Soaring Over Carson Valley

I love adventure! Sky diving, surfing, scuba diving – I will try anything at least once (and it doesn’t even have to start with an S…). North Star Destination Strategies recently began a destination branding initiative with Carson Valley, NV and during our visit my interest was immediately piqued at the mention of soaring. After asking around a bit I learned that soaring is flying without one of those pesky engines, and it turns out Carson Valley is the premiere destination in the Country for this high adventure sport. The wind patterns that come off of the Sierra Nevada Mountains create the perfect playground for these gliders. Soaring pilots and enthusiasts travel from all over the world to experience the conditions. Leisure visitors flock from California’s Bay area, Reno and Tahoe to cross soaring off their bucket lists.

Much to the dismay of my coworker, Jennifer, I immediately signed us up for a soaring adventure. The folks at Soaring NV were more than accommodating and the owner, Lauri Harden a.k.a. “Glider Girl” hooked us up with her pilot Jeffrey.

We hopped on a golf cart and took off across the active runway toward the gliders. Once we arrived at ours I was pretty sure they had misunderstood this would be a ride for both Jen AND myself. There was no way we were all three going to fit in that glider. But with some coaching from Jeff on where to put our arms and legs we actually did end up fitting! Lucky for me Jen is a very slender girl; although I’m sure she was cursing me under her breath for taking up more than my half of the room.

Strapped in and hooked up to our tow plane, we took off down the runway. Since the gliders have no engines a tow plane was used to drag us up to 10,000 feet. It is quite a funny feeling to be attached to another plane by just a single rope. The view from the glider was spectacular and as we went higher and higher above the valley and mountains it only got better! I was all too eager to assist when Jeff asked me to pull the handle that released the rope to our tow plane. As soon as we disconnected a feeling of peace and quiet came over me. The weightless sensation of gliding above the mountains, valley and lake is indescribable. I was struck by how gorgeous the Carson Valley was from this perspective, green and lush surrounded on all sides by breathtaking mountains. Many people think that all of Nevada is a desert, but those are the folks that haven’t had a chance to visit the Carson Valley!

This opportunity to view the area from a bird’s eye perspective got me thinking. How often do we take a fresh look at the world around us? It doesn’t require a glider ride at 10,000 feet to take a moment to view your community from a different perspective. Maybe it’s as simple as asking a visitor or newcomer to your area why they were drawn to the community. Perhaps this information can help us see what we take for granted every day.

~ Samara
samara@northstarideas.com