What a beautifully done video. Magical, inspiring flight coupled with such an enjoyable and meaningful narration. Content creators like yourself may well help save our beautiful sport. Thank you for making this!
gadzooks, I was impressed when you made it to Whitney, then you kept on going and I was impressed with Williamson, then Split, then you crossed over Owens to White Mountain...WOW and then beyond. Super cool, I would have fainted from lack of oxygen!
Man, thanks for taking me back to the many summers flying the Owens with my friends. Great video tour! I flew the same flight as your flight to Janie’s with the exact same landing! At 68, I just sold all my gear last year as none of my friends fly anymore. Erik Olofson
@@sohamhanggliding I definitely do. Been there twice this year, absolutely love the Owens whether flying or not. I ride motorcycles over the sierra passes every week or so too. The first time I caught a nice one over Wonoga and could see west over all the snow capped peaks I was hooked!
Thanks, appreciate it. It takes a lot of editing work to put something like this together. Starting from a 5 hour long raw camera footage, it took me more than 40 hours to make this 15 min video. So I'm glad to know my viewers enjoying it.
Glad it was enjoyable to watch. Feedback provides motivation to make more and improve. Hanggliding and other forms of gliding are an unparalleled experience that everyone must try at least once!
Thanks, what would be the best way to contact you? Our next trip would be Memorial Day weekend, assuming cooperative weather. I would love to share our flying stories and inspire a broader audience than my channel usually gets.
The video quality is incredible and the amazing flight seems almost surreal. What a nice New Year surprise. Looking forward to your next video. Wishing you a healthy and happy new year.
Your presentations and reports at work must be top notch! AMAZING scenery and tour guide description. So refreshing compared to the ego-stroking speedrun and loop Redbullsh@t.
I really enjoyed the flight and your commentary was superb. I felt the repetitious thematic music was a bit tiresome. Fantastic accomplishment flying so high and so far over very rugged terrain. Looking forward to your next adventure!
Thanks for the feedback! Music is one of the hardest things to choose to please a wide audience. For my narrated videos, I still prefer music to original video sound (wind noise) which can make it hard to hear the commentary and is also repetitive. I will work on improving the music editing in future videos. The crazy thing is that this flight was "easy" compared to the average, yet the Owens valley is considered one of the most dangerous places for hang-gliding due to the intimidating terrain and the possibility of very strong lift and turbulence. Having lots of experience flying here helps, because I'm no longer worried about landing anywhere (assuming safe weather conditions).
The landing options are generally always out in the Owens Valley. The terrain there is reasonably good, but landing in thermic conditions can be nasty.
Yeah, best to land after 5 pm and always study and watch the weather. There are enough landing options so long as you plan ahead. I could have scratched longer and bailed out on the shallow slopes by the dirt road, but I didn't want to risk getting stranded. You never know the conditions of these dirt roads. Some people don't mind risking a late retrieve and an angry driver 😅
I used my oxygen system this flight, but it was exhausted a bit before I reached the maximum altitude. It did keep me oxygenated for 3-4 hours though, which helped to stay warm and alert.
@@ericoschmittno, the camera is mounted to the sprog and the battery is taped to the sprog. I'm sure it alters the flight dynamics slightly but it's not noticeable
![Flying 100 miles by hang-glider over the tallest mountains of California [Narrated]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/keDBi7Q1xpQ/mqdefault.jpg)
WOW, speechless! Insightful commentary. I feel privileged that you have shared this. Thank you
Well done!! 18.000 wow!!
Great flight, great video, great narration!
Excellent video! Flew there in the early 90’s …I call it ‘aerial mountaineering’…love the area so much I named my son Benton…cheers!
What a beautifully done video. Magical, inspiring flight coupled with such an enjoyable and meaningful narration. Content creators like yourself may well help save our beautiful sport. Thank you for making this!
Thanks a lot Steve!
gadzooks, I was impressed when you made it to Whitney, then you kept on going and I was impressed with Williamson, then Split, then you crossed over Owens to White Mountain...WOW and then beyond. Super cool, I would have fainted from lack of oxygen!
Great video and editing. More then a smart flyer. A wonderful tour guide and geologist.
Thanks Nick! I am definitely getting more interested in history, geography and geology because of hang-gliding!
extraordinary place, extraordinary flight - congrats!
Awesome video Soham, thanks for sharing!
Excellent video and format, simple but it works
Man, thanks for taking me back to the many summers flying the Owens with my friends. Great video tour! I flew the same flight as your flight to Janie’s with the exact same landing! At 68, I just sold all my gear last year as none of my friends fly anymore. Erik Olofson
Great to hear about your similar experience Erik! Do still go back to the Owens, just to see it's beauty from the ground?
@@sohamhanggliding
I definitely do. Been there twice this year, absolutely love the Owens whether flying or not. I ride motorcycles over the sierra passes every week or so too. The first time I caught a nice one over Wonoga and could see west over all the snow capped peaks I was hooked!
I follow several hang glider pilots on youtube and I can tell your videos are best narrated.
Thanks, appreciate it. It takes a lot of editing work to put something like this together. Starting from a 5 hour long raw camera footage, it took me more than 40 hours to make this 15 min video. So I'm glad to know my viewers enjoying it.
That's clearly a very biased view 😜 Joking apart: I really enjoyed this one too !
We 🎉are enjoying
Soham, Congratulations on a beautiful flight. Thanks for posting.
Excellent. Spellbinding movie with great narration...Thank you, good sir...👍👏👏👏
What an amazing journey!!
Brilliant video, well done. I'm a 73 year old HG pilot who dreamed of flying Owens. Not possible now but I can join you👍
WOOHOO!!!!!!!!
Fantastic FLYING!!
Good luck next time. We are praying for you
Thanks for your brilliant commentary. It gave me a really great overview of the Owen’s!!
Happy to share my love of this one of kind magical valley.
Beautiful flight! Thanks for sharing. I liked the narration. Congrats on your personal best altitude.
Can’t wait to fly with you up there in those amazing mountains. Fly safe my friend - G.H.
Looking forward to flying with you!
Again, wow! Like I said on your other video. To be able to go so high and so far. Again, wow! Thanks for sharing, well done!
Glad it was enjoyable to watch. Feedback provides motivation to make more and improve.
Hanggliding and other forms of gliding are an unparalleled experience that everyone must try at least once!
Always a pleasure to watch you flying the Owens Valley and getting all the info you provide along the way.
awesome flight fella, you are a beast
Awesome! That place is on my list of places to go to.
Thanks for the ride Soham. Your videos are second to none. Great views and excellent narration. Best of luck in 2024 !
Thanks a lot!
Great Flight, Great video.. Thank You !
That was so fun to watch, thanks!
❤ it. Great job.
Congrats on another amazing flight and new milestone. Incredible narration.
Thanks. Planning another epic flight for this year, hope to get all of it on 4K this time!
Next time you are in the Sierra, LMK. I'd love to interview you. I am working on story about flying in the area.
Thanks, what would be the best way to contact you? Our next trip would be Memorial Day weekend, assuming cooperative weather. I would love to share our flying stories and inspire a broader audience than my channel usually gets.
Hell yeah! Nice flight dude! Great narration too!
Another great video and flight Soham! You've created a very engaging format interesting on many levels.
Thanks! Feel free to share what you would like to see more (and less) of.
Wow, impressive flight. And very well presented. Thanks you. Did you have oxygen?
Thanks! Yes, I did have Oxygen, though the cylinder was drained within 3 hours since I stayed so high from the beginning.
What an incredible flight!
The video quality is incredible and the amazing flight seems almost surreal. What a nice New Year surprise. Looking forward to your next video. Wishing you a healthy and happy new year.
Thanks Gary! I'm still not completely happy with the original camera video quality. I am hoping to upgrade to one of the latest cameras soon.
Great video, Soham! Your video is a perfect new year gift to the hanggliding community :D
Haha thanks Lijian! You have to come with us in 2024! Fly whatever you are comfortable with. The new glider will be easy to land.
Your presentations and reports at work must be top notch! AMAZING scenery and tour guide description. So refreshing compared to the ego-stroking speedrun and loop Redbullsh@t.
Haha thanks! I make these videos to share the beauty of flying, not getting personal validation.
Great flight!
Awesome. Is the time of year specific for these kinds of flights ?
Yes, June-September is the best time to fly in the Owens Valley.
I really enjoyed the flight and your commentary was superb. I felt the repetitious thematic music was a bit tiresome. Fantastic accomplishment flying so high and so far over very rugged terrain. Looking forward to your next adventure!
Thanks for the feedback! Music is one of the hardest things to choose to please a wide audience. For my narrated videos, I still prefer music to original video sound (wind noise) which can make it hard to hear the commentary and is also repetitive. I will work on improving the music editing in future videos.
The crazy thing is that this flight was "easy" compared to the average, yet the Owens valley is considered one of the most dangerous places for hang-gliding due to the intimidating terrain and the possibility of very strong lift and turbulence. Having lots of experience flying here helps, because I'm no longer worried about landing anywhere (assuming safe weather conditions).
great video Soham.
Another great video, man! How are the landing options along the way? Does the terrain look any tricky from altitude?
The landing options are generally always out in the Owens Valley. The terrain there is reasonably good, but landing in thermic conditions can be nasty.
Yeah, best to land after 5 pm and always study and watch the weather. There are enough landing options so long as you plan ahead. I could have scratched longer and bailed out on the shallow slopes by the dirt road, but I didn't want to risk getting stranded. You never know the conditions of these dirt roads. Some people don't mind risking a late retrieve and an angry driver 😅
Were you not concerned at 17,900 ft (18,000) about hypoxia ? Did you carry oxygen ?
I used my oxygen system this flight, but it was exhausted a bit before I reached the maximum altitude. It did keep me oxygenated for 3-4 hours though, which helped to stay warm and alert.
15k+……no need for supplemental O2?
Oxygen?
Flu in 1975 cumulus 5B and finish flying in wills U2.
U la la :)
What kind of camera has battery for 5 hour??
No camera that I know of. I used an external 5000 mAh battery
@@sohamhanggliding oh I was thinking that could be the case. Do you tape the power bank to the crossbar and plug a cable?
@@ericoschmittno, the camera is mounted to the sprog and the battery is taped to the sprog. I'm sure it alters the flight dynamics slightly but it's not noticeable