Thermaling on a paraglider isn’t just about circling in the sky; it’s about reading the terrain, feeling your wing, and trusting your instincts. It can take many years to master this skill, but with some simple principles you can easily get started. Here’s how to thermal a paraglider!
Use a good variometer
You’ll need a flight instrument to help you identify where the lifting air is (beep beep). Although it’s possible to climb without a variometer, you’ll miss most of the subtle changes in air currents, especially over the flatlands. The sensors in a phone are inadequate. A cheap starter solution is an audio-only vario like the Stodeus Minibip or the more powerful Skybean Skydrop, but if you want the gold standard with a display that will show you exactly where that invisible lift is, get a Skytraxx 5 mini
Make the Transition: From Ridge Soaring to Thermaling
Unlike ridge lift, which is somewhat steady and predictable, thermals are fleeting. The key to finding them is to break out of the habit of endlessly soaring back and forth. When you hear or feel a slight spike in lift, turn into the wind and follow the lifty line. Don’t wait for the perfect thermal; those little bumps might lead to something great.
Imagine thermals as curtains of lift in the sky—weak threads of lift blown off their heat sources are the clues. Follow these threads into the wind, and you might find the core, where the stronger lift climbs more vertically from the source.
Reading the Landscape: Finding the Source
Thermals don’t form randomly. They love sunlit slopes, dry fields, and dark patches of ground. Wind direction also plays a huge role in where thermals drift. Look for ground cues like trees swaying in the breeze or birds spiraling upwards—they’re nature’s thermal markers. Thermals often release in cycles, so be patient and observant, and if you don’t find anything where you expected head back to your reliable ridge to top up again.
Here it comes, here it comes!
As you glide towards a thermal, your ground speed will usually increase, because some of the air is drawn into the rising column, and it also shields you from the prevailing wind a little, like a slowly moving tree. As you gain experience you’ll be able to sense the way your wing will accelerate towards lift, with a slight pitch forward and a feeling of reduced resistance through the air.
Feeling the Air: Tuning Into Your Wing
Thermals speak through your glider. Brake pressure can tell you if you’re in sinking air (soft brakes) or lift (firmer resistance).
When you are trying to thermal a paraglider, avoid over-braking, which can slow you down and make you linger in the sinking air. Heavy braking makes the wing unresponsive. It could also cause a spin. Instead, aim for timing your input about two seconds after your weight-shift, so you get a tight effective turn.
As you build sensitivity, your risers will share secrets about the air around you. Tension and support is lift; weakness is sink that will tip you towards sinking air.
Tight Turns, Big Gains
The moment you hit strong lift, lean in. Weight-shift first, and then use your brake to tighten the turn. There’s always a delay in a paraglider’s response, and beginner pilots have a natural delayed reaction, are usually over-cautious of banking, and beginner wings are usually stable and resist turning. They also like to auto-correct (level out), so that’s why I recommend tight turns.
If there’s a lack of pressure on your inside (turning) brake, abandon the turn and go the other way. This prevents you from committing to ghost thermals that disappear as soon as you circle.
Strong thermals often have tighter cores, so practice making quick, controlled turns. Use outside brake to stabilize the wing, flatten the turn and prevent collapses on the rough edges of the lift. In challenging thermals, tight and efficient turns can make or break your climb.
Catch the drift
As you climb, watch how your circles shift over the landscape. Thermals always drift with the wind, and the core is constantly changing as new pulses of warmth run ‘up the pipe’ so you’ll need to adjust your turns to stay in the strongest lift. Because thermals are tilted and you are sinking through them all the time, you’ll usually drop out of the downwind side, so if you feel like the thermal has pushed you out, the lift is probably upwind of your position.
To pre-empt that problem, elongate your turns in the direction of the strongest lift (usually upwind) every few circles. Then keep your circles steady and pay attention to your vario averager. This helps you to build a mental map of the thermal’s shape and strength.
How to Thermal a Paraglider in Scrappy Conditions
If you lose the thermal, don’t panic. If it spat you out (strong lift followed by a sharp exit with a wing pitch) turn around and head downwind; if it become weak and broken, search upwind for a new pulse.
Strong wind can tear thermals apart, making them turbulent and short-lived. Stay upwind of obstacles and avoid places where the wind will accelerate (terrain edges). Move towards protected areas with good heating.
If you’re low, use any little scrap of lift to drift to the next trigger point. Thermals often chain together in the lower layers so you just need to survive long enough to be drawn into the larger bubble.
When to Leave and Search for More
Not all thermals are worth sticking with. If the lift weakens or you reach the top of the thermal, it’s time to move on. Your instruments can guide you here—track your average climb rate and use it to decide whether to stay circling, or go on glide.
Experienced pilots know when to cut their losses. On cross-country days, pushing on early can lead to better climbs ahead. But on scratchy days, use every bit of lift you can find to stay in the air.
How to thermal a paraglider with others
Sharing the sky with other pilots in a thermal can be tricky but rewarding. Watch how others climb—if someone’s gaining height faster, widen your turn. If you see them sinking relative to you, tighten your turn. Stay predictable by looking first, leaning, then turning, and maintain a safe distance from other pilots.
At popular sites, thermaling often overlaps with ridge soaring. Be strategic—push out in front using lifty lines, so that when you find a core you can climb away and avoid getting boxed in.
Practice Makes Perfect
Thermaling is as much about feel as it is about technique. Practice weight-shift turns, explore different turn radii, and challenge yourself to find the core quickly. Over time, you’ll develop an intuitive sense for lift and learn to trust your glider in the most dynamic air.
Remember, every pilot starts as a beginner. The sky is a vast playground, and with patience, persistence, and a little bit of bravery, you’ll soon be climbing with the best of them.
To really master the art of how to thermal a paraglider, get started on my THERMAL FLYING course. I will teach you everything you need to know about these invisible updraughts. How to find them, how to centre in them, how to do active flying and much more. Fly along with me in the detailed narrated demonstrations and get some virtual airtime!
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