Chasing 100 Miles

The American way to a personal best

American extreme climber and filmmaker Cedar Wright travels to the Kerio Valley in Kenya, hoping to make a dream come true. He wants to crack the 100-mile barrier for the first time in his short flying career. With him is his mentor Nick Greece. The idea that things don’t always go according to plan certainly applies to Cedar’s “Cross Country Flying in Exotic Places” adventure story. A moviemaker through and through, his refreshing shoot of the experience is packed with American humour. Let yourself be carried away!

The magical ridge in the Kerio Valley is the place to achieve a personal record. But it’s also one of the most turbulent flying spots.

Nick Greece

“I’m as ready as a man can be.” Cedar Wright takes another deep breath. Flying conditions are good this early morning. A crowd of Kenyan youngsters is gathered on the take-off. Cedar’s companion and mentor Nick Greece is also ready. The camera rolls. One, two, three... then the two Americans lift off, one after the other. The Kerio Valley Nature Reserve lies below their feet. Woohoo! Cedar has a goal. He wants to crack his personal best and make his first 100-mile flight. In the Kerio Valley you fly along the windy edge of the terrain, which falls steeply away from a high plateau. In Cedar’s words: “It can be quite turbulent and unpredictable: there’s an explosive mix of thermals and wind. If you get a collapse there’s little or no time to sort it out”.

At the limit – or over it? Cedar is fiercely determined to push his limits. 100 miles is a long way. Can he make it? Not today, as it turns out; it’s too turbulent and the two have to land. A mealie field serves as an emergency landing place. In the vigorous tailwind Cedar loses control for a moment. The arrival is rough. He somersaults in the corn. Nick keeps the camera rolling thoughout. “Holy shit!“, Cedar declares. In typical American style he puts a brave face on the painful crash landing. “I’m traumatised, I’ve had enough of this.“ Almost defiantly he packs his things together. This 100-mile business is for the birds.

The memory of a goldfish What makes a good paraglider pilot? Nick: “A good paraglider pilot has the memory of a goldfish.” Get up, shrug off the sense of failure, move on. Now more than ever, the two pilots think. They don’t give up that easily. Equipment, wing, personal attitude – all good. Today will see the second attempt.

Conditions prove the pilots to be right. Their confidence is back. With a certain composure they soar along the ridge. Today the miles clip steadily past under the Kenyan sun: 16... 32... 60 miles. Ecstatic, they fly on. This feels damned good. For a paraglider pilot, flying 100 miles is like a coming of age. Cedar describes the adventure. “When you take off you never know where you might land.” You spend almost the whole day in the air, “so you have to be mentally fit and resilient.” These bodily and

Every morning young Kenyans gather, wanting to find out everything about paragliding.

Smashed it! Joy at beating a personal best of 100 miles.

To fly 100 miles feels like a coming of age for a paraglider pilot.

Cedar Wright

About

Cedar Wright likes risk. As an extreme climber and paraglider pilot the American has a pronounced leaning towards passion and commitment. Again and again his ultimate adventures take him into situations which create an element of suffering. When he is not in the skies or on the mountains he makes films, music or writes stories. Nick Greece is one of the best pilots in North America and has won numerous World Cup titles. He especially likes to explore every little crevice and corner from the air. Nick is very proud of his passport which is full of the exotic stamps of the more than 30 countries in which he has flown.

mental challenges drive the Californian on. “You are seven to eight hours in the air, without a motor.” For Cedar this is the ultimate adventure sport, “That’s exactly what I like.”

Crack your personal record here Today went like clockwork. The thermals carried the two pilots further than they‘d dared to hope. They cracked the 100 miles without problem. Thumbs up. Enthusiastically they glide on – as far as the wind will take them. 106... 110... at the end let‘s say 117 miles in the logbook (173.2 kilometres). Cedar has the widest grin: “I FUCKIN‘ DID IT!” He can hardly believe it. Nick, who came up with the idea for this flying adventure in the first place, commented on the result more sagely: “This is the place where people come to break their personal records!”

Film

vimeo.com/269101883

Cedars Equipment

SIGMA 10

Cedar at the take-off, on his way to his best performance.