Outdoors/Adventure

VIDEO: Paramotoring over the Iditarod Trail

Paramotor enthusiast Chris Reynolds effectively captured the sense of fun these ultralight aircraft provide in this recently-uploaded video of seven pilots cruising above the Iditarod this year. Flying from Willow and Big Lake to the "Scary Tree" location on the Yentna River, the pilots took full advantage of clear conditions to see not only the race but even enjoy a little "wing walking" along the way.

Paramotors are essentially powered paragliders that typically use two-stroke motors between 80cc and 350cc. Electric paramotors are being developed, though they currently do not have the distance capability that gas-powered designs offer.

As the video shows, "Scary Tree" is a popular spot to watch for Iditarod mushers, and Reynolds does an excellent job of capturing the variety of traffic that came out to see the recent race up close. Reynolds, who lives in Big Lake, has shot multiple paramotor videos that can be found on YouTube and Alaska Public Media's website.

There are several places to learn paramotoring or paragliding in Alaska, including Paragliding Alaska in Wasilla and Midnight Sun Paragliding in Anchorage.

Colleen Mondor can be contacted at colleen(at)alaskadispatch.com. Send her an email if you know more places to receive paramotor or paragliding instruction in Alaska.

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