I flirted briefly with the thought of taking up paragliding. I was put off by the statistics. It's significantly more dangerous than flying in a small aircraft.

I flirted briefly with the thought of taking up paragliding. I was put off by the statistics. It's significantly more dangerous than flying in a small aircraft. I wonder, though, how much of the risk profile is due to experts pushing the envelope, or combining paragliding with skiing and doing aerobatics close to the ground. The so-called beginner wings are designed to be collapse resistant and recover easily, but they are slow and not very maneuverable compared to the more advanced models.