UP , UP AND AWAY
BY DAVID GREEN , THE RED FOX
In 2006 I was fortunate enough to get an invitation to travel with a hot air balloon team to Austria . What I saw and experienced was enough to get me hooked on hot air balloons .
I spent the next couple of years learning to fly and in 2008 I finally got my pilot ’ s licence with a massive amount of support from Chris Sanger-Davies who was then working for Lindstrand Balloons .
For the past 10 years I have returned to Austria every January with Chris and his team to attend a balloon festival in a small town called Filzmoos which is about an hour ’ s drive from Salzburg .
Running the Red Fox is full on , especially in December so the adage “ work hard , play hard ” certainly applies . With that in mind , the first week in January I packed up my family and my snowboard and we once again headed off to the slopes of Austria .
Whilst we flew directly from Manchester to Salzburg , the rest of the “ team ” were powering along the highways of France and Germany , towing a hot air balloon behind them , around a thirty hour drive in total . The “ team ” is Lindstrand Media , who throughout the warmer months , fly hot air balloons and airships for corporate clients , promoting brands and attending events . January is their down time and the Alps are their playground .
Whilst we do fit in a bit of boarding , the focus of each day is flying above and sometimes across the Alpine ranges . There aren ’ t enough words to describe the experience … breathtaking , extreme , challenging , exhilarating … and sometimes exhausting when you
land in deep powder snow and then have to pack the balloon back into the trailer !
As a pilot , I ’ m slightly obsessed with the weather which needs to be perfect for flying . The saying “ It ’ s better to be down on the ground wishing you were up there , rather than up there wishing you were down on the ground ” certainly applies when flying in the Alps . Mountain winds can catch you out so quickly but we ’ re a pretty experienced bunch and with four pilots in the team weather watching is a group sport !
I can ’ t adequately describe how stunning it is , so this selection of images should give you a better picture . After each amazing flight , we usually find our way into an Austrian hostelry for food and drink - there ’ s nothing quite so nice as a strudel and hot chocolate ( mit Rum !) on a snowy day !
If you picked up the magazine hoping for my regular whisky column , then fear not , this month my go to is Highland Park ‘ Dark Origins ’.
Highland Park distillery is based in Kirkwall , Orkney and is the most northerly whisky distillery in Scotland . This latest addition to the core expressions uses twice as many first fill sherry casks than in the classic Highland Park 12 year old . The results are amazing , the whisky is naturally darker , richer in flavour with an exciting , spicy , chocolatey finish , slightly smokey but dried fruits and vanilla are predominant in this little cracker .
Available at The Red Fox or online at www . masterofmalt . com for £ 63.95 .
24 wirrallife . com