Growing up in a beautiful Sarangkot village in Pokhara, Nepal, Alish Thapa always had a fascination with watching paragliders as they flew in the surrounding skies. However, his love was reinforced at the age of 16 when he finally had the opportunity to see the world from above during his first paragliding flight.

“After that experience, I felt a strong desire to pursue paragliding as a profession and dedicate myself to my passion”, says Alish Thapa.

Alish’s passion has led him to remarkable adventures, allowing him to perform and teach paragliding acrobatic shows around the world. He is one of the first Nepalese pilots in Asia to perform Infinity Tumbling, which is considered one of the hardest tricks in paragliding.

In 2018, he had his first tandem skydive in Thailand. Later that same year, Alish earned his skydiving licence in China in just 22 days. He is the first Nepali skydiving instructor in Nepal.

“It was not easy. I was shocked by the typhoon and bad weather and had to repeat a few levels in skydiving as I was spinning like hell in the sky. Despite the challenges, I persevered and attempted complicated manoeuvres in a bid to achieve my first skydiving licence,” says Alish Thapa.

Alish consistently pushes his limits in his sport. He started as a professional paragliding instructor for 12 years and eventually added skydiving to his repertoire.

Early on, he faced many challenges due to the absence of standardised instructor ratings, official drop zones, and schools in Nepal. Consequently, he had to travel abroad to acquire the necessary skills.

Undeterred, he dedicated a significant amount of time to advancing research and development in Nepal through his company, Insky Skydive. “The beautiful Himalayan country offers endless possibilities for skydiving in its incredible natural setting,” Alish adds. “In the coming years, I envision myself jumping against the backdrop of the stunning mountains.”

With two decades of experience in the air, Alish’s primary aim is always to explore skydiving in Nepal, and have our own qualified people in this sport. Alish says, “I want to share my knowledge and skills with more skydivers from Nepal so that they don’t have to travel abroad to learn skydiving.”

When he’s not working on projects, Alish loves to spend time with his family and friends, travelling, and trying other adventure sports.