exPERIENCE THE GIFT OF FLIGHT.
Tandem flights are a great introduction to the sport, or just a great way to see the Salt Lake area in a whole new way.
South Side Flight Park, UT
Each person is seated comfortably in their own harness which are then attached together, with the passenger in front and the pilot behind. Bring your camera, because this is an experience you won’t ever forget!
We offer tandem flights 7 days a week year round, weather permitting. Both morning and evening flights are available.
- No previous flight experience required
- Great for birthdays or anniversaries!
- Available for fledglings aged 11 and up, weighing between 80-230lbs
MORNING FLIGHTS
The time-frame we will fly you will vary depending on the time of year and weather, but they generally occur between 7-9am. Morning flights must be confirmed the day before, as we meet before the shop opens.
Morning flights are more consistent with weather, and are generally lower altitude flights. Great for more mellow soaring or people with stricter timeframes.
Morning flights take place at the SOUTH SIDE FLIGHT PARK.
EVENING FLIGHTS
The time-frame we will fly you will vary depending on the time of year and weather, but they generally occur between 4-7pm. Evening flights must be confirmed the day of, as the evening weather is very particular and we need to be able to see what the winds and skies are currently doing.
Evening flights are more difficult to schedule with weather, and the flights are generally higher altitude. Great for locals or those wanting to see the Salt Lake valley from up high.
Evening flights take place at the NORTH SIDE FLIGHT PARK.
Our Pricing
In the event of a weather cancellation, you may reschedule your flight. There is no limit on how many times you can reschedule – we know Mother Nature is fickle. Note that scheduling must be done directly with a member of our team. We look forward to hearing from you!
Tandem Flight
$195
/person
Perfect for getting a taste of paragliding.
✓ 1 20-30 minute flight
✓ Either South Side or North Side
✓ Unlimited rescheduling in case of weather
✓ Counts toward your USHPA minimum flight numbers if you choose to get certified!
Video Package
$35
/additional
Great to remember the experience forever.
✓ Launch, landing, and highlights caught on GoPro by your pilot
✓ The raw footage will be given to you on an SD card directly after your flight.
✓ No restrictions or copyright on footage. It’s yours!
RESERVING YOUR TANDEM FLIGHT
We fly 7 days a week if the weather allows. Step one is to call or stop by Adventure Toy Store Monday–Saturday 10-4. The shop number is 801-576-6460 to schedule your flight. Most mornings we have about 6 tandem spaces available and weekends often fill up quickly. We will generally need about a week’s notice to get you on the schedule, but we will work with you on shorter notice. We will NOT meet for your appointment at the shop, but you’re welcome to stop by if you want to check out the shop, book your reservation in person, buy a t-shirt, shop for kites, or meet the crew.
When you make your reservation, please have any coupon or gift certificate information with you. We will ask for the date you would like to fly, how much you weigh, a phone number and email address to send confirmation. Please have all this information ready for each person who will be flying. We will then ask you to call during shop hours the day prior(or for evening flights, the day of) to confirm your reservation and get an exact meeting time, as it will depend on what the weather is doing and the time of year. The shop is closed Sundays, so for Monday morning reservations, please check in on Saturday.
CONFIRMING YOUR TANDEM FLIGHT
Please call and confirm your tandem flight with us. Shop Hours are 10-4 Monday-Saturday. If you do not confirm your flight, we will have no choice but to consider you canceled.
The later in the day you call, the better idea we have of what the weather is looking like. If for some reason you cannot call, or if the shop is closed, send us an email. If we are unable to get a hold of you by 4pm we will have no choice but to consider you canceled. If the weather is iffy we will let you know and can reschedule you or wait until the morning to cancel. If you decide to give it a go and wait until the morning , we will generally text you an hour before your reservation time. If you need special arrangements(i.e. traveling more than an hour or can’t receive texts) let us know and we will work with you. Although we will do our best, we can’t predict the weather exactly and may sometimes have to do a last minute cancellation on site. We apologize for any inconvenience, but your safety is our highest concern and we would rather reschedule you as many times as possible to make sure you will be safe and have fun. Occasionally we will cancel and there will be other people flying. Each pilot makes his or her own decision to fly; we are making the decision with you and will be more conservative. If you have any questions on weather just ask, we will be happy to let you know what went into our decision making process.
THE DAY OF YOUR TANDEM FLIGHT
Morning Flights: Morning flights take place at the SOUTH SIDE flight park. On your scheduled date and time you can always arrive early to watch others fly. The Point is a beautiful spot to watch the sunrise, but bring an extra layer, it can be chilly in the early morning wind. Please follow directions to the TOP of the South Side. Once you arrive at the flight park, look for the Cloud 9 Team. Generally you will know the name of your tandem pilot, or you can meet them at the White Toyota Tundra with Cloud 9 stickers all over it. Should you be unable to find your pilot, ask anyone for Cloud 9 and they will easily be able to direct you. Once you arrive we will fill out a waiver, get you set up with your pilot and it you in your harness. Occasionally your pilot will still be in the sky with their previous passenger; we appreciate your understanding and patience. Your tandem pilot will guide you through the process step by step; please listen carefully to everything they say.
If conditions are such that we are not able to say up and soar around the Point for a bit, we will let you know beforehand and sometimes urge you to reschedule. Longer flights are more fun and we want you go get the most out of your experience. If you want to still go on a light day, we will land at the bottom of the flight park and get a ride back up top and conditions are usually fine to do another flight, often letting you take the controls for a turn or two, or we can do some more radical sharp turns to get your heart beating. Once you land we will take your helmet and harness back and you are good to go. You are welcome to tip your pilot if you had a great time!
Evening Flights: Evening flights take place at the NORTH SIDE flight park. Please be sure you have directions and drive slowly through the neighborhood, it’s tempting to look up and be watching us fly, but there are a lot of kids and pets who are our flight park neighbors. You are welcome to arrive early and watch others fly. Once at the flight park, if you can’t find your pilot, ask around for Cloud 9 and anyone will be happy to direct you. Please feel free to walk around, ask questions and take plenty of photos if you have to wait a few minutes. North Side nights used to happen like clockwork; but over the last 5 years for many theorized reasons, the wind patterns and afternoon weather has changed, often forcing us to postpone or reschedule due to non-flyable weather. If this happens, please bear with us or try a morning, they are much more reliable. We are willing to reschedule you as many times as necessary in order to get you flying at no extra charge to you. We have also lost access to the 4×4 road that accesses the top of the ridge, further limiting our ability to do longer tandem flights in the evening. Once you arrive we will fill out a waiver, get you set up with your pilot and it you in your harness. Occasionally your pilot will still be in the sky with their previous passenger; we appreciate your understanding and patience. Your tandem pilot will guide you through the process step by step; please listen carefully to everything they say. Once you land we will take your helmet and harness back and you are good to go. You are welcome to tip your pilot if you had a great time!
WHAT TO BRING
For any Tandem flight, dress for the weather. It’s often chilly in the mornings as we are in the wind the entire time. We suggest wearing layers, so if it warms up, you can be comfortable. Drinks, snacks, cameras, friends, cheerleaders, folding chairs, picnic blankets or even a bucket of chicken are fun to have at the Point. Both the North and South Side are parks. We encourage kids, pets on leashes, a frisbee, anything you’d like so long as you are mindful of pilots launching and landing. There are restrooms on top of both the North side and South side parks. Please wear closed toed shoes. You are not required to wear long sleeves or long pants but they may be helpful if you trip and fall on launch. Make sure you have your voucher or gift certificate with you and print off directions. Each year many people end up at our shop or at the wrong flight park. (Remember Mornings on South Side, Evenings on North Side.) If you show up and no one is there at the park, you may be at the wrong side.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I schedule my tandem flight?
You can call, text, email, or stop by our store and we can get you scheduled. We will need the following information: Contact name, phone number, and email; approximate weight of each person flying; what day you’d like to fly as well as morning or evening; and whether each person would like to add the video package. Please have all this information ready when you schedule your flights.
How much notice do I need to schedule my flight?
We normally need about a week’s notice to fit you into our schedule, but we will try to work with you on shorter notice. Weekends fill up first so the more notice you give us the better. Please note that larger groups(6+) will require more notice as we will need to round up more tandem pilots for you.
Can I request a specific pilot?
Yes! If you have a friend who is one of our world class tandem pilots you can request them specifically. However, many of our tandem pilots are also instructors or have other jobs, so if you are set on a specific person, we may need to find a day they aren’t already working. You can’t go wrong with any of our pilots, Cloud 9 only chooses the best!
How old do I have to be to fly? Is there a minimum or maximum weight?
The national insurance requires you to be at least 11 years old and weight 80lbs, but if you are under 18 you’ll need a parent or guardian with you to sign your waivers. Our current pilots allow us to take passengers who weigh up to 220lbs.
How does the video package work?
Your pilot will normally film the entire flight for you, or if your flight is a little longer, they will film the highlights. You will get to hold the camera for portions (such as launch and landing) and your pilot will hold it for portions. At the end of the flight we will give you an SD card with the raw footage and you can do whatever you’d like with it.
How will I know if conditions are good to fly?
If you have a morning flight scheduled, call us the day before to confirm. If you have an evening flight scheduled, call us the day of so we can check wind conditions. Weather is finicky and hard to predict, and can change at any time, but our team of experts does its best to make an accurate prediction. We will give you an exact meeting time when you confirm your flight. If you do not call during business hours to confirm, we will consider you canceled and no pilot will be out there to meet you.
My pilot canceled my flight, but I see other people are flying. Why did I get canceled? Is my pilot just lazy?
Weather is complicated and there are a lot of factors that go into the decision of whether or not to fly. If you are a rated paragliding pilot, you can make the informed decision on whether it’s safe for you to fly. However, if you are doing a tandem, you likely don’t have the hours of training required to make such a decision and rely on us to make it for you; therefore, some pilots might fly in conditions your tandem pilot has deemed unsafe. We will do our best to get you a tandem flight on the day you scheduled, but your safety is our number one priority, and we will not fly you in conditions that we think are unsafe. If you have any questions about why your flight was canceled, please don’t hesitate to ask and we will let you know in as much detail as you would like.
I am here for my reservation but no one else is here. Where is everyone?
We meet our tandems directly at the flying site. If you are at our shop, you’re in the wrong place! Morning sites are at the South Side Flight Park and evening flights are at the North Side Flight Park. Please be sure you go to the right place so we can meet you on time. GPS can be tricky and misleading with the two flight parks so double check to make sure you’re at the correct location. Additionally, make sure you have confirmed your flight with our shop so your tandem pilot knows to expect you.
What do I wear for my flight?
There’s no official dress code for paragliding, but it never hurts to be prepared. Close toed shoes are highly recommended, as are long pants in case you trip and fall on launch or landing. The air is a lot colder up high than it is on the ground, especially with constant wind, so plan accordingly. We recommend one extra layer than you would need just standing on the ground. Sunglasses and gloves can also be useful, especially in sunny or cold weather.
Can my family come to the site and watch?
We encourage you to bring your family to hang out and watch you fly. We just ask that they be mindful of other pilots while launching and landing, and to be sure to stay out of the way of the landing zone. The North Side has a large grassy area to hang out and watch people fly, but it doubles as our landing zone, so keep an eye out for incoming pilots.
Is paragliding safe?
Paragliding, like any ‘extreme’ sport, has an inherent risk that it’s important to be aware of. However, just like most everyday activities, it’s as safe as you make it. Tandem paragliding is very safe for many reasons: we are very conservative of the conditions we choose to fly in, tandem paragliders are some of the safest built, and we have a backup rescue chute if anything does go wrong. If there is any question about safety, we will not fly you. If conditions look iffy, we will always choose the safest route and fly you another day. Most accidents can be traced back to a poor decision made by the pilot, and we do our very best to be making all the right decisions. Luckily, paragliding technology has improved greatly over the last five years and the top-notch gear we fly with helps make our job of keeping you safe very easy.
My tandem keeps getting canceled. What can I do?
Mother Nature is fickle and weather conditions can change last minute and without warning. Unfortunately, we have no control over the weather, and although we do our best to get you a flight, we will always choose to reschedule over making a bad decision and flying you in improper conditions. Some people never experience this and are able to fly their very first time scheduling; other people come out time and time again and continually have to reschedule. We understand this can be frustrating and we apologize for any inconvenience, but we urge you to be patient and keep scheduling until you get the right day. We can put you on a waitlist if you would like and call you the day of if it looks like it will be good, and we have availability. Evening flights need more specific conditions to be good, so if your evening flight keeps getting canceled, consider switching to a morning flight which is more consistently flyable (however, evening flights generally get higher altitude and are a little more adrenaline inducing). We promise we will work with you for as long as it takes to get you flying, so don’t give up!
How do I pay for my tandem flight?
You can pay with a credit card in advance, on our online store, PayPal, or bring cash with you the day of. If you are from out of town or only have one day to fly, we recommend cash to give to your pilot directly or PayPal, so you don’t have to deal with getting a refund if your flight is canceled due to weather. However, you can still pay however you’d like, you’ll just need to pay before the actual flight. Tipping your pilot is not required, but they love it.