Bir Billing

Bir sits at about 1,400 metres on a shelf below the Dhauladhar, and Billing, the launch, is fourteen kilometres up at around 2,400 metres, giving a height difference and a reliable thermal pattern that has made this the principal paragliding site in India and one of the recognised ones internationally; the Paragliding World Cup was held here in 2015. Tandem flights from Billing to the Bir landing ground run through the season, and cross-country pilots use the range for long flights. Bir also holds a Tibetan settlement founded in the 1960s with monasteries, and tea gardens run along the slopes below.

History

The Tibetan settlement at Bir dates from the early 1960s. In 1966 the third Neten Chokling, a lama of the Nyingma lineage, came to Bir with his family and a small entourage and, with foreign aid, bought more than 200 acres of land on which 300 Tibetan families were given plots to build houses; centres of the Nyingma, Karma Kagyu and Sakya schools now stand in and around the village (Wikipedia, Bir, Himachal Pradesh).

What to look for

• The Billing launch - the take-off shelf at about 2,400 metres.
• The tandem flights - descents of roughly fourteen kilometres to Bir.
• The Tibetan colony - monasteries and a settlement founded in the 1960s.
• The tea slopes - Kangra tea gardens below the village.

When to go

March to June and September to November are the flying seasons; October and November are the most reliable. The monsoon stops flying entirely. Conditions can ground flights for days at any time.

Before you go

Flights are weather-dependent and cancellations are common. Operators vary widely in equipment and pilot experience, and there have been fatal accidents; checking credentials matters. Bir village itself is small.

Nearby

Baijnath temple lies west; Dharamshala is northwest.

Key facts