For the Aspiring XC pilots

Team up with a world-class athlete to take your flying skills to the next level. With a smaller class size and all day coaching from legendary XC pilot, the Master Class is for aspiring XC pilots who want personalized coaching. For maximum pilot progression, class size will be one to three students per instructor. You’ll meet for breakfast to discuss the forecast and the game plan. Launching in the early afternoon, you and the coach will work as a team to accomplish XC objectives while our dedicated chase van provides support. After everybody has landed, you’ll debrief over lunch. If there’s energy, pilots can go for an evening session. Indeed, few things are more satisfying than flying back to the lake twice in one day. For those keen to dig in deeper, track log review and further classroom happens before dinner. When the sun goes down, your coach become culinary tour guide, showing you favorite restaurants in one of the BEST FOOD TOWNS IN THE WORLD. If flying twice a day, every day with the best coaches in the world doesn’t make you fly faster, the weight you put on will.

Coach: Matt Henzi

is a Sky-Jedi from hailing from Oregon. Check out his track logs; Henzi sends it. He is also a super talented racer who just won the first day at the Paragliding World Cup in China! More importantly, he’s one of the most insightful PG instructors we’ve met. We’ve never encountered a more chill radio voice delivering pearls of wisdom when you need it the most.

Through his school Cloudsurf Paragliding, Henzi coaches SIV clinics over the lake in Washington as well as XC clinics in the big mountains. SIV coach, XC coach, race pilot… he’s the real deal.   We’re stoked to have Henzi collaborating with Paraglide New England this winter!

Location Overview

Valle de Bravo, Mexico is a world class soaring destination with equally epic food. This charming mountain town, often described as the Aspen of Mexico, sits along the shores of Lake Avándaro, just 2 hours west of the capital city. Every year paragliders and hang gliders converge on this region between December and February. There are two launch destinations– La Torre and El Penon. La Torre is located just above town, it's slopes rising up from the lake. This ridge soaring site has little thermal opportunity, so it's primarily used by Valle's many commercial tandem pilots. The El Penon launch is outside of town about forty five minutes south of Valle de Bravo and offers some of the most consistent XC flying in the world. Not known for its huge distance, this region features strong climbs, technical moves, and breathtaking scenery. The Lake LZ is a regular goal as it’s just 150 yards from the hotel and enjoys a lovely laminar breeze. Just 9 technically challenging miles from the El Peñon launch, this serve as a good goal for aspiring pilots and a great end destination for those looking to stretch their wings and take the long way home.

Where we stay

We’ve been going to "Charlie's Place" for a dozen years because it’s the most welcoming and charming little posada (Mexican B&B) in Valle de Bravo, has an amazing location and it enjoys breathtaking sunset views. Hosting exclusively PG pilots and their companions, Charlie’s Place is found only by word of mouth. With no sign on the door, guests enter through a metal shop and up the back stairs to reveal nine guest rooms with private bathrooms surrounding a lush garden.

A native to Valle de Bravo, Charlie and his Chilean wife are both fluent in English. They live on the third floor and are incredibly welcoming to guests. A welder by trade and an artist and gardener at heart, Charlie’s built his unique Posada from the ground up, hiding art and nature in most every corner. The garden features hundreds of species of orchids, ferns, fruit trees, and other exotic plans collected by Charlie. The matriarch of the house and our Mexican grandmother, Doña Victoria (Charlie’s mom) keeps and eye on the door from her first floor apartment.

Charlie’s place is ideally located, just 150 yards from the lake LZ and is on the close side of the city to launch so there is no need to cross the city traffic to go flying. There’s excellent food in the surrounding blocks and it’s just a 10 minute walk from the main square.

The accommodations are simple but clean, comfortable, and safe. The Master Class will have almost exclusively single rooms. But perhaps one double room at a $200 discount for the trip.

Travel Logistics

Flights are to arrive in Mexico City Aeropuerto Internacional Benito Juárez before 4pm. After clearing customs our private mini bus will take us on the 2-3 hour drive to Valle de Bravo. For day to day flying, we have our own van and driver that is a pilot familiar with all the various launches and landing zones. Local cabs are plentiful, extremely cheap and often used by XC pilots who "land out" away from designated LZ options. Travel throughout town is typically done by foot. As with arrival, transport back to Mexico City is through a private charter. Flights are to depart no earlier than 12 noon.

Costs

$3,000. Please pay a $500 deposit due at booking, balance before trip.

Price includes:

• 8 nights lodging

• Private shuttle to-from Mexico City airport

• Comprehensive pre-trip briefing and strategy session via online meeting

• Personalized instruction and XC guiding with master instructors

• Nightly video review of launches and track log analysis

Not included:

• Flights to Mexico City Dec 28 arriving before 4pm and departing Jan 5th after 12pm

• Food ($15-35 per day)

• Travel insurance. We recommend World Nomad, Explorer. Or read HERE for acceptable policies that cover Paragliding.

• Peñon Club fee. ($40)