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Shane_Currie

On the 19th September 1783 Pilatre De Rozier, a scientist, launched the first hot air balloon called 'Aerostat Reveillon'. The passengers were a sheep, a duck and a rooster and the balloon stayed in the air for a grand total of 15 minutes before crashing back to the ground.

On the 5th January 2006 we followed in they footsteps aboard the 'Velvet' run by Wild West Balloon Adventures. On an absolutely perfect blue sky day in Steamboat, we climbed in the basket, and before we knew it were soaring at 10,000ft, almost as high as Mt. Werner itself.

And what a view!! We could see from Hayden Airport in the North to Saddle Back Ranch in the South, from Fish Creek Falls in the East, across the massive expanse of the Rocky Mountains to the West, and everything in between.

We were picked up from our hotel at 8:30am and taken to the launch field where we enjoyed a light continental breakfast while the balloon was being inflated.  This process takes about 15 mins and begins with large fans blowing cold air into the balloon. When the envelope is about 1/4 inflated the fans are switched off and the burners are turned on; the rest of the inflation process takes about 2 minutes.

The basket holds 8 passengers plus the pilot and whilst it is a little cramped, it is not uncomfortably so. The basket is divided into 5 sections, 4 for passengers and 1 for the pilot, each section holds 2 people. The pilot is in constant communication with his ground crew and Hayden Airport, and tracks his position & elevation via onboard GPS.

The view is awesome as you drift along the valley.  The pilot alters altitude several times to use different air currents so we seemed to follow a circular pattern through the valley, landing only 50m from our launch point. He was also able to rotate the balloon so we were not stuck looking at the same view the 1 hour flight.

The ride was surprisingly smooth; there was no turbulence, bumps, and you have no sensation of movement or speed. In fact the only sound to be heard is the periodic whoosh of the burner. Everything was so peaceful that in no time at all our hour was up and we were making preparations for landing.

After the flight the next basket load hopped in and we were driven back to the launch field for a champagne celebration and certificate presentation.  The original of the champagne celebration can also be traced back to France in the late 1700's. Balloons flights were met by irate farmers and thought to be demons set forth by King Louis XVI. In order to appease the landowners the pilots began to carry champagne with them and the tradition stands today.

A half hour flight costs USD125, and a hour flight USD185. This includes hotel transfers, continental breakfast, Champagne breakfast and flight certificate. You should wear warm, comfortable boots or shoes, layered clothing as temperatures are normally warmer in the balloon. There are limited restroom facilities at the launch site.

Picture: Sheraton Steamboat