Blue and yellow paragliders, frozen water ice patterns
© P. Medicus/Moment/Getty Images
Gliding over all
Nicknamed the 'Tyrolean Sea,' Achen Lake is a hub for the watersports lovers of this landlocked nation. But as their liquid domain turns to a snow-swirled sheet of solid ice each winter, alpine Austria's sailors and windsurfers would seem to face two choices: Hang up the sails for the season or start booking flights. But a plane ticket isn't the only way to fly, which brings us to a third option: Harness those nippy winter winds and take to the skies. Bundled up and strapped in tight, these paraglider pilots control their specially shaped parachutes with cables, exploiting updrafts to reach great distances and heights. Skilled flyers can stay afloat for hours, taking in hundreds of miles of breathtaking (or breath-freezing) bird's-eye views.
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