BANFF – STARS air ambulance has flown an injured paraglider from Banff National Park to a Calgary hospital.
Details are scant at this stage, but STARS spokesperson Deb Tetley said the STAR-1 crew and helicopter were dispatched to a staging area at Carrot Creek, located just west of the Banff National Park east gate late Monday afternoon.
“We received an adult male patient who sustained injuries in a paragliding incident,” said Tetley.
“The patient is currently en route to Foothills Medical Centre.”
The paraglider’s condition is unknown at this stage.
It is also still not known at this point from which mountain the paraglider took off. Parks Canada, which sent its rescue team, is not providing any details or allowing an interview with the rescue team.
Keith MacCullough, senior instructor and manager of Cochrane-based Muller Windsports – which is the only place in the region for hang-gliding and paragliding lessons – said based on social media chat sites, the injured paraglider is not a local.
He said he doesn’t believe the pilot took off from Canmore’s Lady Macdonald, based on where he landed, but it is possible it could have been Mount Rundle in Banff, which would be illegal.
“We can fly through, but we cannot launch and land,” he said.
MacCullough said Monday afternoon was not ideal flying conditions.
“There was nobody else flying,” he said.
Transport Canada allows the sport of hang-gliding and paragliding in Canada to self-govern through the Hang Gliding and Paragliding Association of Canada (HPAC), but pilots must follow the Transport Canada Canadian Air Regulations.
MacCullough said the regulations are thoroughly taught during the training to become a P2 pilot, which allows a paraglider to be able to fly independently without supervision of an instructor.
“The Bow Valley is a little bit of a particular area in the sense that it's high level of helicopter traffic due to Alpine (Helicopters),” he said.
“We either make a radio call with an aviation band radio into Alpine, or we call Alpine and let them know that there’s going be paragliding activity,” he added.
“Then they understand that we're active that day and it's a courtesy relationship in that sense. They've asked to not have surprises and that's totally fair on their part.”
MacCullough said new pilots to the area should reach out to local pilots, who are well trained, to get the lay of the land.
“They live and fly in the Bow Valley and they understand the weather conditions,” he said.
“If you’re coming to the area, please reach out before flying because it’s a sensitive area.”
Paragliding continues to grow in popularity across the province, with several dedicated hike-and-fly pilots making their home in Canmore, trudging up and flying down local peaks like Lady Macdonald, Ha Ling Peak and Miners Gully.
Inside Banff National Park, however, regulations prohibit the takeoff or landing of paragliders or hang-gliders.
Under certain circumstances and conditions, and subject to specific restrictions, paragliding is permitted in Jasper, Yoho and Kootenay national parks.
Pilots must be members of HPAC to fly in those parks – and carry proof of their membership.
Discussions for access to other national parks across Canada are in progress with Parks Canada.
The sport is not without risk.
In mid-July, a 63-year-old male paraglider from Vernon fell to his death near Lumby, B.C, located about 25 kms east of Vernon, during a paragliding lesson.
A month earlier, rescuers recovered the body a 62-year-old man from Fernie, B.C., in steep terrain near Mount Fernie following a paragliding tragedy.
A 61-year-old man was badly injured in Quebec’s Gatineau Park while paragliding in April. He died as a result of his injuries the following month.
HPAC is a registered national non-profit corporation with a membership of about 1,100 hang glider, paraglider and speedwing pilots across Canada.
