The Beginner's Guide To

Hike & Fly

A paragliding book on walking

BUY THE BOOK!!!

So, what's this book about?

Ιt's an introduction to hike&fly, intended for paragliding pilots who wish to try it but think that they absolutely need lightweight equipment or don't know where to begin...
Now you know: you can begin with this book!

You will learn about the specialised lightweight gear and why we obsess over our carrying weight, how to dress for the mountain to be ready for all possible conditions, how to choose your days according to the forecast in order to fly down and not walk down, how to maximise your chances to find a launch site and make sure you get there safe and in time.

Paragliding Gear

What is all that craze about lightweight gliders, harnesses, reserves? Why is everyone obsessing over weight? Do you really need to? How much are you going to spend for this? What are you giving up if you go lightweight? Should you?

Mountain Gear

Great, more crap you need to buy. Or not. It depends on what you want to do mostly. Which is hiking. You want to hike apparently, otherwise why are you on this website? Possibly fly as well.

Clothing

There is no such thing as bad weather, only unsuitable clothing. What you wear in the mountains is important. Matching the colours is not that important, no matter how much my girlfriend is trying to convince me otherwise.

Choosing The Weather

What kind of weather conditions do you need to look for when going hike&fly? Are they any different than what you usually look for? Are you going be bored to death with meteorology in yet another book? Yes, you will, but not too much, I promise.

Ascending

Oh, yes, you will need to hike UP the mountain. Yes, that's uphill. Yes, you are going to get tired. And you may not even fly after all because you didn't read the chapter about the weather. How are you supposed to find your trail? Where are you going to find a launch? Do you need to plan ahead? Why are you still reading this? Get the damn book!

A quick look inside the book

About the Author

Apparently, a single book makes me an author. Anyway, I have been flying since 2011 and discovered hike&fly in 2015. I am an Information and Communication Systems Engineer with a master’s degree in Cognitive Science (so you’d think I should take myself seriously, but honestly how serious does this website look up to this point?). I live in Athens, Greece and work in the  IT sector, but no matter how busy my days are, I am only happy with my life when flying. Or preparing to fly. Or planning a flight. Or thinking about flying. My significant other loves this about me (#not).

An enthusiastic windsurfer since I could balance on a board, I shifted my outdoor activities from the sea to the skies when I was introduced to paragliding. Now, as soon as the forecast is favorable, I drop everything to go fly cross country for hours or hike up a mountain and take-off from the top.

I am a certified instructor and tandem pilot and I greatly enjoy sharing my love of the skies with my students and passengers, either the standard tandem flight or a tandem hike&fly. I also offer guiding services to fellow pilots when they visit Greece, through BOA – Base Outdoor Activities. It’s mostly an excuse to go flying myself, but please don’t tell this to my associates, they still consider me a responsible professional for some reason.

In the last couple of years, canyoning has been strongly vying for my attention, as I am struggling to decide if I prefer hurling down a waterfall while hanging from a rope or soaring beneath the clouds. I have also played football as a goalkeeper for a few seasons, but eventually realised that sports requiring only one ball are not interesting enough (that’s also the joke I tell myself during the scary moments of those “interesting” sports).

Hike&fly at mt. Mikri Ziria, Greece

Testimonials

If you harbour airborne cargo-donkey aspirations, do read this book, more likely than not several times, and allow Aimilios to take you by the hand and lead you up that mountain. Not only will it make your exploits easier and less annoying, it will also make them more fun. Start walking.
Mads Syndergaard Competition pilot, author of "Flying Rags for Glory"
An excellent beginner's guide, very comprehensive, light-hearted yet accurate. It really delivers on the promise 'for all levels of pilots who want to give Hike and Fly a go but don't know where to start'. There are chapters on gear, site choices, understanding mountain weather, and working as a team, gathered over years of flying in the Greek mountains. The author's experience is evident in the many practical solutions, like the unforgettable plastic bag and gaffer tape gaiters.
Greg Hamerton Fly with Greg, BHPA Instructor, author of several paragliding books
This excellent book is perfect for the new Hike and Flyer. It is full of information, it's well written and has good humour. The author Aimilios goes into good detail covering all the essentials and more, especially with equipment, weather and the hike itself: it's a worthwhile read for pilots thinking of diversifying.
Dennis Trott BHPA Senior Instructor & FFVL Instructor, paragliding guide and owner of the Alpine Flying Centre
[The book is] written in an easy, fast-paced way with a great sense of humour, making the read even more enjoyable. If this book had been around when I first got into hike&fly, it would have surely helped me progress smoother and avoid some mistakes on the way.
(read the review in SAFA Skysailor Magazine)
(republished on Flybubble and Airborn Magazine )
Kinga Masztalerz Pilot and adventurer, Red Bull X-Alps Athlete, New Zealand Champion and holder of two distance records
This Beginner's Guide to Hike & Fly gives you a good handrail to follow when your journey begins, and will help you avoid making too many bad choices and decisions early on. It's a must-read for the aspiring hike and flyer.
(read the review in BHPA Skywings Magazine)
John Westall
Hike & Fly pilot
Aimilios is open and honest about his own quest and sometimes failed experiments. With humor, self-mockery and sometimes sarcasm, he tells about failed hike & fly trips from which good lessons can be learned. Climbing up a mountain on the leeward side in beautiful weather only to find out at the top that a cloud is stuck against the mountain on the windward side… From now on climb a mountain on the windward side or at least take a look there first. The book is full of such helpful tips and recommendations.
(read the review in Lift Magazine [Dutch] - [Google translation to English])
Peter Blokker Pilot, Mountaineer, Hike & Fly trip organizer

XC Magazine featured an excerpt of the book as a 6-page article in the September 2021 issue, as well as a great review by Charlie King!

Greg Hamerton included the book in his video “Best Paragliding Highlights of 2021”

In January 2023, I sat down with Greg Hamerton who interviewed me on ultralight gear. You can watch a trailer of it here, or subscribe to his amazing website and watch the whole thing, along with countless high quality instructional videos: https://flywithgreg.com

Buy the book!

Download the e-book (pdf format) - payhip (9.90€)

or

Order the paperback - lulu.com (19.90€)

Contact Me

Do you still have questions about the book?

Do you have any problems downloading it?

Did you like the book? Do you have suggestions or corrections to make it better?

Did it make you want to fly in Greece and need guiding?

Did you hate it so much you want your money back and have an irresistible urge to punch me?

Send me an email and I’ll answer you as soon as I can. Unless you want to punch me. I will probably avoid you then. I don’t like it when people want to punch me. You’d think that shouldn’t happen so often, right?