Juneau Paragliding started way back around 1990. Jack Kreinheder and Bruce Griggs had learned to fly paragliders in 1988 in Salt Lake City. Jack held an open invitation to a public meeting at the downtown library for fools interested in the "least expensive way to fly". Of course, I attended and was intrigued, but not sold. A couple of months later from a distance I saw two colorful chutes floating down from Mt. Roberts. I high-tailed it over to the rock dump to find my softball buddy, Gary Guzio, and a (later to become notorious for landing in the ring DURING THE 8TH ROUND of a heavyweight championship, open-air boxing match in Las Vegas!) young pilot named James Miller, who had just landed. As it always is after a good flight and landing, both pilots were ecstatic to say the least and full of encouragement for me to give it a try. In fact, someone had arranged for an instructor from Fairbanks, Alan Chuculate, to come down to teach a class. So, I wasn't the only fool after all.
Within a year or so, Juneau had 30 pilots! That's one for every thousand residents!
And at that time, we were still hiking from sea level and hoping the wind was good when we got above tree line.
There are many photos from these days but none that are digital. If Juneau pilots reading this blog could email me at gene.randall2014@gmail.com with some of their classic best shots, I'll get them online.
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