Paramotorists begin 1,000-mile race in Polson

Sunday morning, around 10 brave souls will take to the sky, flying from Polson with nothing but a motor strapped to their backs and a sail above their heads.

They are the hardy competitors of the third annual Icarus Trophy — a nearly 1,000-mile motorized parachute race than runs from the edge of Flathead Lake to the bright lights of Las Vegas. Competitors are divvied up into two classes: the race division, for the serious pros who fly without the aide of friends or family on the ground, and the adventure division, for pilots who are permitted to have help and aren’t required to fly the entire distance.

Pilots must pass a written test and landing exercises before they can take to the sky, but once they’re in the air, it’s anyone’s game.

In less than two weeks, they’ll cross salt flats, mountains, through canyons and over prairies. But just getting off the ground is an event in itself.

“The physics of foot launching mean that at altitude, pilots must run for an extended period to inflate their wing sufficiently to take off, whilst carrying not just the paramotor, but probably a full fuel tank, and all their gear — potentially 110 or 120 pounds hanging off them,” said race chief Katy Willings. “One or two failed launches can mean a pilot is so exhausted they must lie down and rest for a few hours before trying again.”

But that’s the point of the race — to push paramotor pilots to their limits.

Throughout the course they’ll be challenged to fly for extended durations and in conditions they’d not otherwise take flight in. Most paramotoring is done in the early morning or evening, before the ground heats up, creating thermals which make for a bumpy and uncomfortable ride, Willings said. The Icarus Trophy kicks that idea to the curb. Pilots will fly four or five times a day, landing when and where they can.

“They’ll fly into the outskirts of suburbia, land in gas stations to refuel, have to shoulder their kit to motels or camp wrapped up in their wing if they are somewhere rural enough,” she said. 

The event is put on by the U.K.-based adventure race company, The Adventurists, who selected Montana as the starting point for the state’s landscapes and welcoming environment.

“We wanted to make the trophy a worthwhile tour across the U.S., to encompass some of its beauty and variety,” Willings said. “The idea of starting close to the Canadian border and ending up in the bright lights of Vegas, all by paramotor, was poetic. The contrasts and landscapes we are able to include by starting in Montana are breathtaking.” 

The sport of paramotoring isn’t without risk, but The Adventurists maintain contact with each pilot via a tracking device. If they land unexpectedly and fail to report that they’ve landed safely, organizers work to get in touch with them immediately.

“Safe is over-rated,” Willings said. “We take reasonable precautions to manage the risks of the event, but paramotoring is inherently risky; even very experienced pilots occasionally make mistakes, and we are letting people really push themselves to go further, higher, more remote than they ever have before.”

Reporter Mackenzie Reiss may be reached at 758-4433 or mreiss@dailyinterlake.com.