Paragliding with an instructor on Mount Yutsa

Yutsa is the birthplace of paragliding in Russia. People have been flying gliders here since Soviet times, then hang gliders, and more recently, paragliders.

The mountain is located near the village of Yutsa in the Predgornoye District of the Stavropol Krai, on the banks of the river of the same name. The
mountain rises to a height of 973 meters, towering 220 meters above the plateau. Yes, Yutsa is a small mountain, but that is not what makes it so convenient and popular.

Advantages of flying at Yutsa:
1. Simultaneous proximity to civilization (the city of Pyatigorsk is 12 km away) and the absence of any large structures, poles, or power lines directly beneath the mountain.
2. The entire summit is treeless, allowing for takeoff in any wind
direction. 3. The slopes, oriented toward the prevailing east and west winds, have a shape conducive to the formation of a dynamic updraft
4. Virtually any section of the fields below the mountain is suitable for a safe landing by paraglider or hang glider (bushes and small trees notwithstanding)
5. Weather patterns are more typical of flat terrain than of mountainous areas—everything happens fairly slowly and predictably, which is crucial for paragliding!

All of the above makes Yutsu a very convenient and safe place for learning to fly paragliders and hang gliders, as well as for flights by novice pilots.

It’s a great place to fly in the «evening milk» and hang out with visiting and local pilots, share experiences, and just have a good time. People come to Yutsa from all over the country to take a training course or just to go paragliding with an instructor.

Now, about the downsides
—what are they? Well, it’s quite difficult to fly «non-training» flights—let's say cross-country flights—gaining altitude in thermal currents. Safety is still fine, but the skills of a pilot wishing to fly routes regularly must be significantly higher than a beginner’s level. Why
is that?
It’s simple. As mentioned above, the peak rises only 220 meters above the plateau. This means that after takeoff, the pilot has very little time to find the first thermal. Didn’t find one? You land in 3−4 minutes and head back up to the summit. And this happens many times in a row. Yes, of course, the weather isn’t always this challenging, but statistically, it’s much harder to fly away from Yutsa than from higher mountains.