Well-known paraglider killed
GRASKOP - Chris Hersov was lyrical about paragliding. An accident in the sport he so loved claimed the 55-year-old Capetonian’s life on Tuesday.
He was a participant in the ongoing Barberton Paragliding Nationals.
Due to poor weather conditions in Barberton on Tuesday, a group ventured to God’s Window in Graskop instead where the accident happened at approximately 13:00.
Preliminary investigations indicate that a portion of his glider folded inwards, causing him to spin in the air before disappearing from view.
In an interview with Lowvelder just a day before his tragic death, his passion for the sport was immediately apparent through the language he used to describe what it felt like to soar in the sky.
“It is awesome being out there with the elements. When you are up there, you know why the birds sing.”
Hersov’s explanation of looking for lift was a poetic one, stripped of technical terms.
“When you are looking for thermals, just have a look at the mountains and imagine waves crashing into it. Where the spray of the water would be, that is where you will find the ideal lift.
“While I am in the air, I enjoy the view. There is no noise, just the whistling of the wind through the strings. When I find a thermal, it’s similar to being shot
My soulmate and father to my two amazing kids, Maaike and Marc, Chris Hersov died in a fluke paragliding accident
upwards in a lift.”
In an emotional Facebook post, his wife Bianca Hersov-Lisman wrote, “My soulmate and father to my two amazing kids, Maaike and Marc, Chris Hersov died in a fluke paragliding accident yesterday June 18, 2019 at one of the most beautiful places in this amazing country I have come to call home since 1993 - God’s Window. A celebration of his fun-filled and jam-activity-packed life will be held on his actual 56th birthday on June 24 at 15:00 in the main hall at St Andrews School for Girls in Cape Town.”
Hersov is also survived by his two children, Maaike and Marc.
The South African Hang-gliding and Paragliding Association could not be reached for comment.
The paragliding fraternity rallied together and raised R50 000 towards Kevin van Baalen’s medical costs. He sustained severe burns after he struck power lines near Barberton on June 29, 2018 during the same competition.