Much like this summer's blockbuster animated film made by Pixar, Highland aeronaut, adventurer and businessman Erwin Oertli agrees there's nothing quite like being "Up."

Oertli was born and raised in Switzerland and moved to Canada with his family at age 9. He's considered a pioneer of the sport of hot air ballooning in North America. He was the first person to balloon the Canadian Rockies, the Wasatch Front and Canyonlands National Park. In 1979, he placed ninth in the world championship in Albuquerque, N.M., and has since won the meet.

"Ballooning is actually the safest flying sport there is," Oertli said, who has more than 4,000 flight hours ballooning. "The danger is in the power lines."

He saw his first hot air balloon at the Calgary Stampede in the 1970s, was intrigued, and thought it would be a great platform for advertising. But high adventure was nothing new to Oertli, who owned an Alberta, Canada, river rafting business, enjoys mountain climbing, sailing, and has flown several experimental aircraft he built himself.

"I enjoy it as much as the any of the others," he said. "That's why I do it."

Twenty years ago, he took a parachutist up to 32,000 feet -- they had to use oxygen -- where they encountered 70 mph wind gusts, less than ideal conditions for ballooning. The winds blew Oertli and his balloon from Provo to Tabiona in under an hour, and he landed "very fast," on a steep mountainside. The stunt set a new balloon/parachute drop record that drew national media attention.

"It was probably the most exciting flight I've ever been on," Oertli, 68, said. "I kissed the ground; I was lucky to be alive."

Utah has particularly optimal wind conditions for ballooning, but because the winds pick up as the day progresses due to thermals in local weather patterns, the early morning hours typically yield the best flying conditions, he said. In Utah, weather and wind conditions permit balloonists to fly 70 percent of the time as opposed to only 30 to 40 percent of the time in other areas of the country.

"Because we get thermals that build up, there's dust devils that affect us tremendously. You lose all control, and we like to have control," Oertli said.

In 1984, along with business partner and Highland neighbor Brian Kelly, he started a company called Balloon Wests that advertises commercially on balloons, sells balloons, and offers pilot training. From time to time, the retirees, who now operate the business part-time, also take up riders.

But Oertli has seen a decline in interest in ballooning in recent years, particularly among the younger 20-29-year-old set. It may be the expense of the hobby. To get started in the sport, a balloon can run anywhere from $35,000 to $40,000, and flying requires expensive fuel and a chase crew to monitor landings. Inclusive of all costs, ballooning can total $150 an hour, he said. And he doesn't think it's because so-called more modern thrill sports have drawn younger outdoor sports enthusiasts away from ballooning.

"This is as thrilling and neat as any of them," Oertli said. '"I just don't see a lot of younger guys [out] like they used to."

Obtaining a private aeronaut license requires a minimum of 15 hours, including a written, oral and flight exam, he said. The sport is federally regulated by the Federal Aviation Administration because the hot air balloons are considered aircraft, Oertli said.

Along with Kelly, Oertli is contracted with the Bank of America to fly the iconic "Americana" and "Piggie Bank" balloons that are annual fixtures at this weekend's Balloon Festival as part of America's Freedom Festival at Provo.

Competitions at the meet consist of the Hare and the Hound, a race that involves each balloon pilot trying to accurately hit marked targets on the ground with bean bags, and balloon jousting, in which pilots attempt to burst small helium-filled balloons positioned 150 feet off the ground by maneuvering their aircraft into the balloons, Oertli said.

"There is something so exhilarating about being in the air against the early morning light," Kelly said. "... I've been to hundreds of balloon meets and have flown over a thousand times, but I never get tired of it."

Oertli and Kelly will be up piloting their balloons on Friday and Saturday mornings at 6:30 a.m. at Fox Field between Utah Valley Regional Medical Center and Provo High School in Provo.

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