hey folks,
First I want to thank everyone that has helped me already. In the hills and on the road lots of people have given me a ride, helped out, and hosted me. People are very generous.
Nick Neynens during a vol biv in New Zealand, 10 Feb 2018
Red Bull X-ALPS
Donate now for the 2021 effort!
Thank you to all the individual contributions, which have funded our campaigns in 2019, 2017, and 2015, details which you can find here and on the internet. It’s always great fun to bring vol biv to a greater audience.
Vol biv
Support my solo vol biv trips and I’ll make more videos on www.patreon.com/sharemyjoys
Since many of my vol biv trips away have been for extended periods, I still have a backlog of material to write about and make videos for. I’ve got three ideas for projects lined up:
1. Video editing, for adventure flights through the Canadian Rockies, China, Morocco, Peru, Tasmania, New Zealand and many other locations around the world.
I think my youtube channel already has enough content for people to sink their teeth into. But some are hungry for more adventure. I plan to make shorter videos of more standard destinations (like the Alps, for example) free for everyone, and to have more in depth videos to more exclusive locations (like Machu Picchu, or deep along the main divide in New Zealand) for Patreon subscribers.
2. A book on vol biv
I had this idea over three years ago but it has lied dormant. It is a lot of work, and I haven’t had it as a priority. I am currently looking into approaching publishers, but I also may look into self publishing, in which case I will probably start a kickstarter page so people can buy the book ahead of time and I know how many copies to get printed.
Watch this space for a book proposal.
3. Weather talks
I have a lot of weather experience from paragliding all over the world, observing in Antarctica, spending time in the mountains and sailing, and becoming a meteorologist. I have spent a lot of time thinking about the best ways to conceptualise and understand some very complex topics. Weather is often “dumbed down” for the public but I think there is a sizeable demographic which is interested in some of the more intricate details of various natural phenomena.
I have not decided the best way to present this information. Perhaps in a short lecture series. If you have some suggestions then let me know.
A few words
I’ve been thinking about my creative projects and the time I spend on them and the satisfaction of sharing it with an audience.
This comes from when I was growing up. When Dad first took me tramping we were encouraged to write a trip diary and these are always great to consolidate the memories and to laugh about them later on. My parents also taught me how to use their cameras back in the day. With this start at age 12 I cleaned up at the “Nambour Show”, winning first, second, third, and two highly commended, even though there was supposed to be only four entries. The beech over the lake photo Dad suggested although I came up with the toi toi photo idea all by myself. These days I try to focus more on the flights themselves, but it is still really difficult to fly without taking photos or video.
I’ve always been proud of the mountains we have in New Zealand as well, taking friends to explore the backcountry on several occasions. It’s still my favourite, but since it’s now overrun with tourists it’s nice to know there are still a lot of “undiscovered” gems all over the world. Paragliding takes a lot of commitment to learn and being such a fickle sport it is often hard to justify. That’s an even better reason to spend time documenting trips though, as a way of appreciating nature when you don’t have the opportunity to do it in person. I like to tell people the world is dangerous, cold, wet, etc – stay inside and watch my videos 😉
Thank you!
Flying paragliders in the mountains 