Portrait - Elio Lami
At just 18, Elio lives, breathes and dreams mountains. A paragliding pilot at heart, he juggles competitions, ambitious projects and pure flight pleasure. Meet an inspiring pilot with his feet firmly on the ground... and his head in the clouds.
Can you introduce yourself in a few words?
Hi, I'm Elio, 18 years old and I've lived in Saint-Hilaire all my life.
I'm a sports enthusiast and I'm currently a student at the Lycée Ambroise-Croizat in Moûtiers, in the "Mountain Sports" section.
Outdoor sports are an integral part of my life: trail running, alpine and hike skiing, climbing... and of course, paraglider ! In short, there's always something to do in the mountains.
When and how did you learn paraglider ?
Having grown up under the skies of the Coupe Icare, I quickly got hooked on paraglider.
I started on the school slope at the age of 6, with my big brother as my coach: he taught me everything at first.
Then I did two training courses at 13 and 14, before joining CODEVOLI, a youth club where you can progress in safety, supervised by top pilots . It's a great way for me to develop while having fun.
What are your upcoming projects, both in and out of paraglider ?
My ultimate dream? To take part in the Red Bull X-Alps.
I'm training hard for it, both in flight and on the trails.
I'm also starting out in walking and flight competitions, a world I'm totally passionate about.
And on the winter side, I've just passed my pre-training course for the Alpine ski instructor's diploma, which will enable me to start teaching next season. Can't wait!
Do you have a special memory of flight to share with us?
Yes, absolutely! It was during a training course with CODEVOLI, when we went to fly at Courtet.
That day, the conditions were quite technical, and while the others managed to extract themselves, I was struggling to stay in the air.
I struggled to catch the slightest thermal and avoid landing too quickly. And finally, after a long period of zero-terrain, I managed to hang on, climb out and rejoin the group.
We ended up with a magical soaring over Le Châtel, a 2h30 flight . At the time, it was my longest... and clearly one of my finest!
Where can we follow your adventures?
See you on Instagram!
@elio__lami
