John Silvester, 61, pioneer of Himalayan paragliding

[Michael Rhodes]

_.John Silvester, master vol-biv pilot and pioneer of Himalayan paragliding, has died following a heart attack. He was 61.Good friend to Ozone founders Mike Cavanagh and Rob Whittall, John was a one-of-a-kind airborne adventurer who spread an incredible amount of love and positivity through our sport since his arrival by way of the climbing world in the 1990s. John’s passion for big mountain flying, and sharing it with others, was undiminished, and his company Himalayan Sky Safaris lives on through his partners Jim Mallinson and Eddie Colfox. In their words:

John was a pioneer of not only paragliding vol bivoauc but also of many climbing routes in Wales, the Alps and Pakistan’s Karakorum. He was a loving father to Dru and Molly and partner to their mother, Nicky. And he was a wonderful friend, treasured by all of us lucky enough to know him.

Eddie:

I first met John at the 1994 British PG Nationals. I was a mere rookie pilot who’d managed a discretionary place at the comp. He was cool, friendly and informative. I didn’t do too badly. He won. He’d already broken the European distance record and been a key member of many successful British PG teams, and he was a factory pilot for Gin when he ran Edel.