Parafly Paragliding LLC

****Update 6/​7**** Steve can be heard in the GoPro footage commenting undesirably about the conditions and when before we paid him a hour before he said everything was great. Weather did not change much. His website states ‘float along for hours’ and he ‘will strive for best conditions’ but clearly he didnt. After reading the tandem section on his website, you’d be upset too if you were down in 10 minutes. On top of that, he contradicts himself on camera, so I am more than upset. All the things he mentions in comment below are never told to you unless you find yourself complaining to him afterwards
***BEWARE****- Not every flight is a long one or even a medium one for that matter. Mine only lasted 10 minutes. After trying to work out a day to go, we finally got a ‘perfect’ day to fly. As we were waiting to be shuttled up, clouds started to come in. It had me feeling anxious but steve reaffirmed its a still a great day to fly and that these clouds would only ‘take it down a notch’.
Ok, I thought, getting an hour and a half flight is probably like getting a fresh powder day skiing, so I didnt set my expectations to high and hoped for 45 minutes when I originally looked into doing paragliding in Issaquah. I was not expecting to be down in 10 minutes.
I was hoping for some compensation other than giving us the GoPro footage which did come close to relieving my disappointment. Rather, I got the usual, ‘it’s not my fault the weather changed’
His website is misleading and he lied trying to reassure us that it was still great flying conditions and he would have us up there for a long time.
My experience was definitely not worth $ 175 which doesn’t include the $ 20 shuttle. This was not my first pricey adventure, but the first time I felt short-​changed by one.
If you’re on the fence about doing this, do something else that you know what you are getting. If you decide to go with this dude, and before you pay him, ask him what he’ll do for you if your flight is sub-​par.
*P.S.* if you don’t like when instructors are real pushy about capturing footage or pictures and taking away from the moment, be sure to request to leave the selfie-​stick at the bottom.

This was an amazing adventure. The views vere incredible… Mt ranier, downtown Seattle, Lake sammammish. Truly breathtaking. Easy takeoff and landing. My instructor was really great. Would love to do it again in the future!

I went on a trip with my wife. My personal paragliding experience was good but overall customer experience ranks poor. Ditto on all comments from Sue A (my wife).
Steve was to fly tandem with my wife and indicated they would launch a couple of turns after I did (with my tandem pilot). This was not what actually happened. My wife was on the mountain for another 30 minutes — While Steve provided instruction to ~10−15 other students who cut through the launch line.
Steve managed this poorly. He overbooked on his commitments (his students and his paid customers) without staffing a sufficient # of tandem pilots.
— My wife paid for this. She had to wait for Steve to finish with everyone. Effectively she had a a very short ride (10 – 15 minutes).
— This was also not the shared experience we hoped to have had (Flying together).
When we brought this to Steve’s attention, incredulously we were told we would get a discount the next time we flew with him.

Firstly as beautiful as the experience was in terms of scenery and flight, we felt we were not priority as clients. We felt students and other solo riders were given priority over us despite us being the ONLY tandem paid clients for the scheduled flight.
We were disappointed that when the shuttle arrived, we were not notified despite us being right by the water table where we asked to wait. When we got on, there were no seats for us to sit together. If we are paying for the shuttle service, then the service should include 2 seats together for us to sit. I sat on my husband’s lap for the 30 minute bumpy ride (our pilots did not offer us their seats either). You would think the person you are paying $ 400 would offer his seat, but he didn’t. The pilot (s) had no consideration for us.
In addition, we were not told that the shuttle would leave an hour after the scheduled arrival time. Had we known we would have considered the hike or even taking an earlier tour to avoid the evening crowd and traffic.
Lastly, I waited over 45 minutes after the shuttle arrived to the launch pad for my flight to begin. My husband waited 25 minutes. We were not informed prior of this wait or even that my husband and I would not be together flying at the same time. Every student of Steve’s launched before us. Yes I was patient, but does not mean this was professional or that I was content waiting. We wanted this to be a shared experience as we were celebrating our Anniversary. I started feeling motion sickness but when I was feeling better, we already descended to land instead of extending the ride when it was smooth, my ride was 15 minutes.
When I stated my concerns, I was offered to come back but again pay at a discount.
We may be novices at paragliding, but this should not come to expense of lack of customer care. Unfortunately an experience we were looking forward to so long was a disappointment. All in all we simply felt we were not taken care of. We saw the Unilocal reviews and truly thought we would have gotten the service and attention stated, but truly this was not the case for us. I would check out other companies and make sure you are clumped with a bunch of students and make sure your pilots give you priority.

Steve Wilson offers a PHENOMENAL paragliding experience.
Not only is he technically fantastic, but he’s a really good teacher/​explainer of what he’s doing and what’s happening, and he’s just a good guy… the kind of guy into whose life you feel very comfortable putting your hands up to 5000 feet in the sky. He’s a guy who came to Washington to work for Microsoft, and left his desk job to paraglide for a living… and after flying tandem with him, I understood why in about 30 seconds.
On a very mediocre day for paragliding, after getting down to just about 500 feet above the landing (or maybe lower) Steve found a thermal that took about 10 minutes to get us up to about 5000 feet of elevation. The whole time he explained what he was doing, coaching me into what to do, and what to be looking for if I were to paraglide solo. His laid-​back demeanor and natural coaching skills made him a fantastic tandem.
Oh…and after watching some of the other guys land, I realized that his landing style was top-​rate. You won’t regret a flight with Steve.

had my first fly with steve, it was all easy and smooth with steve, but i somehow screamed like hell… bit of air sick after but a lot of fun. steve made sure the weather was ok to fly which we waited for a week until the perfect weather came
plus i didnt feel a thing when landing ! steve is vveeerry professional! highly recommend!

I had my first flight with Steve last night In the beautiful late afternoon of Tiger Mountain. We had two sessions planned previously but had to reschedule because of weather conditions. I appreciated the focus on making my first flight safe and worthwhile. He was also really accommodating with timing.
Steve was very thorough and put everything in laymen’s terms for me; often providing a fun analogy. When we were in the air, for about 30 minutes, he continued to provide simple instruction on thermals, wind direction, and tons of other related information. It was very educational with the right touch of humor. It’s such a strange and exhilarating feeling being in the air with really no structure around you. Feeling the pressure on the wing change and understanding how to control it is all very exciting, like you’re really flying. I couldn’t smiling.
He also showed me how he has his students practice on the ground and gave me the low down on the complete package.
It was the perfect introduction to the sport. If it weren’t for the cost, I’d be doing it full fledged now. I would also go to Steve; he’s super knowledgable and down to earth.

I had a fantastic tandem paragliding session with Steve. The view was amazing. We stayed up about 40min even though I am rather heavy (240lbs) which makes it harder. Steve paid close attention to what I would respond to and tried to make the experience as enjoyable as possible for me.
My flight was scheduled for the end of the day (5−6PM ish), which was fantastic as the light and the atmosphere was sort of magical out of Tiger Mountain. From up there, there is a great view of Mount Rainier and Seattle, so I recommend you bring your GoPro or phone if you can.
It was my first time paragliding, and Steve really helped getting me to understand what to expect. This in turn helped my feel at ease and relaxed from the beginning. He was very knowledgeable and a very good teacher, explaining all aspects in a very easy-​to-​undertsand manner.
Throughout the flight, Steve would would find opportunities to teach me aspects of flying, and to have me be an active participant in the flight, which greatly increased my experience.
I am seriously considering taking a paragliding class with him now.

Kyle and I had lots of fun paragliding with Steve and Drew! Arranging our reservation was simple and easy, getting to Tiger Mountain was a breeze, and hanging out in the air was fun!
I think I was in denial the day of our trip, usually we get rained out or something and have to cancel our adventurous plans, and I didn’t think we would actually be going.
We got there super early and I was getting nervous watching people land. It was obvious who was still learning and who was a veteran. It was hot at the landing zone but it was much cooler while we were gliding. I highly recommend wearing a longsleeve shirt or light jacket. We were gliding for about 30 minutes, so worth the money!
I haven’t been skydiving but I don’t think I will want to after this! You spend so much more time flying around for about the same amount of money and it doesn’t feel as dangerous.
We’ve found a new spot to take out of town guests for a nice hike with a pretty view of Lake Sammamish/​Mt Rainier and for an unusual outdoors activity!

My fiancé and I did tandem paragliding today and it was a blast! I was really nervous at first, secretly hoping for crappy weather so we didn’t have to go, but I’m so glad it was such a gorgeous January day so we could go.
My fiancé flew with Steve, and I flew with Lawrence. Both are excellent instructors /​paragliders and I would highly recommend Parafly Paragliding to anyone interested in giving it a shot. They are highly knowledgeable, each with decades of experience, amiable, and really helped put us (i.e. me) at ease. We did our research prior to signing up, and Parafly is the real deal. Other schools seem to just want to get you up and out, purely for business. Parafly takes their time, making sure you are comfortable and confident before getting you in the air.
Our only disappointment was that the trip didn’t last as long as we wanted, but they can’t control the wind. Such a great day with them.

WOW! Paragliding was AMAZING!
I have been dreaming of going paragliding for years and am so excited that I finally got a chance to do it!
I researched on-​line and found amazing reviews of Steve with Parafly Paragliding LLC. Now after meeting Steve and flying tandem with him, I can say that the reviews are all absolutely on mark! He is the best! Steve has over 23 years of experience and felt confident of him as a pilot.
I was excited and nervous, and Steve made sure I felt comfortable, safe, and had the best time, ever! As we were flying, Steve explained how to try to find the thermal pockets to make the flight last as long as possible, and made sure I relaxed, enjoyed the beautiful scenery, and reminded me to breath!
My flight lasted about 20 mins. and was absolutely breathtaking. Steve is a wonderful pilot, and am looking forward to my next flight with him!
If you are thinking about paragliding — do it! It is an experience that you will never forget!

Flying with Steve was a fantastic experience. It was my first time, and he really made it look easy! He’s obviously a very skilled pilot, very good at finding thermals and staying in them (meaning a longer flight at a higher altitude), and he was eager to explain to me the mechanics of flight and how everything works. I totally recommend Parafly. A word of warning: google «paragliding air sickness» before you go, and prepare accordingly! That means no heavy meals or coffee prior to the flight, and possibly take a pill. As I’ve learned the hard way, it’s very easy to get air sick on your first flight, since you spin a lot in order to stay in the thermals.
Have fun flying!

I’m always interested in adventure activities and flying is a long-​time fantasy, so choosing Parafly was a quick decision to make when I had a weekend for myself in Seattle. The meeting spot was just 30 minutes drive from my place.
It seemed risky at the outset and I was quite skeptical about stepping off the cliff for the tandem flight.
My instructor, Steven Wilson, however was very helpful in dispelling my fears and instilled confidence in me by explaining the whole flight process and the mechanics.
The only moment I was scared or nervous was the first few steps before the floating/​flight begins. From then on it was smoother than sitting on an airplane window seat.
I had to first hike up 2 miles of Tiger Mountain to reach the launching spot and I’ll recommend it highly to everyone. It drains you physically, but also clears up your head and keeps you motivated to take the flight. Your 6 – 8 minute flight is all the more fulfilling after a hike of an hour or two.
The flight itself was stunning — I felt like a bird floating in the air and enjoying the view. Since it was my first flight I was very excited but as soon as we took off it started raining heavily (crazy Seattle weather huh?) and was pelting hail that hurt like rocks when it fell on our faces, so we had to dive and accelerate our descent to end the flight sooner than usual. That was fun too — the spiralling dive.
It was a first even for my instructor, who in over 3000 flights had not flown in the rain before.
I had over 6 minutes of flight time and even with the rain, it was an amazing experience.
I held a camera attached to a rod during the entire flight and it is one of my proudest memories. The video option doesn’t cost much extra and definitely adds to the value.
Steven’s a really cool guy and I’d love to learn solo flight from him some day.
Parafly’s prices are better compared to what you’d expect in NY or California and the experience is worth it all. There’s nothing to fear — believe me I had many fears too — but it’s quite safe, even for early teens.
I’m not sure if I can post a link of the video here, but if you go to youtube and search for «Superhero Takes Flight», you’ll find it.

Paragliding had been on my list of semi-​adventurous things to do for some time, so when the weather was beautiful out in the Seattle area a couple weekends ago, my buddy and I decided to take the plunge and head out about ½ hour from the city. There are quite a few other paragliding shops that take off from Tiger Mountain, so the parking lot was pretty much packed when we came in… my tip — park next to wherever there appear to be other cars, as it’s likely okay and won’t get you towed. We happened to bump into Steve right after he came down from another jump with someone and got all signed up pretty quickly. Definitely take the shuttle up, even if you don’t feel like spending the $ 20…there’s zero point (and I don’t even know if you’re allowed to) driving up the mountain and then jumping off of it. After a little set-​up time, you’re ready to run off the edge and start gliding around. If you’re lucky with the clouds, you will get some absolutely gorgeous weather. We had zero clouds in sight, giving clear views of Mount Baker to the northeast, downtown Seattle to the west, and the giant peak of Mount Rainier to the south. I was flying with Steve, who’s a really knowledgeable guy and knows how to navigate the thermals very well. We ended up going up to around 3,500 feet at our peak, which was a phenomenal experience. Although you may be worried about safety (and I definitely gripped the harness way tighter than needed), it’s definitely a much different experience than skydiving — there’s a lot more control involved when navigating about.
The only downside was that Steve had run out of memory cards — so I have no physical evidence that I went paragliding, just the memories of it. If anything, when you do call (and Steve may not pick up right away — as it seems like he is jumping pretty much every day he is on the job), mention that you’d be interested in the video option. It’s a pretty tight-​knit group of folks who jump from here, and I’m sure pretty much all the other places do a good job as well — but for what seems like a small operation, Steve does a really good job of making sure you have a great gliding experience. I’d definitely go paragliding with him again if I was back in the Seattle area.

I went tandem paragliding for the first time ever with 3 friends. Setting up a time with Steve was super easy and prices were comparable if not cheaper than most other places ($ 175 for ~30 minutes of flight time).
We hiked up the mountain, when we got a message from Steve. He told us that their shuttle had broken down and that they were running late. We ended up having to wait an extra hour and a half, but Steve stayed in contact with us the whole time. He was extremely apologetic, and then to make up for it, took us on extra long flights (~60 minutes instead of the original 30!).
The paragliding itself was breathtaking. My girlfriend was terrified to go but TJ walked her through all the steps and made her feel safe the whole way. Drew took my friend who is a little more adventurous and did some cool tricks in the air with him. Steve was so knowledgeable about paragliding and taught me a quick 101 on how everything works. He also made sure he was the top wing in the sky before he let us finish our trip.
Would definitely recommend this company to anyone trying out paragliding in the area.

I went tandem paragliding for the first time in my life this summer, and Steven was the best! I was pretty scared to do it, but he was very patient and talked me through everything very calmly. I knew he’d had over 20 years of experience and had done this countless times before, so his relaxed confidence and calm, friendly demeanor made me feel very safe. I appreciated how thorough he was in teaching me all the steps in taking that first walk off the side of a mountain! (Poo Poo Point). He was so patient with me! I literally put my life in his hands and he delivered! And it was a blast! Any time I felt a little scared up there, he’d just talk calmly in my ear and explain what he was doing and what was going on, and he’d remind me to look out and enjoy the experience. I was able to relax and just let go into the experience and it was amazing! He also gave me great tips on how to get good shots with my camera while up there.
If you are thinking of trying tandem paragliding, you could not pick a better pilot to do it with! Thank you Steven!
Not sure if Unilocal will let me post a link, but here’s a few of my pictures of that day if you want to check them out:

A friend and I went paragliding, each for the first time, on August 2^nd, with Parafly Paragliding LLC. What a fantastic experience from start to finish. I’ll detail it here:
1. From our very first e-​mail correspondence, Steve was great at answering questions. All the basics were covered: Times/​locations/​shuttle options et. He was timely and accurate in his responses to me, which was much appreciated.
2. Steve was very flexible and people oriented. Due to the fact I was setting up this trip for not only myself, but someone out of town, I had to have the schedule pretty flexible. Steve was very easy to work with and appreciated our constraints. We never felt pressured to hammer down a date/​time in stone. Once we did select a flight day/​time, we were a bit late getting up the mountain (we hiked it). Once again, we never felt pressured to «make up time» or «get back on schedule». Steve took a lot of time to explain the basic concepts and how things would feel once airborne.
3. The expertise that Steve has was pretty clear, and that confidence comes through when flying. We were up at a particularly bumpy/​rough day/​time, and despite bouncing around a bit, his ability/​experience ensured it was still a safe/​enjoyable experience (he was happy to explain what was going on, and why it wouldn’t be a problem).
The experience itself is fantastic. As someone who has done about all of the thrill stuff you can do (base jumping, crazy rollercoasters, skydiving, hot-​air ballooning et.) paragliding ranks very high up there. It is in many ways a relaxing and cerebral experience (at least flying tandem) because you’re is a sitting/​relaxing position most of the time (stable enough to take pictures). It’s not a steady downward glide (as I thought it would be), you’re searching for thermals to ride up and then gradually falling until you find another to ride.
This is probably something I’ll do again – and when I do, it’ll likely be with Parafly Paragliding LLC.
Regards,
–AC

First time down and wow is all I can say! What an experience!
First I give props to Steve, I was late and he and I hiked up the mountain. He ran ahead and did all the prep so when I got there I had to sign a release, put on a helmet, and jump off the mountain. Steve was very good at explaining what I should do and what was going to happen so I didn’t feel nervous at all.

I first met Steve at the Seattle museum of flight when he was there displaying his paragliding canopy as part of one of their exhibits. I was immediately impressed with how personable he was, and how willing he was to show people his gear and answer any questions.
When I got together with him for my first flight, he was every bit as fantastic, explained how everything would work. When we got up in the air, his expertise and mastery of piloting was obvious– he clearly knew what he was doing, and we were easily twice as high as any of the other pilots! I was able to take pictures, and I had a great time! I highly recommend Parafly if you’re even thinking about going!

Wow! What can I say… I ended up hiring Parafly for my boyfriends birthday (it was a surprise for him). We had such a great time with Steve, our pilot. It was very easy to get up the mountain with their shuttle service and very easy to fly. His instructions were easy to follow. He took care of everything so we could enjoy our time.
It was a day that was very smooth and calm. It was a lot of fun to run off the side of Mt. Si and fly. I had absolute trust in my pilot, Steve. He really knows what he is doing. I would definitely recommend him to anyone who is interested in a unique experience!