Q: I am trying to find out if there is a company in Barcelona or near by that has paragliding services. My wife and I want to do it but can't find a service.

A: Paragliding in Barcelona is not possible near the town. You will therefore need to travel outside Barcelona to be able to practice this sport. The flying centres are based near mountains ranges. There are basically two other important things to know about paragliding.

1. You can fly on your own but need experience to do so.
2. Or you need to fly in what is called a “tandem” (with a supervisor).
3. Physical condition: you need to be able to run a little to take off.
4. You need to wear sports shoes and warm clothes.
5. The minimum age may vary depending on the club (usually under 18 with parent’s authorisation)

As to practice paragliding, you need an open space and hills or mountains to fly from, the clubs operate near the mountains and there the weather is subject to change quite quickly within the same day. That is the reason why some centres do not offer entire courses for tourists. They only give them the option of tandem flights because they often need to change their programme due to new weather conditions and would not like to make you loose your time and money.
Therefore make sure to choose the right day(s) when going (confirm with the centre before you course is due to run to ensure it is operating on your chosen day). You won’t encounter any difficulties to find English speaking teachers. At most of the centres, there is a very international atmosphere at the paragliding clubs.

To look up the club that corresponds to the area you’d like to go please click on the following link:

Catalonia Paragliding Clubs

2 Paraglyding Clubs near Barcelona but in different locations:

Ager Vol Lliure
Tel: (0034) 97 345 5099
Website: http://volar.valldager.com/
E-mail: agervollliure@valldager.com

This club is located at the Pre-Pyrenees direction Lleida.

Alioth
Tel: (0034) 93 872 2912 or (0034) 61 903 3775 (cell phone number)
Website: http://www.alioth.cat/quisom.html
E-mail: alioth@alioth.cat

This club is located in the Bages area, near Manresa.