Flying with wings is extremely dangerous. Two very interesting things will happen after Jeff flies or explores:
First, after landing, he will notice small things that are completely ignored at ordinary times, such as the sound of a nearby stream, the feeling of a breeze blowing through his skin, birds flying overhead, or clouds floating in the sky. He will realize the unity of heaven and man, and realize that the world is running in its own way whether he is here or not. This feeling is a profound humility.
The other is that whenever this happens, he will have a clear understanding of his energy: if I can finish what I just did, I can do anything.
These feelings are very shocking and the biggest gain in the exploration activities. Wu Waijun recommended Jeff's story and his experience to you.
Many people think that adventurous athletes have too much adrenaline and all they need is reckless nature. Jeff Shapiro, a rock climber and flying athlete, proved the fallacy of this view with his excellent achievements in many sports. He told us his motivation, inspiration, how to challenge the limit, creatively play outdoor sports, his contribution to cultivating and supporting outdoor communities and other life views.
First of all, please introduce yourself?
I am 43 years old and live in Montana. Married for 23 years, with one daughter, age 14. My wife and daughter are my pride. From a very young age, even younger than my present daughter, I fell in love with mountaineering and flying. Very interesting. At the initial stage of my life, I realized that people are insignificant in nature, and this is what attracts me. Outdoor extreme sports forced me to learn to adapt and give up control, and learn how to deal with my vulnerability in the face of magnificent nature.
Rock climbing and flying are the highlights of my life. They have taught me profound lessons and shaped me today. I am a professional athlete at present, engaged in mountaineering, glider and paragliding. I am also lucky to be able to combine mountaineering with winged flight. After climbing high enough, I will jump down in winged flight. My fascination with flying makes me want to be an eagle. I have been practicing flying for almost 20 years. These things also taught me how to look at the world from my own point of view and understand what is really important and what is not. I am grateful for the vision brought by this exercise, which made me learn humility and understand that happiness is a choice.
What inspired your love for altitude, altitude and flying in the first place? ?
Now my love for mountaineering and flying is mainly reflected in my love for being immersed in nature. But when I was young, I liked to look for something unique and hard to achieve. In other words, something really challenging. To tell the truth, the motivation when I was a child was mostly to prove myself, which was normal for a little boy. Ironically, the experience driven by self-confidence and sense of accomplishment made me understand that these are insignificant in front of nature, especially when it comes to life safety! In other words, it is important to strive to achieve the goal, but what is more important is the process of achieving the goal.
I have always loved freedom and independence. Birds flying over the mountains represent my dream, so I like falcons, which is why I became a flying athlete. As long as I can remember, I like watching birds soar on the cliffs overlooking the San Juan Islands, dreaming that I can fly myself one day. When I was a child, I often painted eagles to express my love for flying. I like art very much, and I entered the art college after graduating from high school.
I was always afraid when I was learning to climb mountains, but it unexpectedly became my advantage. Before you decide to learn to fly, you must learn to deal with these fears and doubts. Climbing and flying must overcome fear and doubt, which has become the most useful course in my life.
Why are you so fascinated by human flight ability? ?
Humans fly in the sky, I mean not flying by plane or helicopter, which makes me feel amazing, because everyone says it's impossible, at least the kind of flying in the dream is impossible. To some extent, I'm just curious about the limits of my ability. I want to prove to myself that the only condition for doing something is imagination and energy. If others can do it, or if you think it is possible, you must work hard to achieve it! It is important to remember that almost everything, especially valuable things, needs to be done step by step and hard work. Step by step, you can get things done without cutting corners. My wife and I often tell our daughter that anything of value is worth the effort. "Effort" is the most valuable and influential part.
Can you tell the story of becoming an explorer? ?
My parents always teach our brothers that success is directly proportional to happiness. They will say, "You can be a doctor or a dishwasher. It doesn't matter. As long as you feel happy, you will succeed. When I was young, my family often traveled by bike, camped in the mountains and went hiking in the nearby mountains, but my parents and brothers were not interested in mountaineering. And I like reading early Himalayan adventure books, which are full of exotic risks and challenges. I like adventure, too, which led me to embark on this road at last. I started climbing mountains when I was a teenager, and soon became addicted, hoping to become a professional athlete! Over the years, I have focused on rock climbing, ice climbing, sports climbing and rock-ice mixed climbing. But today, 30 years later, I am most interested in combining these skills, looking for the peak and trying to climb first. Height and numbers are nothing to me, but taking a classic and elegant route on the mysterious and beautiful mountain excites me the most.
/kloc-When I was 0/7 years old, a friend who climbed mountains introduced me to the glider, and it came into my life. The first time I saw the picture of the glider, I knew I would learn it and it would change my life forever. I had no money and had to find a way to raise money, so I sold my car and bought a glider, a seat belt and a Volkswagen II van made in 1973. This is the best decision I have ever made in my life! My mother was so worried about my safety that she gave me my first spare parachute on my 18 birthday. That was a long time ago. I started to participate in the competition in 2006. Fortunately, I won the championship in the United States and represented the United States in two glider world championships. The glider took me around the world. Together with mountain climbing, it has become a medium for me to appreciate foreign cultures and communicate with people all over the world. I will always be grateful for this.
Later, I wanted to find a way to combine flying and climbing. My good friend, the late great Dean Potter, introduced me to winged flight. Since then, I have devoted myself to learning the art of winged flight. This is a special way of flying, because I am not flying on a plane, nor am I carrying anything, but simply flying with my arms. It's very close to my dream way of flying. Although the risk was great, it provided me with the most unforgettable experience in my life.
Recently, I often fly paragliders, which completely integrates everything I love. I can hike or climb a mountain with a paraglider on my back, evaluate the terrain and weather along the way with my own experience and knowledge, then open the paraglider, cross the airflow, cross several mountains and land in an uncertain place according to the situation at that time. With paragliding, I can land directly in the parking place, or camp somewhere, spend the night on the mountain, and then glide the next day to continue my journey! This is a real adventure, providing a rare uncertainty in today's era.
What psychological and physical challenges do you have to bear? ?
Everything I like to do is dangerous and needs to be taken seriously, so I should train carefully. I never wanted to be a professional athlete. I have been engaged in various jobs since 14 years old, and I always intend to join the company. However, with the natural development of things, I must train my body and mind in all directions in order to be the best and be as safe as a professional in many cases. For climbing and flying, I need to feel strong so that I can be confident. I like running and doing aerobic exercise in the mountains. Of course, I climb mountains and fly whenever I have time, with my family, falcons and dogs. I also try to meditate every day. Usually, all forms of flight require concentration and can also play the role of meditation. Although long-distance running can have the same effect, flying can make your mind quiet and flow freely.
I will do a lot of stretching and other training to avoid physical injury. In order to achieve the best condition, we should also listen to the voice of the body. Sometimes there will be tragedies, such as friends' accidents or life-threatening. I understand it as exercising the biggest muscle in the brain.
Like other wounds, I let myself rest, digest slowly, set aside time for the wound to heal, and then find my balance again. When this process is over, I can restore the correct mentality, objectively evaluate the risks and make the right decision.
What's it like to glide, base jump and fly with wings, and challenge the limits of human beings? ?
I don't know if I have challenged the human limit, but I have indeed challenged myself. Personal growth is very important to me. I don't care if something is "the best", but I like to constantly improve myself. Learning is the greatest privilege of life. Paragliding, paragliding, winged flight and mountain climbing are all ways to explore possibilities and are very interesting. I learned too much from them!
How do you feel as one of the few people who fly with wings? ?
You're right. Flying trapeze group is the most unique group I know. It is a very small and close group in the world, and almost everyone knows each other. I think this is because it is difficult to describe this sport to people who have never experienced it, so people who have played it have a close relationship because of this experience. After landing, I will look at other partners and look for the feeling that only we can understand from their eyes. This is a special connection, and we all know why we became close friends in a short time. The risk of winged flight is that any mistake will lead to irreparable consequences. One person in this group has an accident, and others feel the same way, which will inspire us to practice harder. This is both a good thing and a bad thing, but it is not easy for everyone anyway.
Slowly, it will become easier to accept pain and loss. We will continue to practice and remember these friends, who have had a positive impact on our lives. It is our pleasure to know them. We all have our own reasons for choosing wing-mounted flight, but being a member of this group is a great honor for me and one of the reasons why I continue to fly.
What prompted you to do these things? ?
I think we are all looking for the meaning of life. Why are we here? What shall we do? These are all the same questions. For me, the purpose of life is to seek happiness and show the best of myself to others. To do this, I need to be inspired, explore and discover infinite possibilities, go to places I have never been to see things I have never seen before, and be the best son, brother, husband, father, student, teacher and friend within my ability ... all these are driving me. It doesn't matter to me to do what I have to do. If you are true to your heart, or "pursue my happiness" in joseph campbell's words, then all other things, such as money, shelter and how to contribute to mankind, including the responsibility to the environment and society, will come in due course.
I want to end my life on something I love, just like Albert Einstein said: everything is energy, only energy. Match your dreams with your energy and you will get the life you want. This is the only way. This is not philosophy, but physics.
———————— Another escape—
Good life advice focused on inner exploration
End—
Excerpt from Foreign Objects 02: Above.
Photos? Hillary? iceberg
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