Paragliding is all Chris Santacroce has ever done, and he likes it that way. He was a full-time paragliding professional at age 17, ranking as one of North America's top ten cross-country paragliders for a full decade before winning the continent's championship and proving equal skill in jaw-dropping aerobatics. In 2001, Chris added B.A.S.E. jumping and skydiving to his long list of airsport specialties. Known for inventing new tricks, developing new maneuvers and innovating cutting-edge equipment, Chris is one of the most seasoned athletes in the elite team that is the Red Bull Air Force.
Chris partnered with Jeff Farrell to found SuperFly, their international import/distribution business, in 1998. Since then, SuperFly has thrived. It now boasts a continent-wide network of dealers and grosses of over a million dollars a year.
As well as running SuperFly, Chris is a teacher's teacher. He's one of the world's foremost paragliding and hang gliding instructors, and he serves as Tandem Administrator for the national organization for both
sports. Some of Chris's past students - folks who have come to him over the
years without a smidgeon of experience under a wing - are now paragliding school proprietors, instructors, and superheroes in their own right. Chances are, if you go to the likes of Aspen, Jackson, Sun Valley or Telluride and take a tandem ride, you're riding with one of Chris's past students. Ask!
Chris is also passionate about using airports as a therapeutic tool to help people overcoming traumatic injuries, along with those suffering from challenges like ADD. Chris spends much of his time in the air giving back to the community, tandem paragliding and giving ultralight trike rides to people facing serious disabilities. After suffering a nearly tragic spinal
cord injury himself, Chris reached out to the Wings for Life Spinal Cord Research Foundation to support their ongoing research with his unique perspective on life-changing spinal injuries.
Chris lives and teaches in the world-class paragliding destination of Salt Lake City with his wife, son and daughter.