Summer 2010
Outdoor Recreation
Get Started: Hot Air Ballooning
Once in your life, shouldn’t you experience a balloon ride?
By Sky Barsch Gleiner
hotographed by Jim Westphalen
THE ROMANCE OF FLIGHT
If there is a more romantic way to see the beautiful Vermont landscape, we haven’t found it. Sophia Smith of Greensboro was whisked off her feet — literally — when her fiancé, Frank Barsalow, proposed to her and then took her on a sunset balloon ride over the Champlain Valley.
“Flying in a hot air balloon was a dazzling experience,” Smith says. “There is no cockpit surrounding you with glass; there are no loud engine noises or long takeoffs. When you are in the basket of the balloon, you are directly relating to the experience of being outside, flying.”
WHAT TO EXPECT
- Rides last about an hour, but the whole process of preparing and getting back to your car takes about three hours. Rides take place at sunrise and sunset because the winds are lightest then. How far you travel and where you go depend on the winds.
- Landing can be half the fun. You could land anywhere — a dairy farm, a school field, a cul-de-sac — prompting a cheering crowd or an impromptu farm tour. Some companies bring champagne for the passengers as well as a bottle for the owner of the property who provides a landing pad.
- Wear layered clothing and a hat so you can adjust accordingly to the temperature and wind.
- You should be strong enough to secure yourself for a bumpy landing. Rides are not recommended for small children, pregnant women and those with medical conditions that could put them at risk. Each balloon company has its own policies.
READY FOR TAKEOFF
- Above Reality in Essex offers various flight plans, including “Views of Vermont,” which typically floats over the foothills of the Green Mountains; $265 per person, $20 extra during October foliage. (877) 386-7473 or www.balloonvermont.com.
- Balloons of Vermont specializes in trips in the Quechee area, traveling over the 165-foot Quechee Gorge; $265 per person, discounts during winter months. (802) 291-4887 or www.balloonsofvermont.com.
- U-Ken-Do Ballooning, run by husband-and-wife team Ken and Penny Levesque, soars over the Champlain Valley; $250 per person, special pricing options available. (802) 868-9932 or www.hotairballoon.org/vermont.
SUMMER FESTIVALS
- The Quechee Hot Air Balloon Festival, June 18-20, Quechee Village Green, Quechee. (800) 295-5451 or www.quecheeballoonfestival.com.
- The Stoweflake Hot Air Balloon Festival, July 9-11, Stoweflake Resort, Stowe. (800) 253-2232 or www.stoweflake.com.
