

In 2015 the first Paragliding World Cup was organised at Bir Billing under the aegis of the then Congress minister Sudhir Sharma, who is also president of Bir Billing Paragliding Association.

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