Jamie Lee on Choosing the Right Reasons
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If you’re a fellow speedflyer, what is essentially proximity paragliding, you’ve probably followed a familiar path. First come the initial flights: equal parts overwhelming, stimulating, and addictive. Then comes the deep dive. You head to YouTube, hungry to see what’s possible, only to realize there are maybe fifteen speedflying videos worth watching. You work through the many POV GoPro clips, looking for something more complete. Out of the volume, a few thoughtfully made films begin to surface, where the flying is given
space, context, and restraint.
Among those few, MAGNETIC sits near the top.
Shot by Malachi Templeton, the chaser following close behind, the film captures Jamie Lee flying some of New Zealand’s most mental lines; quietly, precisely, and without excess. Jamie is the one in the frame, moving through terrain that leaves no room for mistakes, doing it with a level of control that feels earned rather than forced.
If that progression sounds familiar, this interview will likely resonate. And if you’re hearing about speedflying for the first time, I hope it serves as an introduction without spectacle.
I spoke with Jamie about his relationship with flying, what has kept him returning to it over the years, and what he’s slowly distilled the pursuit down to. This is a chance to hear from one of the most accomplished speedflyers flying today; not about the lines alone, but about the reasons behind them.
Jamie Lee
Hi Jamie! Thanks for taking the time! For people who may not know you personally; how would you describe yourself, and what role does speedflying play in your life?
A kiwi born fella gaining wider awareness through enquiry leading to further ‘self’ understanding. Flying has played a huge role in this evolution and was once largely how I identified myself and gained meaning in life; now it is another of the sweet cherries on top.
How would you describe your current relationship with speedflying? Has it changed over the years as your experience and perspective have evolved?
I gave myself to flying in a large way for the first decade or so of the journey. I was charging in my early 20’s saying I’d be happy to make it to 25. Around the 30 mark it started becoming less of my identity as further understanding sank in. Motivations shifted, and it became a part of life, not the whole sphere.
What originally drew you to speedflying, and what has kept you committed to it through all its risks, sacrifices, and demands?
I started with skydiving, the good folks who taught us to skydive took us out to the hills with only a handful of jumps. We were told we could run skydive parachutes off the hill, and so it began.
For many years it gave me meaning and purpose and kept the cup nearly full. In giving so much, thinking to leave it behind never entered my thoughts. But as with everything, it balances, and so comes the trauma, which creates rapid closeness between us. As we are doing something that brings us into the present moment so intensely, its rewards are immense.
Does flying give you something you can’t access anywhere else in life? If so, what is it?
Spatially you could say yes, as there’s many canyons and cracks that couldn’t be accessed in any other way as we do…
Mentally, no; it’s simply one way to enter a forced state of presence, people can find this through many different avenues.
At this stage in your life, why do you still choose to fly? What are you chasing out there?
Nowadays it’s about exploration/new corners, unknown vistas and crevices. But it’s largely becoming adventuring with Koda dog soaking in the natural world or tapping into some nature time with friends
Nothing specific to be chased, simply enjoying the space and all its beauty.
Do you see speedflying as a pursuit of mastery, expression, freedom, or something else?
For me it has been all of the above, as well as culture and discovery.
From the outside, elite speedflying can look spontaneous or instinctual. What does the unseen preparation actually look like for you?
Apart from the scoping of maps/weather/landings/etc, there’s no real preparation other than calming the mind and being fully present; trusting the skills I’ve developed over untold numbers of flights.
Are there specific mental practices or routines you rely on to stay grounded in such a high-consequence environment?
Deep breath before launch; visualization. If it’s not feeling 100% yes, it’s a no.
How do you know when you’re truly ready for a line; or when to walk away?
Only you can answer that. It's beyond words; it’s a feeling. And if it’s not feeling good, you shouldn’t be there.
What role does fear play in your flying today? Has your relationship with it changed over time?
Earlier days brought fear as I took risks and sent launches that were at the limit of my conscious ability. Nowadays I don’t push into these spaces; if I feel fear, I’ve made a mistake, either in my piloting or the conditions. I rarely feel it.
Flying offers a perspective very few people ever experience. How has seeing the world from the air shaped how you see life on the ground?
It slows down somewhat; the window into other cultures and ways of being has been a rich gift to my way of carrying myself and understanding more why people are the way they are. Awareness is potent.
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Do you feel that flying has made you calmer, sharper, or more patient in everyday life; or has it created tension between those worlds?
It could be said calmer; hyperfocus in physical activities may have been a result, or may have already been present in me.
Aware patience is very new to me, and at 33 I’m immensely grateful to now feel it.
Is there a philosophy or principle, spoken or unspoken, that guides how you approach flying?
Trust myself to make the best decision possible in each moment with the vast basket of knowledge I have acquired.
As one of the most accomplished speedflyers, what do you think about longevity in a sport where consequences are absolute?
Each has to self moderate; no one can do that but yourself. Seek to look inward, not out at what others are doing, or how they may be thinking of what you are doing. This may lead you to flying for the right reasons.
Do you feel any responsibility, to the community, younger pilots, or the future of the sport, in how you choose to fly and present it?
Yes, it’s been a see-saw of emotion; posting and not posting, feeling for others, not wanting to be a point people are trying to reach, while still feeling grateful to have inspired so many.
When you look back on your flying so far, what moments feel the most meaningful; not necessarily the biggest or most technical?
Those shared with close friends in wild places and those ending with landings in groups of beaming children
What are you hoping to achieve next; not just in flight, but in life?
Expanding Awareness
For someone watching your flights from the outside and feeling drawn to the idea of flight; what do you want them to understand about the reality behind it?
It is what you make it. Check in with yourself; why you want to do it, and who you’re doing it for.
If you had to describe your relationship with flying in one word, what would it be?
Joy
Whether you fly or not, there’s something familiar in the way Jamie speaks about his relationship with speedflying. The details may be specific: wings, terrain, conditions. But the underlying questions are not. Why we commit so fully to something. How long it continues to give us meaning. When it asks us to change, or to listen more closely.
For those who fly, much of this will sound recognizable: the pull toward movement, the discipline used to stay grounded, the responsibility to self-moderate when no one else can. The longer you stay with it, the less it becomes about progression for its own sake, and the more it becomes about clarity.
And for those outside of flying, the parallels still hold. Most of us have something that once filled the cup completely; something that taught us focus, patience, and presence. Over time, the challenge becomes not how far we can push it, but how honestly we can relate to it.
In that sense, speedflying here isn’t the point. It’s simply the medium. What remains is the practice of checking in, choosing the right reasons, and trusting yourself to know when something is still adding to your life; and when it’s asking to be held differently.
