DEREK JOHNSON

Activity: Speed flying, skiing, snowboarding, mountain biking, climbing, and mountaineering

Background

I live in the heart of the Colorado Rockies and I am an avid sportsman involved in speedflying, skiing, snowboarding, mountain biking, climbing, and mountaineering. I am also in the process of setting up a speed flying instructional and guide school here.

I am flying with glider and harness, sometimes foot launched and sometimes ski launched mostly big mountain launch sites.

Q&A

How do you know about this sport? Why did you get interested in it?

An old friend of mine and I had always talked about flying an ultra light from coast to coast.  Researching the possibilities, I stumbled across paragliding. I knew the art of free flight was where I was headed.

Have you ever come across any setbacks with this sport? How could you overcome it?

I have flown into and out of the top of a tree and hit the ground from about 20 feet up.  I wouldn’t say that was a setback, but I’ll try and never make that mistake again.

Do you have any fantastic experience or achievement with this sport?

Free flying is always about learning and critiquing.  If you are going to let one “learning” opportunity, such as flying into a tree, stop you, then it’s time for a new endeavor.  I am incredibly satisfied every time I get to the top of a peak, get a moment to soak in the views around me, and on top of that, I get to fly to the bottom!  When I land safely and start heading to the trailhead, I can turn around and seriously thank Mother Nature for the experience.

What kinds of equipment are needed for playing this sport?

A wing, harness, altitude, wind and patience.  I can count on Onepolar’s products to keep my spirits up, even if I am sinking out.

Onepolar provides the athletes with sponsorship and collect reviews for the purpose of product development. How do you view this?

Onepolar’s products allow me to perform and test at top performance levels while out in the sky.  At these extreme conditions, the sky becomes the perfect proving grounds for Onepolar’s products.  Through info gathered in field testing, we are able to collaborate and have something that is an all around better quality product for the adventurer in us.