Jean-Yves Fredriksen

I started paragliding when I was 13. I had to insist a lot with my parents until they finally gave in. Since 2002, flying has become part of my daily life—purely out of passion. It’s what shaped who I am.

Over time, my flying evolved until I accomplished what I consider my greatest milestone: becoming the first and only person to complete the full traverse of the Himalayas by paraglider. I'm also very proud to have been one of the first pilots to take off from the second highest mountain in the world—K2. I achieved that in 2024, after climbing the 8000-meter peak without oxygen, following unconventional routes. In this video, I talk about that experience:
 

One of the adventures I’ll never forget happened with my best friend. We left home with our paragliders and climbing gear, flew to the base of the north face of the Grandes Jorasses, landed, and climbed the entire face. Then we did the same with the north face of the Matterhorn. And again with the north face of the Eiger. Exhausted but happy, we flew back home.

My goal has always been to have fun, explore, and collect experiences—not titles. I love inventing new challenges with my favorite toys: the paraglider, climbing gear, or skis. Creating stories so beautiful they feel like they’re out of a movie.

I'm thrilled with my Kode P, Skin P and Klimber P wings. With them, I can do everything I dream of. I feel like a king and the happiest man in the world. As I always say: “Make your dreams come true, fly Niviuk.”