The Northwest Paragliding Club began in the mid 90s, as just a group of local enthusiasts throwing themselves off Tiger Mountain with modified parachutes and enjoying the silence and serenity of a glide around the Issaquah Alps.

Since then, the club has built itself up, in terms of members and facilities, and is working hard at bringing the gospel of paragliding to the uninitiated.

On Saturday, the club held it’s annual Tiger Mountain Fly-in, offering discounted tandem flights for first timers.

As in previous years, the limited number of flights sold out quickly, and throughout the day a stream of people eager to have a go stood on standby at the landing field at the foot of Tiger Mountain, watching the paragliders descend.

In the interests of getting to the very heart of the story, Reporter Editor Jake Lynch used the power of denial to cure his fear of heights and took the plunge off Tiger Mountain. The blind fear soon gave way to amazement, as the smooth and relatively panic free ride offered views usually reserved for the birds.