Last weekend while at my cousins wedding in Jackson Hole, WY, I noticed several paragliders sailing down from the top of the mountain while on a morning run. I have always wanted to do this and thought now was the time.

I ran back to the condo and asked my wife, brother and his wife if they wanted to go also. They all said yes, but then out of nowhere my dad, Ray Augst, said “What about me? I think I might go too.”

We couldn’t believe it, so we went to the office of Jackson Hole Paragliding to ask a few questions to make sure my dad felt comfortable. When all of the questions were answered, the five of us signed up for Sunday morning at 10:00am.

Sunday morning…after checking in and meeting our instructors we headed for the tram. Normally they do not launch from the top of the mountain, but today the wind was perfect.

My sister-in-law Heather was first to launch followed by my dad. My instructor launched us immediately behind him so that we could follow him down and take pictures to document his experience. My brother Bobby and wife Lindsey followed in suit.

After a peaceful glide down, my instructor ended with a few spins and got us down first so that I could get my dad coming in. When he landed, the smile on his face said it all. He told my mom when she greeted him, “You’ve got to do that some day. What an amazing experience. I would do it again in a heartbeat.”

Thanks for joining us dad. This was an experience I’ll remember forever. Next time we will get mom to go too.

If you want to go paragliding or give someone else the chance, check out our paragliding experience gift page.

This August, Cloud 9 Living’s experience of the month is Hang Gliding.  Our Hang Gliding and Paragliding experiences give you the amazing opportunity to FLY!  No engines, no airplanes, just you and your instructor gracefully flying through the air.  With summer winding down and fall colors starting to shine, Cloud 9′s Hang Gliding and Paragliding experiences provide the perfect opportunity to take flight and enjoy this magnificent time of year.

Remember when you were a kid and your birthday seemed like the most special day of the year?  Like the year you got your first shiny new bicycle, or the year you spent your birthday at Disney World.  With Cloud 9 Living, birthdays can be as exciting now as when you were 10 years old!

Here’s our list of Cloud 9′s Top Birthday Gifts to bring out the kid in all of us!

Top Birthday Picks for Guys

1. Drive a Stock Car
2. Golf Lesson with a PGA Pro
3. Fighter Pilot for a Day
4. Dig This! (Play with Heavy Machinery)
5. Skydiving

Top Birthday Picks for Girls

1. A Day with a Private Chef
2. Swedish Massage
3. Wine Tasting Sail
4. Hot Air Balloon Ride
5. Chocolate Walking Tour

The concept of experience gifts originated in the United Kingdom in 1989 and is the brainchild British entrepreneur Rachel Elnaugh. Elnaugh founded the UK experience gift company Red Letter Days at the young age of 24 in 1989 and pioneered a new segment of the nearly $300 billion gift giving industry. Elnaugh reportedly came up with the idea for Red Letter Days as she was looking for a creative way to give her father tickets to see the England cricket team play for his birthday. After presenting him with a series of boxed clues that eventually led him to the tickets, she came up with the idea to start a company that enables consumers to celebrate special occasions like birthdays and holidays with unique experiences instead of by giving traditional, material gifts.

Experience gifts began by appealing to so-called “transumers” – consumers with a taste for new and unique experiences. These people live a transient lifestyle and are driven by a desire to collect experiences instead of material goods. These people like to “live in the now” and the opportunity to give “bucket list” experiences as gifts was extremely appealing to them – so much that a completely new industry was born (learn more about transumerism here).

Experience Gifts took off in the UK with Red Letter Days experiencing a meteoric rise in business. Elnaugh went on to win the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year award in 2002 and later became a “Dragon” on BBCTV’s popular entrepreneurial business-pitch show Dragon’s Den. In August 2005, Red Letter Days was purchased by Dragon’s Den entrepreneurs Theo Paphitis and Peter Jones who continue to own and operate the company today.

The success of Red Letter Days and growing popularity of experience gifts among consumers prompted others to copy the idea and bring it to new regions. Numerous competitors to Red Letter Days sprung up in the UK and throughout Europe and in 2001 the first Australian experience gifts company was founded. Shortly thereafter, in late 2004 and early 2005 the first US based experience gifting companies opened up.

Cloud 9 Living was founded in 2005 by Adam Michaels and John Augst who had been discussing starting their own business for several years prior to founding the company. Adam and John started with a simple mission: to enhance people’s lives through memorable experiences. Cloud 9 began by offering unique gift experiences in 6 major US markets and today has the largest selection of experience gifts in the nation – offering over 1,700 experiences in 43 major US cities.

It’s summertime and the heat is up.  Summer is the perfect time of year to get out and spend a day with friends & family on the water, under the water, or up in the air!  We’ve hand-picked our 10 favorite summertime experiences to share with you.

1. Private Surfing Lessons
2. Stand Up Paddle Boarding
3. Private Sailing Lessons
4. Tandem Hang Gliding
5. Snorkel & Paddle
6. Sunset Sail Aboard America
7. Whitewater Rafting
8. Tandem Skydiving
9. Wine Tasting Sail
10. Private Kayaking Lesson

This July, our Cloud 9 Living Experience of the Month is our “Wine Tasting Sail” in New York.  With summer in full swing, what better way to enjoy a day on the water than sipping wine with friends as you sail effortlessly through the waters of the Hudson River?

This July, remember to “beat the heat” and find a way to get out (or in) the water and enjoy those hot summer days!

Wedding season is in full swing, and what better way to send off all those happy newlyweds than with an Cloud 9 Living experience they’ll remember forever!

This year, forget about giving blenders and salad bowls to your newly married friends and family.  Why not reward them with a Romantic Dinner for Two prepared by a private chef in their own home, or a relaxing Couples Massage!

Here’s a list of our favorite Wedding Gifts to give this year:

1. Romantic Dinner for 2
2. Couples Massage
3. Romantic Gondola Cruise
4. Date Night Pottery Class
5. Scenic Biplane Ride for 2
6. Full Moon Sail
7. Private Balloon Ride for 2
8. Sunset Catamaran Cruise
9. Gourmet Dinner Cruise
10. Catalina 2 Night All-Inclusive

Father’s Day is just around the corner on June 20th!  This Father’s Day, thank Dad for everything he’s done for you with an experience he’ll remember forever!

In honor of all the Dad’s out there, we’ve hand-picked our favorite Father’s Day gift ideas.  Whether the Dad in your life has always dreamed of being a racecar driver, or is a golfer who could use a lesson with a PGA Pro to cut a few strokes off his score – we’ve got the perfect gift for him.

So this year, make Dad’s day with a Cloud 9 Living experience he’ll never forget!

1. Golf Lesson with a PGA Pro
2. Drive a Stock Car
3. Drive an Indy Car & Photo Package
4. America’s Cup Sailing
5. Fighter Pilot for a Day
6. Aerobatic Biplane Ride
7. Skydiving
8. Whitewater Rafting
9. Family Portrait
10. Race a Ferrari

This June, our Cloud 9 Living Experience of the Month is our “Golf Lesson With A PGA Pro” – the perfect gift for the golfer in your life!  With courses nationwide and some of the nation’s best golf instructors, this gift is sure to help golfers of all abilities take their game to the next level.

Plus, with Father’s Day rapidly approaching, this is the perfect gift for all the Golfer Dads out there!

Graduation is a truly momentous occasion, marking both the completion of one goal, and the start of a new journey.

Whether the graduate in your life is looking to explore a new city they’ll be calling home, or wants to continue their education with a “Learn to Fly” experience, we’ve got a Graduation Gift just for them.

In honor of all of this year’s graduates and the hard work they’ve put in, we’ve hand-picked our 10 favorite Graduation Gifts.

1. Boston Bike Tour
2. Best of Brooklyn Food Tour
3. Learn to Fly a Helicopter
4. America’s Cup Sailing
5. Private DJ Lessons
6. Seattle Photography Tour
7. Napa & Silverado Trail Wine Tour
8. Military Flight Simulator
9. Drive a Stock Car
10. Bridge to Nowhere Bungee