Getting down low with New Champions Lorraine Johns at the Wanaka Hike & Fly
H
ereinNewZealand, we cannot claim to have a convincing track record for scheduled hiking, let alone flying.
W h e n r a c e d i re c t o r K i n g a Masztalerz told me she would be running the second edition of the Wanaka Hike and Fly on 11 to 13 February 2022, rain or shine, I wondered what the chances would be of needing a reserve repack after trudging through three days of downpours. Nobody had much to say about the forecast for days two and three of the competition. However, on the eve of the race,
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our weather guru Louis informed a roomful of eager pilots that the forecast for day one was one on which “records could be broken”. The resulting standard for the podium was demanding, with third place getter Bradley Franks flying just short of a 100 kilometre triangle on day one, and a single point separating the winner, Ben Kellett, and runner up, Aaron Ford. Having worn wounds into my feet from walking, I was keen to talk to our champions to find out the usual things, like where they flew, whether it was fun or terrifying or something else entirely, what all their race secrets are, and just how tech savvy a champion pilot must be. Ben is the first person to have told
me that they got into hiking because they got into flying. It’s not unheard of for trampers to convert when they realise that it’s not just wishful thinking to imagine they don’t have to walk down. However, for Ben, cross-country flying was what lured him into adventuring by foot. Ben had no grand plan when he took up paragliding – just a bit of spare cash and a need for a new hobby. After an intro day on the training hill, Ben was promised a flight off Coronet Peak if he came back the next day. The addiction was instantaneous, “F*** yeah, I guess I’ll see you guys tomorrow”. Brad also came to paragliding in a spontaneous way – a 30th birthday
present while travelling around South America presented another opportunity for adventure. At first, he mostly flew new sites, travelling to fill his logbook with hours. It wasn’t until he moved back to New Zealand (to Queenstown), where for the first time he lived in a place with a flying community, that things really took off. Like Brad, Aaron comes from a climbing background. When asked about his motivation for taking up flying, Aaron doesn’t hesitate, “I could climb peaks and not have to walk down”. He found himself one day watching a speed flying video of people flying through a gap in cliffs, leading him to google “learn to paraglide” mid-video. By the time
