Doctor's recommendation

Dr. X is a doctor specialising in human performance in extreme environments.

He has a masters degree in Mountain Medicine, and a PhD in pilot physiology and safety. He has been the leader of several large international expeditions, run high altitude clinics in Nepal and flown all over East Africa with the AMREF Flying Doctors. He is a contributor to Cross Country Magazine and advises the British Paragliding Racing Academy.

Follow - Dr. X on Instagram.

Below is a video of Dr. X's reserve parachute research, the largest study of its kind in paragliding history.

It is well worth watching and highlights so many important points. This video can help you understand your natural instincts so you can start to practice, visualize and react in the right way when you need it the most.

This link is to a podcast where Dr. X explains first-aid protocols in canopy sports.

Here’s a link to Dr. X and Karlis chatting about First Aid for paragliding.

Below this point are all of the scientific papers relating to the articles and videos above. I have put them here so you can dig deeper into the science and work that has gone into collecting this data if you so wish. They might be a hard read especially if English isn’t your first language but they are there if you want to know more.

Research paper: Paraglider Reserve Parachute Deployment Under Radial Acceleration

Research paper: Ergonomics of paragliding reserve parachute deployment in linear acceleration

Research paper: The Physiology of Paragliding Flight at Moderate and Extreme Altitudes

Research Paper: Natural Climbers - Insights from Avian Physiology at High Altitude

Research Paper: Cognitive Function in Simulated Paragliding Flight

Research paper: Quantifying Risk in Air Sports - Flying Activity and Incident Rates in Paragliding