Need an adrenaline fix? The sky's your limit!
What better way to view Munich than from the sky? No, we’re not talking about taking the elevator to the top of the Frauenkirche or the Olympic Tower, but something a little more adventurous. Here are a number of adrenaline-pumping options that will take you up, up and away… Exit GmbH is a Munich-based company offering skydiving and more. If you are new to the world of sky sports, why not start with a tandem jump? This involves a climbing flight of 15 minutes, a thrilling freefall of about 50 seconds, then a parachute flight of approximately 5 minutes, during which time you can take a turn at steering the parachute. As with all the activities organized by Exit, it is necessary to check the requirements beforehand, as there are age, weight and height restrictions. After the tandem experience, you can go on to do an AFF (Accelerated Free Fall) introductory training course, which is a renowned worldwide training method for parachutists. The one-week intensive course includes one-and-a-half days of theory training and seven training jumps. By the time you finish, you will even be completing mid-air moves, such as somersaults and spins. The instructors also help you to prepare for an exam, which you can take after completing 20 jumps. Exit also organizes AFF training courses abroad. For more information on dates, prices and registration, check the Website below. If you’d like the view but do not necessarily feel the need to throw yourself from a plane, perhaps the sightseeing flights are more your thing. Exit offers year-round trips either in sports planes or helicopters departing from Landshut airport. The different routes take in some of Bavaria’s most breathtaking countryside, from Chiemsee to the Alps, Munich or Landshut. It may not be the cheapest way to see the sights, but with a maximum of three people, it is a truly memorable experience and certainly beats the usual city bus tour. Or how about a balloon trip? During the summer flights are scheduled for the morning or the evening, whereas in winter they run throughout the day when good visibility makes for absolutely breathtaking views. Everyone participating in the trip helps to set up the balloon, then it is a case of direction and final destination unknown or, to be more precise, determined by the winds. The flight lasts for approximately one-and-a-half hours, after which time you will be taken back to the original starting point (Kreuzstrasse, off the A8 München-Salzburg). According to custom you will be raised to balloonist nobility with champagne and a title. Prices start at € 190 per person, but the price goes down to € 180 if you have three or more people, or € 170 if you have six or more. Always dreamed of flying like a bird? Exit organizes passenger flights in a two-seat paraglider with an experienced tandem pilot. From the tip of a 1,400-m-high mountain in the Alps, you will glide soundlessly down to the valley, taking in the breathtaking mountain scenery as you go. The season does not start until the beginning of April and runs through October, so you have plenty of time between now and then to muster up the courage! In fact, if you need a bit of persuasion to have a go at any of these activities, just take a look at the stunning photos in the online gallery. Exit also has an online shop, which sells everything from skydiving equipment to flight vouchers. Exit GmbH, Elsässer Strasse 19, Tel. (089) 44 41 96 00, www.exit-gmbh.com FLY FOR FUN was one of the first schools to offer paragliding training after the sport was legalized in Germany in 1987. Classes are held all year round in one of Austria’s most beautiful flying areas within the Zillertal region—about one-and-a-half hours south of Munich. They offer many different types of instruction, including tandem paragliding, trial classes and a four-day basic certification course. The school also arranges tandem hang gliding and skydiving, plus scenic flights that begin west of Munich, in Jesenwang. You can choose between the Zugspitze adventure flight, a helicopter flight or an old-timer double-decker adventure flight—the old-timer option is the ultimate leather jacket and goggles experience, and as the pilot is an acrobatics champion, be prepared to loop-the-loop! FLY FOR FUN also runs 60- and 90-minute balloon trips, starting from near Starnberg or Chiemgau and costing € 180 per person. FLY FOR FUN, Corneliusstrasse 6, Tel. (089) 260 32 00, www.flyforfun.com.