Eric Oddy is a person who loves a challenge and extreme activities. He has taken a passion for paragliding and snowmobiling to create a new extreme sport, parasledding
Oddy posted a video on YouTube called Introducing parasledding with Eric Oddy and recently had a segment on the Discovery Channel about what he is doing with the sport.
“I had a vision 23 years ago when my friend launched me off Mount 7. About three years ago I hooked up with another friend and we have been working on it ever since,” he said. “The reaction is overwhelming. I have had many awesome replies (from video seen on YouTube) that are 99 per cent positive,” he said.
Oddy explained that the sport gives a great deal of freedom to the participants.
“It is like free flight. There is a lot more to it with a snowmobile because your adrenaline is up. Because we are in the early stages of the sport it is always in the back of my head that something could go wrong but that is something you have to deal with,” he said.
Even though he has been working on the sport for a number of years, Oddy said he still is working on perfecting it.
“The snowmobiles had to be modified to make it safer to do the things I have been doing with the machines.”
The modifications have been done with the help of the friends in the local community.
“In the beginning people were looking at me and shaking their heads. But once they realized what my capabilities are, the support has been great,” he said.
He added that he had recently taken flight off a mountain by himself with no help from anyone else.
“I can take my snowmobile and para glider and drive to the top of almost any mountain and fly off. When I land I can pack my snowmobile back up and go again,” he said. “We have made snowmobiles do things they have never done before. That is one of the coolest things we have done here”
So far the longest flight Oddy has taken has been about two kilometres.
“I can truly say I am the only guy in the world who flies a snowmobile.”
He is looking forward to continuing to fly in the area during the summer.
Even though he loves what he is doing, Oddy does advise caution to anyone who thinks this may be something they would like to try.
“If anyone is interested in doing it, do not just go and hook a paraglider to a sled. Please get a hold of me and I will try and do what I can to get you on the right track.”
