Adventures Collection
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Adventure begins in those places where man leaves his comfort zone, and confronts an acknowledged risk
Get inspired
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Get inspired
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For 30 years we in ADVANCE have developed products for paragliding with great passion and commitment. It is great to see the variety of small – and also big – adventures taking place on a daily basis around the globe with our paragliders, harnesses and rucksacks. The possibilities are almost unlimited. It seems that the treasure chest of ideas and creativity from our pilots is bottomless. All of this advances the sport as a whole, and for us as a manufacturer represents permanent inspiration for new products, and even more clever small details. Enjoy an inspiration boost! Read the exciting and unique /advancedadventures stories in this Magazine for Encouraging Personal Projects and Micro-Adventures. That is exactly the objective of our Adventure Platform – online as well as on paper. By quality presentation of the stories and their interesting backgrounds, in print, our aim is to give these special adventures more depth, significance and endurance. We hope you enjoy turning the pages of the first Adventures Collection. Don’t forget to tag and share your own adventures on social media at #advancedadventures. Perhaps your story will make it to the /advancedadventures pinwall, or even into one of the next Adventures Collections ...
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Adventures around the World 7
Climb & Fly Peru Going high in the Cordillera Blanca
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Lake to Lake
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Contents
Bavarian-Tyrolean fairytale p aramotor tour
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XC Adventure Brazil A real adventure, even for professionals
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Direttissima 2.0 Crossing Switzerland on a straight 330-kilometre route
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Go with the Flow “I’m off, then”
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Fascination Kilimanjaro Fabulous flight from the roof of Africa
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Project BZ’ALPS From Nice to Ljubljana without support
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Soaring Giants Once in a lifetime
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Keeping your B alance On a highline between two paragliders
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Trans Kyrgyzstan Through the wilds of Kyrgyzstan on foot and by paraglider
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Crossing Borders Crossing the Himalayas from India to Nepal
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Peak Trilogy Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau in one day
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12 34
66 48 26 54
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Contents
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56 61
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Climb & Fly Peru 6
The goal always in view – here on the ascent to Tocllaraju.
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Climb & Fly Peru
Climb & Fly Peru
#climbandfly #flyinghigh #peru
Going high in the Cordillera Blanca
Mountaineers and paraglider pilots Simon Blaser, Julian Zanker, Wolfgang Rainer and Peter Salzmann had big plans for their Climb & Fly trip to the Cordillera Blanca. The SwissAustrian rope team planned to climb and fly from the highest mountain in Peru, the 6,768Â m HuascarĂĄn. Strong winds and difficult conditions ensured it was something of an adventure.
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Climb & Fly Peru 8
Final flight from Vallunaraju 5,686 m, (left peak) to Huaraz.
Climb & Fly Peru 9
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Climb & Fly Peru 10
Appearances are deceptive: a takeoff above 5,000 m is not easy.
A climb against logic
With a total of only 2.2 kg our flying equipment weighed so little that we always took it with us. This meant that we could often shorten our descents. Simon Blaser
There are more than 50 mountains over 5,700 metres in the 180 kilometre-long Cordillera Blanca, the highest of the Americas’ mountain ranges. The highest peak in this so-named White Chain, and Peru, is the 6,768 m high Huascarán. It was one of the Swiss-Austrian mountaineering quartet’s goals, but storms and one team member’s health problems put paid to this summit. Nevertheless, the four alpinists took to the air during their stay in Peru. Peter reports: “After we had made all our preparations in the 3,052 m high town of Huaraz we took all of our equipment, with the help of five donkeys, up to base camp (4,350 m) in the Ishinca Valley. One of the things we wanted to do from here was to climb the Tocllaraju (6,032 m). But first we had to further acclimatise
to the altitude and the local wind system.
The wind, the wind ... For two days we waited in vain for a valley wind. A strong regional easterly system prevailed, which reinforced the glacier wind, blowing strong and gusty air down and out of the valley. We began to record the wind figures and then tried to spot suitable flying conditions based on the results. The wind would set in abruptly at around 9 in the morning, pick up in strength and turbulence during the day and only subside in the evening. The last half-hour of daylight looked the most promising. We decided to climb the 5,350 m Urus Este for an evening flight.
Against every mountaineering rationale we set out at midday. Thanks to few technical challenges and an almost fissure-free glacier this was possible without problems. However, we picked up a few questioning looks from alpinists we met coming down. Shortly before sunset, as four paragliders glided into base camp against the impressive glacier backdrop, the looks on their faces altered somewhat. We got the wind right. When we had reached the summit a light east wind prevailed and the air was beautifully smooth. Perfect takeoff and flying conditions. We were infused with a sense of joy and motivation. It was a first takeoff from over 5,000 m for all of us.”
A change of scene Simon and Julian climbed on the north wall of the Ranrapalca (6,162 m) in the Ishanka valley, and Peter with Wolfgang climbed up the Ishinca (5,530 m), but neither team took off because of too much wind, so they changed plans with a stopover at Huaraz in the Paron valley. There they climbed the 750 m long Bigwall (6b/A0) of La Esfinge (5,325 m) rock
Climb & Fly Peru
Early morning climb on Vallunaraju.
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Night time camp below Tocllaraju.
formation. The final tour on the Huascaran Sur (6,768 m) had to be abandoned because of one member’s health problems and critical weather conditions, but they were able to shorten the long descent using the paragliders. Too much wind was also a main problem in the days that followed.
Direct flight to Huaraz
About Swiss pilots Simon Blaser and Julian Z anker, and Austrians W olfgang Rainer and Peter Salzmann, like to combine their passion for flying (paraglider
Peter and Wolfgang used their remaining time in Huaraz for an ascent of the Vallunaraju (5,684 m). They started at midnight in order to conquer the 1,600 m climb, and reached the summit one hour
after sunrise. There was no wind! They laid out the gliders in a flat calm and took off directly into the sun, heading north east. Their flight in perfectly smooth conditions led past impressive glaciers and rock formations directly to Huaraz. Following 2,700 metres of descent they landed on a football field on the outskirts of this 119,000 population town. “We did not actually achieve our real goal – to fly from Huascaran Sur – however we can look back on an interesting time with many new experiences and other successes”, Peter said.
& wingsuit) with mountaineering. In their adventurous summiting projects the four constantly confront new challenges.
Equipment
PI 2
STRAPLESS
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Lake to Lake
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Lake to Lake
#paramotor #explore #sightseeing
Bavarian-Tyrolean fairytale Âp aramotor tour
Adi Geisegger had toyed with the idea for some time: to connect the most beautiful mountain lakes in the Allgau, the Tirol and Upper Bavarian triangle in a single flight. No problem with a paramotor, some free flyers may think. But with a maximum of 140 km possible on one tank of fuel, complicated valley-wind systems and few landing possibilities this is a special kind of adventure. Adi reports ‌
Lake to Lake 13 Thick cloud calls for good flexibility.
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Lake to Lake 14
Caribbean? No, the Eibsee at the foot of the Zugspitze!
Lake to Lake 15
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The Plansee has few landing options.
The actual plan
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Lake to Lake
The Agathazell airfield, near Sonthofen in the Allgäu, was awoken at first light when we warmed up our engines before takeoff. At this early hour a cold and steady mountain wind prevailed; this meant super takeoff conditions for us. Even though our tanks were full to the brim we lifted off without problem after only a few steps.
The route is anything but a motorway for paramotorists. Adi Geisegger
Quick decisions called for At last we emerge into a different airmass. The west wind now carries us quickly away over the Tannheimer valley and the Haldensee into the Lech valley. Even at low level we are now swept forwards. We reach Reutte in the Tirol and fly directly towards Plansee, the critical point of the project. This valley, which contains the Plansee, is narrow and thickly wooded, there are hardly any landing options on the shore. But we risk it …
Our plan was to fly with the west wind at low level over the Tannheimer valley and the Haldensee into the Lech valley, and from there past Reutte and the Plansee direct to the Eibsee at the foot of the Zugspitze. The route passes in front of the rock faces of Germany’s highest mountain, then back to Reutte with the high-level east wind, from there to the … But have to turn back unexpectedly. A fairytale castles of Neuschwanstein and low cloud bank barred the route ahead Hohenschwangau, over the Alpsee as from the Plansee to the Eibsee! Time for well as the Forggensee near Füssen to Plan B. Without further ado we divert to Agathazell again. But it worked out dif- the Heiterwangersee, past Leermoos and ferently. The cold air flowing out of the Ehrwald to get to the Eibsee, aware that
Equipment
EPSILON 8
mountains, normally a shallow layer only a few hundred metres thick, reached almost up to 1500 metres! Accordingly our groundspeed hovered in the single-figure region. Long minutes passed.
MOTOR RISERS The fairytale castle looks small from the air.
The Eibsee is one of the most beautiful in Bavaria.
But the valley wind is on our side. At 70 km/h some of the way we are faster than the countless holidaymakers in their cars beneath us. Far below, the Eibsee finally emerges. A veritable waterscape, the colours look surreal, the clouds reflected in the mirror surface of the lake. Eight small islands glow – set against the shallows aound their shores – turquoise green in the otherwise dark blue surrounding water. Their origins lie 3,400 years back. During a landslide, giant boulders crashed into the water. The estimated energy released was equivalent to 2.9 megatons of TNT.
Form here the vario’s time-to-destination still shows one hour’s flying time. Into the west wind with a groundspeed always below the 30 km/h mark, with only 2.5 litres of petrol left it could just about … The weather gods are with us! The sky brightens up and thermals help us save some fuel. With climbs of up to 4 m/s we glide part of the way back to the airfield with idling engines. We have the overwhelming feeling of having awoken from a dream.
About Adi Geisegger has flown paragliders and hang gliders since the early 1990s, and in the last ten years can often be seen with a paramotor. On this Myths and Legends tour the professional photographer was joined by Melanie Weber and Robert Blum. Melanie is an enthusiastic paramotorist and hike & fly fan, Robert a professional tandem pilot and 2013 German cross-country champion – known for his unusual choice of routes and extreme bivouac flights. Flying with a motor was a completely
Map Source: xcontest.org, Topo XC | Google Maps
Neuschwanstein castle in focus After two flyovers this episode comes to an abrupt end. A look in the mirror at the tank shows only 4.2 litres remaining – high time to be turning round! The way back will take a good two hours. We make some height and rejoice: the view over the Plansee is clear! The clouds have dissolved. Our hopes lift: perhaps we can reach Reutte using minimal gas in the high-level easterly flow, and continue towards Füssen to our last two lakes – the Alpsee with the famous Neuschwanstein castle and the emerald Forggensee.
new experience for him in 2017.
Sonthofen
Neuschwanstein
Zugspitze Allgäu-Tirol-Oberbayern: Bergsee-Hopping mit Paramotor.
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Lake to Lake
A bit of luck
Without thermals it won’t work
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the extra fuel needed might be risking our project …
XC Adventure Brazil 18
Flying up to eleven hours a day was good testing for an OMEGA proto.
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XC Adventure Brazil
XC Adventure Brazil
#xcflying #flatlands #winch
A real adventure, even for professionals
The overriding aspiration of many paraglider pilots is to fly as far as possible. The north east of Brazil beckons cross-country cracks every autumn. Chrigel Maurer, ADVANCE test pilot Patrick von Känel and four other Swiss paraglider experts left for Cearå last October, as a team, and there found a quite different sort of cross-country adventure to deal with. They returned not only with a big bag of kilometres, but, more importantly, with new and character-building experiences.
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XC Adventure Brazil 20
Even navigating in the expanse of Brazil is an adventure.
XC Adventure Brazil 21
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XC Adventure Brazil 22
Flatland flying in the classiest cloud streets.
We took off from a small airport where no paraglider had ever been before. To arrange this was far from straightforward. Patrick von Känel
Every flying day lasts until sundown.
Both well-known Brazilian XC and world record hotspots Quixadá and Tacima have their special features. The takeoff is difficult at one, and the other requires some inhospitable terrain to be overflown due to a miserly height difference. Tour operator and Brazil specialist Andy Flühler had long been on the lookout for a new starting point for long flights. When
he finally stumbled upon the Caico regional airport there were, first, tough negotiations with the local authority to be grappled with.
New Terrain, New Challenges Then the first paraglider was towed into the air by winch, and a long-under-wraps project got underway: namely, for a group
XC Adventure Brazil 23
Always fly towards the sun – until it sets.
of experienced members of the Swiss XC League, with the support of Andy’s team, to better the current 564 km benchmark.
The early bird catches the worm It’s 6:30 in the morning. 30 km/h of wind means a cobra pull-up. After turning round there’s a light pull on the rope, the vehicle proceeds slowly forwards, then, faster and faster, covers the whole 1000 m runway. The two imported highspeed winches work well. On each run two paragliders are winched up in parallel. After releasing 950 m above the ground the tow cables glide slowly back down under their braking parachutes. Even before they’ve touched down they have been reeled in. The handles stay with the winch driver and helper. Seven minutes after takeoff the pickups are at the end of the runway again. The next two pilots cross their fingers before launch.
Against the Fireball After the first flights the Swiss pilots are well aware that cross country in the Brazilian flatlands requires a completely different set of skills than in the Alps. To begin with there’s the orientation and the
endless expanse, the strong wind, the moody Black Urubu vultures and, and, and ... “Without GPS we had no idea of which direction we should fly,“ explained Patrick. Although direction finding is difficult during the day, in the evening this all changes. Then there’s only one tactic: namely to fly directly into the sun until it disappears below the horizon at 17:50 hrs. When that happens you have exactly a quarter of an hour in which to continue gliding as far as possible, decide on a landing place, set down somewhere on the pampas and pack up in the last minutes of light. At 18:05 it’s pitch dark. This is the only way to get the most out of the day. Only then do you have the chance of outdistancing those who have gone before.
Heartfelt hospitality
To glide from 2,500 m in the sunlight while the ground below has already long been in shadow and is getting dark, is simply impossible to describe. Chrigel Maurer
What added most to the cross-country adventure in Brazil is the remoteness of this region and the simplicity that still prevails here. The people are very friendly and radiate a great joy in life itself, even though they have virtually nothing and live in very simple circumstances off the advance.ch /advancedadventures
XC Adventure Brazil 24
other hand, was able to notch up more land. After landing on the Pampas there is usually no contact with the team apart than 50 hours with the new wonder wefrom the tracker, and you find yourself apon, and send first feedback reports to the development department in Thun. completely alone. Often some walking is then called for until, somewhere, a house or settlement is reached. With a friendly Collective Strength “Bom Dia” you’ve almost always found the “We tackled this adventure as a team and connection to the local population. Com- could therefore achieve much more than if we had gone it alone”, summarised Chmunication follows, primarily by gestures and the sign language of hands and feet. rigel Maurer. “Even though the days were A helpful Brazilian is delighted to give you only moderate, because of light winds, a moped ride on the dusty gravel road to four of our pilots were able to exceed the tar highway, where eventually your re- 500 km – only achieved previously by five trieve picks you up. other pilots.” After taking off in pairs, the teams of two tried to stay together thThe Erlking in the spotlight roughout the flight, to make it easier to Observant social media followers of Chri find the best lines. The teams not only gel Maurer have already spotted the had to play this game in the air, but also ADVANCE Erlking in the pictures and on the ground. “Without a perfectly orgafilms. Yes, it was a new IMPRESS 4, tes- nised retrieve we could never have achieted with a tail: and yes, it does have a se- ved so much in the two weeks here”, said atboard. Who better than Chrigel Maurer, Chrigel. And even so it was mostly not the father of the Impress series – the ac- possible to fly every day because the recessible light reclining harness for every turn drive usually took longer than the one – on his sometimes 11-hour flights, flight. to test and evaluate this new harness in every detail? By contrast things were To be continued ... somewhat more complicated with the The world record distance was not acADVANCE wing. After a promising start tually reached because of the above, the two-liner cross-country proto inten- but for the wealth of personal experiended for Chrigel, changed its flying be- ce and character-building time in the air haviour as the days went by. Paraglider much has already been achieved. Chriprofessionals and test pilots are used to gel is sure: “Next year we will try it again; nightly trimming and tweaking adjust- cross-country flying in the desolate exment sessions to set up their wings af- panse of north east Brazil is one of life’s resh. But facilities here were too limited, true adventures.” so Chrigel had to climb back aboard his Boomerang, and only swap with Patrick’s Omega now and then. Patrick, on the
Thanks to generous airtime the Swiss pilots quickly became flatland flyers.
About Stronger together: six pilots from the Swiss XC League, and two local cross-country pilots. Andy Flühler of ‘Fly with Andy’ and his well-organised winch-and-pullback team found a lot of adventure during the two-week Brazilian cross-country camp. In the photo (left to right): Adrian Seitz, Michael Sigel, Jan Sterren, Leandro Padua, driver Dio, driver Zoio, ADVANCE test pilot Patrick von Känel, Vagner Campos, Christian Erne, Gebi Aberbächerli, Simone (organisation), driver Wagner and Chrigel Maurer.
Kartendaten Š 2018 Google Track: Mario Arque
Modern Art? No, just the longest tracks on the map.
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XC Adventure Brazil
As a two-man team you find the best line quicker.
Patrick von Känel on an endurance test.
It was exciting to see that, as a team, we were much stronger than when each battled alone. Chrigel Maurer
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Direttissima 2.0
#climbandfly #hikeandfly #direttissima
Direttissima 2.0 Crossing Switzerland on a straight 330-kilometre route
In July, Thomas Ulrich crossed Switzerland at its widest part from west to east as a hike & fly project. As an additional requirement, he had to remain within a onekilometre-wide corridor of his direct track. To negotiate this ‘Direttissima’ route the famous adventurer and photographer surmounted a total of 45,000 vertical metres of ascent and descent, and conquered rugged rock faces, steep ravines, glaciers and raging torrents. His light wing was often put to good use. We asked Thomas about the challenges of his tour.
Direttissima 2.0 27 Good navigational skills are needed to avoid straying from the one-kilometre corridor.
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Direttissima 2.0 28
Crevasse-riddled snowfields, crumbling glaciers, rocks and ice: the corridor permits only the smallest detour.
Direttissima 2.0 29
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Direttissima 2.0 30
Exposed descent! Kilometres with the paraglider provide a welcome alternative route.
In this project I felt it important that I would also be able to use the skills that I had acquired over my lifetime. Thomas Ulrich
ADVANCE: first of all congratulations on your successful Direttissima, Thomas! Merci! Normally you lead your expeditions to the remotest and most inhospitable places on earth. What was your greatest challenge on your straight route through a well-developed Switzerland? Was it as psychologically and physically demanding as your other expeditions? No (Thomas laughs). I’d arranged something of a luxury trip because my wife came along as well with the camper van. Many times in the evening, after ten or twelve hours’ footslogging, I’d come across some sort of mountain road and there would be my dinner waiting for me. Compared with my arctic expeditions, where I had to make time to cook and prepare everything, this was total luxury. Certainly that was also the idea behind it. It was not supposed to be a journey like many of my others, which had more to do with austerity, and performance with physical as well as mental pressure. This project was intended to be a bit of an homage to all the previous expe-
rience, a look back at the other tours I had already made. Along with the paddleboard, a paraglider came into the action. How often could you use the PI 2 16 to fly from mountains? I used it a lot. After the initial flatland section I used it straight away on the first mountain by Gruyère. It was more of a short flight to the valley where I could land on the other side, pack up and set off up again. I’d use the PI 2 up to three, maybe four times in a day. Admittedly I found out that the unpacking, laying out, landing and packing up again didn’t really make me faster – but it saved energy. And naturally it made it more fun! What were the flying challenges? The biggest difficulty for me was not to fly out of the corridor! Even at the start I had to be careful with the walking, but the flying was even more difficult.
Project One country, a straight line – 330 kilometres, 45,000 vertical metres, a one- kilometre corridor: The ‘Direttissima’ on a straight line through Switzerland from west to east is not new. It was first done by a group of mountain climbers led by Markus Liechti in 1983, accompanied
Never-ending challenges: ridges, rocks, …
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Direttissima 2.0
by members of Swiss Radio.
Canyons, raging torrents or trackless in the fog ...
It’s lucky that Thomas is an all-round mountaineer.
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Amongst other things you presumably mostly made top-to-bottom flights. What was your furthest flight? The longest was probably in Graubßnden from the Teurihorn above Sufers over the Rofla ravine as far as the opposite mountainside. Because of convergence it was lifting really well. I certainly could have flown further, but I did not have the map available and didn’t want to risk going out of the corridor. This distance came out as 12 kilometres. What was the biggest surprise of your tour? Of course we all say that Switzerland is overpopulated; everywhere this applies to the roads and their access. But I had to follow the corridor, and was surprised
how few people I met, and how little civilization I came across. How wild and unspoiled Switzerland is, even so ... On this repeat of the 1983 tour you were excited to see how Switzerland had changed over the years. What changes did you notice? The striking difference is certainly climate warming. The glaciers have retreated a lot. I took along the maps used by the originators of the project 34 years ago. In many places they had to walk over small glaciers that are just not there any more. And they also talked a lot about how they could slide down the snowfields from the peaks. I did not come across many snowfields where I could slide down!
About Thomas Ulrich is an adventurer, mountain guide and expedition leader. As well as that the qualified carpenter has made a name for himself over three decades as a photographer, cameraman and lecturer. For information see  www.thomasulrich.com
Direttissima 2.0
Equipment
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PI 2
Hot dinner: a busy day comes to an end.
STRAPLESS
Direttissima 2.0 33
The direct route goes straight down the wall: by abseil.
In one place in Tessin they reported that the high slopes were no longer farmed; no one wanted to do it. And now when I passed these same places they are being farmed again. So there are other differences. Do you have other projects this year, or expeditions planned for 2018? Naturally there will be my commercial trips to the North Pole and across Greenland. But I also have a project with Stefan Glowacz. We will soon release the details. We’re already excited about this and wish you a successful expedition! Many thanks for the interview.
A descent with the glider obviously results in a good mood.
The striking difference is certainly climate warming. The glaciers have retreated a lot. Thomas Ulrich
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Go with the Flow
#crosscountry #epicxc #sightseeing
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Cloud streets and mountains show the way to Austria.
Go with the Flow “I’m off, then”
Bernhard “Beni” Kälin set off to the east on an XC flight in Wallis, then decided to continue, and flew three impressive distance flights in three consecutive days. A total of 694 kilometres – without preparation; not even a toothbrush. His conclusion: “Cross country without plan or homesickness is the best!”
Off the cuff – off to the east With mostly weak climbs ahead the prospects were not the best as Bernhard Kälin set off towards the east on the 4th of July from the Riederalp in Oberwallis. In nine hours and two minutes on the Wallis racetrack the Chill Out Paragliding flying instructor crossed the Furkapass and Andermatt in the Surselva, then flew past Chur, Klosters and the Silvretta into the Tirol where he landed in the Inntal shortly before Tösens. After the tiresomely fought 213 kilometres it was clear to him that it would be difficult to get home again. He decided to stay the night in Austria and see what the next day held.
The route from Switzerland to Italy via Austria.
After a night in Venice Beni travelled by train to Interlaken the next day, via Milan. He had spent three intensive days – with more time in the air than in bed.
It doesn’t go as planned Beni’s plan for today: to fly back to Switzerland from the Grente. He already had every railway station in Graubünden filed in his head, and knew exactly when and from where the last train to Interlaken left. In the air Beni fought against the wind, which got stronger and stronger. Piz Palü and Piz Bernina seemed hopelessly far away. West of Meran Beni gave up the idea of the Swiss goal. He wanted to make the most of the day and fly some distance. And did he ever! The 246 kilometres was his longest flight so far. After eight hours and 50 minutes, in which he took in the Riesenferner Group and the Karnischer Alps, among other places, he landed by Givigliana, a small village in Friaul, Italy.
Go with the Flow
Venice – deserted: morning on the Grand Canal.
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Map Source: xcontest.org, Topo XC | Google Maps
Flying back is not an option Moderate west wind. To fly back is not an option, Beni doesn’t like flying into wind. As well as that this is the 31-year-old’s first time in Austria. So why not check out the Austrian Alps from the air? Pitztal, Ötztal, Stubai, Brenner and Zillertal: famous names, he’d often heard of them. By the end of his 233-kilometre eight-hour flight he can put pictures to the names at last. Beni’s route took him past Kaunertal, Pitztal, Ötztal, Stubai, Zillertal, along the south side of the Pinzgau and past the Kitzsteinhorn. Because of the wind from the side he decided to divert to the south. Not a good idea. Ten minutes later he had landed 2,000 metres below by the Tauern autobahn – washed down by north föhn. After an hour’s walk an Austrian pilot took him to Antholz in Südtirol.
About Bernhard “Beni” Kälin was born in 1986 and has flown paragliders since 2005. He has been an instructor at the Chill Out Paragliding school since 2009. As well as speedflying, the Interlakener is also fascinated by cross-country flying. His favourite site is the Niesen,
Who cares about how to get home ... :)
south of Lake Thun.
Equipment
Beni Kälin
SIGMA 10
LIGHTNESS 2
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Fascination ÂK ilimanjaro
#hikeandfly #explore #tanzania
Fascination ÂKilimanjaro Fabulous flight from the roof of Africa
At 5,895 metres the Kilimanjaro Massif is the highest place in Africa. If you want to fly here you need permission. Since 2017 this has been reasonably easy to get. The large height difference of almost 5,000 metres, the weather and the thick ancient forest at the foot of the mountain certainly presents the paraglider pilot with a demanding task. Julian Beermann found out about the experience.
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Fascination ÂK ilimanjaro
Bild Highres von FLO rein
A moment in eternity: Julian enjoys the airy perspective in the soft morning light.
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Fascination ÂK ilimanjaro
Fascination K ilimanjaro 39 Aircraft perspective: from a paraglider 4,500 m above the ground – not an everyday experience.
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A situation that one does not come across every day as a paraglider pilot. Julian Beermann
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Fascination K ilimanjaro
A tiny takeoff window Julian had already tried to fly from Africa’s highest mountain in 2017, with the special permit, but the weather had drawn a line through the plans of the Swiss mountain guide and his guest. The Kilimanjaro Massif lies in the equatorial climatic trough, so there’s often not much regional wind, but overdevelopment during the day means that a takeoff must be in the early morning. “Only those who are ready to go at the summit by sunrise have a chance of good flying conditions”, says Julian. Those who are lucky enough to achieve this will experience a flight of superlatives, over a unique landscape. In the distance stretches the land of the Maasai with its wide, dry plains. Somewhat higher up the slopes lie banana, coffee and mango plantations and natural woodland, while near the summit a moonscape of rocky rubble and glaciers dominates.
Acclimatisation is everything Like every hike & fly the walk up comes before the takeoff. From the end of the last piece of road – depending on the route - there’s about 4,200 metres of altitude to be mastered. The climb can be described as technically easy, but adequate physical adaptation to the considerable height is imperative for success. To minimise the serious risk of altitude sickness seven days are recommended. Because he had not been able to take off with his guest on his first attempt it was clear to Julian that he would try it again
on his next Kili visit. The effort required for the climb was nothing new for him; after all, he had taken guests up six times to stand on the highest mountain in Africa. And on this seventh ascent with a group of guests and other mountain guides he took his glider along. If his attempt was successful the other guides could take the guests down safely. Whether this would actually work depended on a number of factors.
Planning to the last detail So it’s no wonder that Julian planned his flight to the smallest detail. After the weather situation, the wide-ranging virgin forest at the foot of the mountain represented the greatest challenge. “On the lower, quite flat part, this forest still covers wide non-landable areas,” explains Julian. So during the planning he searched out possible landing spots and saved them in his GPS. By comparing the required glide ratio for a particular landing area with current performance during flight he would be able to estimate how much reserve he had to the next possible place.
You can’t prepare for everything Something he couldn’t prepare for was the actual feeling of lifting off from Kibo, the central summit crater. Conditions in the early morning were perfect, with a light wind coming up. A takeoff this time was not an obstacle. The guests helped Julian lay out his wing on a small snow bank. Then a couple of small steps, the crispy wing rustled – and he lifted off. “An overwhelming feeling that hadn’t been
Fascination ÂK ilimanjaro 41
Looking back: a World Heritage site since 1987.
Obligatory summit photo: Kilimanjaro is one of the Seven Summits.
Strong sunshine creates these oversized penitentes.
In the distance stretches the land of the Maasai with its wide, dry plains. Somewhat higher up the slopes lie banana, coffee and mango plantations, while near the summit a moonscape of rocky rubble and glaciers dominates. Julian Beermann
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Fascination K ilimanjaro 42
Perfect site, wind coming up: cleared for takeoff!
planned for, and that I didn’t expect,” remembers Julian. From the snowfield he went over the jagged edge of the crater towards the endless expanse of Africa. Now the whole crater lay beneath his feet, with its long desolate rim; in the distance the forest expanse. “The mood in this morning light was quite unique. The sky seemed to belong just to me”, says Julian.
Takeoff clearance from the tower But it wasn’t quite as simple as that. Before departure Julian had to get takeoff clearance from the tower at Kilimanjaro Airport. Because he would overfly the flatlands below at about 3,500 m he heard the tower, on the radio, tell an approaching airliner to watch out for him, and gave it a reroute anyway. “A situation that you do not often experience as a paraglider pilot, presumably”, says a grinning Julian. After a good hour, about 30 kilometres flown and 5000 metres down, he landed safely below 800 m. He looked back. What a flight. What an experience! One thing is clear: he will remember it his whole life.
The mood in this morning light was quite unique. The sky seemed to belong just to me. Julian Beermann
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Fascination K ilimanjaro
Night climb to the highest point.
Light play in front of an impressive starry heaven.
About Julian Beermann was born in 1985. The mountain guide and helicopter pilot has flown paragliders since 2010. The Bernese regularly leads climb & fly tours. He has been to the top of Kilimanjaro seven times.
An overwhelming feeling that hadn’t been planned for, and that I didn’t expect. Julian Beermann
Equipment
PI 2
EASINESS 2
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Project BZ’ALPS 44
Fantastic cloud street at the col de la Cayolle.
First bivouac on Gourdon takeoff near Nice.
From Nice to Ljubljana without support
Crossing the arc of the Alps alone, with just his paraglider and tent, from Nice to Ljubljana: ADVANCE‘s graphic designer “Bänz” Erb took the whole of July off to make a dream come true. After 36 days he was in Ljubliana. Of the 1,000 or thereabouts straight-line kilometres, the flying instructor and tandem pilot flew only about a third. Bänz covered 767 km and 42,800 m cumulative ascent. We asked him about the BZ ’Alps.
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Project BZ’ALPS
Project BZ’ALPS
#bzalps #volbiv #crosscountry
I had many low and high points. Bänz Erb
ADVANCE: Did you intensively prepare yourself physically and mentally for this project? How long did it take? The training plan took more than half a year. The mental plan runs all the time. For my sponsorship portfolio I estimated roughly the same effort. That’s about a thousand hours in a half-year. That includes everything: from route planning, physical and mental training, getting the equipment together, testing, assembling online hiking maps, finding out about weather stations, comparing high-resolution weather models – and much more. Did your punishing preparation actually help you during the tour? Yes. Absolutely! I was very happy with the physical stuff. Of course I knew very
accurately how much nightly recovery the stages would need. This comes from the 2015 experience when I was less well trained. 50 km and 2,000 metres walkup was too much then. I have done days like that, but I couldn’t recover overnight. Then, the next two days did not contain much hiking ... so I knew that 35 km and 2,000 metres up was enough for a day; I should not go over that. What gave you most trouble? Did you have a low point? I had many lows and highs. Mostly I was prepared to be permanently wet. Or if it was too turbulent in the air, to not fight long enough – and fly away in the hope of finding a better thermal somewhere else. But this didn’t happen.
What was your best experience? The changes of the countryside – for example in the south of France when I could thermal up from the Arpille takeoff near Col de Bleine. On one side you can see the sea. Underneath there’s the brown dry landscape – and then there’s the first line of mountains. On the third day I made the jump to the prealps, and saw the complete change in the terrain happen very quickly; suddenly I was in the Alps. That was very nice.
Project Like most great undertakings the BZ’Alps project grew slowly. Bänz had twice taken two weeks off in 2015: one of them to fly and walk from Interlaken to Monaco, and the other to similarly get from Interlaken to Lienz/Matrei. “The first time was hard, because I had to get some basic experience”, remembers Bänz. “The second time I got a lot of it right”. At the end he thought it felt good enough to pencil in the whole of July 2017 for something similar. The project took shape from there on. “It was simply a dream, a strong desire, that might take some time. Only then can you properly involve yourself in the saga.” Die Route the Overview: überwhole 36 Tage five-week route.
Map Source: © 2018 GeoBasis-DE/BKG (©2009), Google, Inst. Geogr. Nacional
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Project BZ’ALPS
Day 35 in Kanin, Slovenia: one of the few flying days.
How did you stay motivated? (Thinks about it ...) Each day is simply another new day. Sometimes you have to completely give up the idea of flying, pack the glider and focus on a small minitask. Mental trainer Katrin Ganter taught me that, and other people I talked to. Some relaxation always helps me. For example a swim in a lake, showering, eating and drinking. Perhaps also a soft hotel bed sometimes. That helps immensely. And then it’s into the next day fresh again. The lows are always short, if you are not fixated on them.
Was that still the case later on? Yes, absolutely. If you cannot make big jumps like that, because the flying day just doesn’t deliver, you sometimes have the feeling that somehow you’ll be stuck in Wallis or the Pustertal, for example, for ever. But after three days you’re in a completely different countryside again. Then I thought: you’re making progress, that will do. Good moments were all the encounters with other people, and interaction with friends in Switzerland. I am aware that when you do things by yourself, you become correspondingly more open. The more mentally groggy I was, because flying didn’t work, the better were the dealings I had with people. I really noticed how valuable interaction with other people is. If things have not been going well for a long time and you cannot communicate, you can also become obsessive.
Nice view on day 18, on the Alp Rossboden, Tavanasa, Switzerland.
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What off-the-cuff tips would you give to other pilots who would like to do something similar? Make a small test run first. And start off with easier challenges before progressing to more difficult ones. Match the project with your flying experience and physical fitness. I deliberately chose the Alps, for example, simply because of the infrastructure and, among other things, the food supply; but there’s also the rescue facilities and ability to abandon the trip in this ‘Dolls’ House’ scale of habitation. Weatherwise, however, it’s just as difficult as elsewhere.
Project BZ’ALPS
Would you do the whole thing again? Definitely! Not this year, and I think not the next. But this kind of paragliding pilgrimage is a profound experience.
The best of XC flying on day 4, high above the Col du Galibier, France.
We are happy that you are safe and sound and wish you a good recovery first! Thanks for the interesting talk, Bänz.
About Bendicht „Bänz“ Erb works as an ADVANCE graphic designer. A flying in-
New snow in July on the Madatschjoch, Pitztal, Austria.
Equipment
structor and tandem pilot with a comprehensive knowledge of meteorology, tour planning and hike & fly, he teaches special ‘hike & fly knowhow’ courses at the Chill Out Paragliding school in Interlaken.
OMEGA XALPS 2
LIGHTNESS XALPS
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#historical #soaringextreme #eigermoenchjungfrau
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Soaring Giants
Timeless Story
Soaring Giants Once in a lifetime
Rarely is it possible to take off from the 3,500 m Jungfraujoch and soar above the Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau. A flight over the famous trio of giants counts as one of the most impressive flying experiences of the Alps. When wind and weather come together, and it all works out, this event belongs in the ‘Once in a lifetime’ category. Max Mittmann recounts his own timeless adventure from 2012.
Soaring Giants 49 4,000 metres in the dead of winter. A rare treat.
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Soaring Giants
Soaring Giants 51 Sensational view over the snow-covered peaks of the Berner Alps.
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This is the middle of January, the first flight of the year, and we have already achieved our greatest paragliding dream.
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Soaring Giants
Max Mittmann
Few mountains have stirred the imagination of alpinists in the last hundred years like the Eiger. The dramatic attempts to climb the 1,650 m high north wall in the 1930s have endowed this mountain with mythical status. But it’s only one part of the most fascinating formation in the Alps, completed by the Mönch and Jungfrau. Anyone who takes a first glance to the south from between-the-lakes Interlaken cannot but be astonished, year-round, by the colossal icy mountain world that is revealed. That is where we want to fly – Greg Blondeau, Chrigel Maurer and I. It’s an undertaking that will ask more of us than we suspect.
Detailed preparation Day after day we look at the weather, checking all the available data over and over again until deciding that an attempt is not on. Nine times I set out that autumn for the Joch, always hoping to fly up these Bernese giants – just once. Always the wind was too weak, too strong, much too east. I almost became convinced that the three peaks just did not want to be disturbed. But then, after weeks of waiting, it’s on at last. Fully psyched up we climb into the Berner Oberland train at Interlaken Ost station. After an hour’s train ride we reach Kleine Scheidegg and change to the Jungfraubahn. This cogwheel railway, opened in 1912, is unique in Europe. On its ten-kilometre track it traverses inside the Eiger and the Mönch and acquires another 1,400 m of altitude in about
an hour. The Jungfraujoch mountain train station is the highest in Europe. The air here at 3,500 m is noticeably thin. Our gaze is drawn upwards. The Jungfrau summit is a good thousand metres above us. Powder snow streams from the top, indicating plenty of wind. We feel small and hesitant. But in a short time a renewed check on the wind figures at the Joch confirms it: conditions are perfect: 30 km/h, gusting 40. Today it could work! A few minutes later and we are ready. It feels distinctly cold, but we’re bundled up warm and push heating sachets inside our gloves. Then we step out on to the glacier plateau. The wind whistles, icy and gusty – luckily from the correct direction.
About Chrigel Maurer ( five-times X-Alps winner, several times PWC overall winner, Swiss acro champion among many successes ) is one of the few paraglider pilots who have made a name for themselves the world over. Greg Blondeau has been an ADVANCE test pilot for many years and works as a professional tandem pilot. In his spare time the 2008 European Champion likes to fly cross country – in
The choice of a takeoff place needs our full attention. If you go too high up the saddle there’s a risk that you could get lifted by the wind and pulled back, over the edge at the top. But further in front every step has to be accurately evaluated: numerous glacier crevasses lie in wait on the plateau. Now, in winter, you can barely make them out – they’re covered in frozen snow. But it’s not weight-bearing, and would give way immediately if you stepped on it.
Pre-flight check We are aware of the danger, and our preparations are suitably tense. The wind repeatedly tears at our wings. What’s more, the takeoff surface slopes into it so that the canopy pulls strongly when you try to pull it up.
his own country, France, and in Switzerland, his home of choice. Max Mittmann was one of the three German participants in the 2013 X-Alps. Extensive hike & fly touring enables him to best combine his passion for mountain sports with the fascination of flying.
Soaring Giants 53
Four-thousanders you can touch (re. the Jungfrau): it only depends on the perspective.
Clear for takeoff But then, at last! The wing comes up well, a few steps, a brief lift-off, down again, more paces. Then the feet finally leave the ground. I’ve hardly wriggled back into the harness when I’m shaken about alarmingly. This is uncomfortable turbulence; the rotor from the ridge in front reaches this far back. Full concentration is required. In front of the edge all is quiet, and suddenly I’m going up: fast! The tourists on the plateau become tiny dots. As a trio we hang in the wide lift band in front of the Mönch knoll. Chrigel flies north east towards the Eiger and suddenly reappears 500 m above us. He is way above the Mönch summit. Greg and I also make our way towards the Mönch and park our wings in the wind a hundred metres in front of its north face. We go up like a lift, get above the summit and head back to the Jungfrau.
are spread out numerous peaks blanketed in snow. We get used to hanging stationary in the jetstream. The Jungfraujoch lies a thousand metres below, the fog- shrouded valley four thousand metres below us. On the horizon run the sweet little hillocks of the Jura. We head across to the Eiger, take a look at the frosty north face. It’s child’s play to fly over the Eiger summit, back towards the Mönch. The sun’s low already, and we soar out again. Even five hundred metres in front the air climbs smoothly into the evening. It’s a trance-like feeling. We are overwhelmed by the experience and hardly able to believe our luck. This is the middle of January, the first flight of the year, and we have already achieved our greatest paragliding dream.
Like a Jetstream Over there it’s even better. In no time at all we’re going up, three hundred metres in front of the summit wall. Soon we are far above the third highest mountain (4,158 m) in the Berner Alps. Below us advance.ch /advancedadventures
Keeping your B alance
#extreme #highline #basejumping
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Extreme in all respects.
Keeping your Balance On a highline between two paragliders Some like it tough, others look for extremes. Eliot Nochez combines both with his adventures. The acro pilot loves projects which others consider impossible. ‘Bob je quitte le navire’ (Bob, I’m leaving the ship) was exactly such a project. Together with pro slackliner Thibault Cheval and Julien Millot of the Flying Frenchies he actually achieved it.
“We are probably just being very childish”, says Eliot, and laughs. That’s what you might call it, if anyone has the idea to stretch a highline between two paragliders. “One day I was thinking about whether it would be possible to connect two paragliders with such a line”, explains Eliot. “I was probably influenced by the Flying Frenchies”. The French basejumpers had stretched a highline between two hot air balloons in 2014.
Eliot Nochez
Five flights a day The biggest challenge with this newfangled attempt was to make it completely safe. At that time Julien Millot was still involved with the Flying Frenchies. He would be flying the second paraglider. They began with intensive training. The most important and largest problem was that both paragliders had to be flying at the same height at the same speed in the same direction. To manage this Eliot and Julien flew five times a day for almost a week. Then followed an eight-day filming session. Each attempt was extremely expensive. First we had to walk to the takeoff, then prepare the wings and cameras and finally take off – that’s the whole team, including the two cameramen and photographers. The actual attempts on the highline lasted mostly a few seconds, Thibault had to be very quick. As soon as the pilots dropped the highline, it was down to land, pack everything and walk up to the takeoff again – for the next flight. “It all took an incredibly long time and was
very tiring,” recounted Eliot. “But for me this was exactly the reason why the project was so terrific.”
Find the correct balance The most difficult thing was to keep the line tensioned without deforming the paragliders too much. Although they must fly at the same speed, and basically in the same direction, the two wings also have to try to fly apart, by the right amount, to hold the line under tension. To find this balance required the greatest delicacy of paraglider handling. In addition, they had to be flying quite slowly. So Eliot and Julien needed most of the time to practise their coordination. Once they’d got the hang of it, Thibault could begin his balancing on the highline.
About Eliot Nochez has been flying for ten years. He does not just hang under a paraglider, exactly; you may come across the three-times French acro champion and 2015 World Cup winner kiting, skydiving and speedriding. Julien Millot first began climbing at age 24 and shortly afterwards caught the highlining bug. That was in 2008. The paraglider pilot, base-jumper and wingsuit acrobat is a joint founder of the Flying Frenchies.
Looking back, Eliot says the biggest challenge with this performance was not to have been too nervous – and, of course, not to get hurt. “We wanted to do something that no one had ever done before, and so broaden the possibilities of the sport”, he says.
Thibault Cheval has been climbing for as long as he can remember. Influenced by the ‘I believe I can fly’ Flying Frenchies film in 2012 he changed from slacklining to highlining. In 2015 he began base-jumping.
That is what the three achieved – no question. In the film ‘Bob je quitte le navire’ Eliot, Julien and Thibault tell of their adventure.
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Keeping your B alance
We wanted to explode the limits, be creative, because that’s what we did ...
“Then I sometimes go flying … by base-jump.”
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“As soon as I got the idea I contacted Thibault Cheval”, remembers Eliot. The professional slackliner had had the same idea and definitely wanted to try it. “At first the whole thing seemed completely mad. We thought it would be impossible, but the idea would not go away. After long consideration we both came to the same conclusion: ‘It’s doable.’
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Trans Kyrgyzstan
#volbiv #crosscountry #kyrgyzstan
Trans Kyrgyzstan Through the wilds of Kyrgyzstan on foot and by paraglider
Kirgistan, Kirgisistan, Kirgisien or Kyrgyzstan? Whatever the name you start with, the meaning continues through the language, culture and geographic situation. In the West hardly anyone knows anything about this central Asian republic between China and Kazakhstan. This was reason enough for Fred Souchon and his colleague Martin Beaujouan to find out something about this concealed country – by paraglider.
Trans Kyrgyzstan 57 Flying sites in paradise: at only 4% trees Kyrgyzstan is one of the least treed lands in Asia.
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“It was actually a look at the map that made us decide to go to Kyrgyzstan”, explained Fred Souchon. The Frenchman is a mountain rescuer in Chamonix and regularly flies on Mont Blanc and the mountains of Haute-Savoie. “But the Kyrgyzstan landscape looked interesting. The mountains in the east of the country especially promised good flights.” So he and Martin Beaujouan set off to wander through the country, on foot and by paraglider.
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Trans Kyrgyzstan
Each day up to 40 km Souchon and Beaujouan covered up to forty kilometres per day, and tried to fly as often as possible. This endeavour was not easy because the weather and wind here posed bigger challenges than expected. However, they managed some spectacular flights, that usually ended up somewhere in the Kyrgyzstan Steppe. “And there we met the local people. When they first saw us they usually looked up into the sky, searching for the aeroplane. They thought our wings must be parachutes. Some were so amazed to see two men with canopies like this that they asked us whether anyone had pushed us out against our will. Why else would we want to be here?,” described Souchon.
Communication by hands So we came to experience the visitor-friendliness of the Kyrgyz people: “We had a tent with us, but many of the locals invited us to stay in their yurts. It would be dangerous outside, they told us.” To start with Souchon and Beaujouan wanted to
pay, but quickly noticed that the Kyrgyz felt insulted by the gesture. “Hospitality to guests is very important. Everyone shares what they have – even if it’s hardly enough for their own family.”
Getting used to mare’s milk While the two Frenchmen became acclimatised to mare’s milk, the main source of nourishment, the hosts eagerly eyed the two visitors’ equipment. No one there had ever seen a paraglider. “To explain why we were making this journey I showed them pictures from Chamonix. They could then see that we also came from the mountains, and flew regularly there. Some of them had already heard of Mont Blanc.”
Vultures mark the thermals Many of the Kyrgyzstan peaks can be conveniently reached on foot. “This is how we eventually got to a mountain north of the Issyk Kul (warm lake). After a while we could see two vultures circling in a thermal. Time to go. After takeoff the flyers moved to the east, with the goal of reaching a 4,500 metre peak. To start with conditions were perfect – good thermals and almost no wind. The two pilots enjoyed an extended flight along the peaks. “250 kilometres are possible here”, declared Souchon. “Just flying along these 3000 to 4000 metre peaks.” But after about 50 kilometres the sky suddenly closed in. Big cumulonimbus clouds developed. Souchon and Beaujouan knew they had no choice – they had to land.
Campsite with a view: dinner in the extensive steppes of the Tian Shan mountains.
A sacrificial lamb Not far from their landing site there was actually a house. A fallen-down example if you want to be precise – more of a ruin than a human habitation. However, a man and daughter actually lived in it. Souchon and Beaujouan asked if they could shelter there for an hour or two, until the storm had abated. The hour or two became two days. The man begged them to stay. On the morning of the second day he woke the two Frenchmen before dawn and asked them to come outside with him. There he grabbed a lamb and knelt in prayer. While he prayed the sun came up from behind a mountain. The prayers were now ended, and without further ado he killed and butchered the lamb, and began to cook it. The Frenchmen took this to be a ritual supplication to the gods, but it turned out to be a special sign of friendship to visitors.
Sunglasses for children It was unthinkable that the French could leave without a present for their host. Fred Souchon had a selection of sunglasses that he had collected on Mont Blanc – for children. On the last day he gave his own sunglasses to his host, as a sort of thank you for the lamb. “He was hugely delighted, because he spends a lot of time high in the mountains with his lambs.”
Everyone shares what they have – even if it’s hardly enough for their own family. Fred Souchon
We will be back
Trans Kyrgyzstan
“Although we couldn’t fly as much as we would have liked, Kyrgyzstan is a wonderful place to fly. Most of the mountains are easy walk-ups, and below there are endless grassy expanses to land on.” That is why Fred Souchon and Martin Beaujouan will return, come what may – and with plenty of giveaways.
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Bilder © 2018 TerraMetrics, Kartendaten © 2018 Google
At 96% mountains Kyrgyzstan is perfect for hike & fly.
By the way, as well as Kyrgyzstan you can call it Kirgisistan or Kirgisien. It means ‘forty daughters’ from the tradition that the land was settled by forty families, from a variety of ethnic backgrounds.
Fred and Martin’s route west of Lake Issyk-Kul.
Equipment
IOTA
LIGHTNESS 2
About Fred Souchon is an avid mountaineer and paraglider pilot. The qualified mountain guide works for Chamonix Mountain Rescue. Martin Beaujouan has made paragliding his career since 2017 and specialises in hike & fly, climb & fly and cross country.
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Crossing Borders 60
What might the weather be like tomorrow? Lonely summit bivouac in the Himalayas.
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Crossing Borders
Crossing Borders
#volbiv #crosscountry #himalaya
Crossing the Himalayas from India to Nepal
1,200 km at heights of more than 7,000 m across the Himalayas: Sebastian Huber and Stefan Bocks took on a paragliding adventure tour from Ladakh, India, to Pokhara in Nepal lasting six weeks starting in October. Along the way the two Bavarians had a number of incidents to deal with. Flying was the least of their problems.
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Crossing Borders
Icy cold greets Basti at 7,106 metres.
The flight on 9th October 2017 will be one that Basti will never forget. “It was near Kashmir. We had blue thermals, got as high as 7,106 metres and had no problems! I was fully aware of what was going on and the cold was by no means as icy as I had expected at this height!” The following days were completely different. “Here we were lower, at 6,500 metres, and the thermals were forming clouds. Because of the higher humidity you really felt the cold,” says Basti.
Preparation Basti and Boxi had acclimatised well for this. On the 3rd October they were in Leh, Ladakh, at 3,500 m and from there walked four days into the Zanskar Valley and along the Indus up to 5,000 m. Then followed the flight that reached 7,000 m, celebrated by a landing amongst jubilant youngsters. The Bavarians had equipped themselves well, even against the expected low temperatures. “One of the most important items of equipment were the gloves”, says Basti. When preparing they were able to fall back on a considerable pool of experience: two X-Alps participations, but also previous solo vol-biv adventures. All the assembled equipment found some use somewhere. Even the leggings. “Right to the end!” laughed Basti. They had forgotten to get their propane supplies in Ladakh so they burned to the leggings to boil water and cook soup!
Peaks without end: The Himalayas, the largest mountain range on Earth.
When you fly around at 7,000 metres for the first time in your life – that is brutal. Sebastian Huber
“The flying was the least of our problems.”
Training is everything
Bureaucratic Complexity
Map Data @ 2017 Google
The bureaucracy in India can be more complicated. When Basti landed 200 metres from the police station in Keylong he was arrested. Basti did not know that paraglider flying was not tolerated here. After a day of tough discussion it emerged that he could not be penalised because he had taken off in another district. A contribution of 10 dollars got his equipment back. In the meantime Boxi, whom he had lost sight of during the flight, had arrived in Keylong on foot, and the two travelled to the Rohtang Pass by bus. There followed a wonderful flight with
Crossing Borders
vultures to Bir Billing, the well-known Indian XC spot.
Arrests and long flights On 16th October, two vol-bivouac days after Bir and six days after the first arrest, followed the next; at the Gangotri National Park check point. Flying is forbidden here. Actually, neither of them wanted to fly – just get their passes! After long negotiations and a fine of 200 dollars they were allowed to proceed to Gangotri – by bus. The next day they took the bus further towards the valley, alongside a bottomless abyss – over scree, rubble and loose gravel. It is a hellish journey. Passengers were throwing up out of the windows and the driver “drove like a hitman”, describes Basti. After ten kilometres they made a hasty escape. In the coming two days they would be repaid for their troubles by two really relaxing flights of 110 and 75 kilometres over short grass and wooded mini-hills.
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At the end of a long flying day they would land in the mountains when possible, at heights mostly above 3,500 m. It makes it possible to cover impassable ground, and is a much faster way to get around, but you have to be careful. Takeoff at high altitude is often very demanding because of the stronger winds. “My training before the X-Alps, and the many hours under the OMEGA XALPS 2, were of great value”, says Basti.
The next shock followed on October 21st. Boxi had quietly landed not far from
The route: 1,200 kilometres across the Himalayas.
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About Stefan „Boxi“ Bocks has been flying since 1988, is a cross-country champion, finished 3rd and 5th in the X-Alps 2001 and 2005 and is always engaged in adventurous bivouac flying, such as the newsworthy 1,000 km through the Pamirs from Tadjikistan to Kyrgyzstan. New day, new fortune – despite the new snow.
On the Himalaya adventure he flew with a LIGHTNESS XALPS 2017 and used a LIGHTPACK. After his second place in the X-Alps
Crossing Borders
no longer an unknown in the paragli-
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2015 Sebastian „B asti“ H uber is
and prefers to be out and about, immer-
ding scene. The forester began flying in 2008, to save his legs when coming down from the mountains. The ADVANCE team pilot is a mountain sportsman and adventurer through and through, sed in nature.
Equipment
Prayer flags in the wind – picture-book Nepal.
OMEGA XALPS 2
Transport by tuk-tuk: the price is negotiable.
LIGHTNESS XALPS
Crossing Borders 65
Dialogue of light and shade in the western Himalayas.
Darchula on the India/Nepal border, but was picked up by police in the town. He was repeatedly interrogated, with a light being shone in his face. He blogged: “Just like the Stasi.” Basti landed at 2000 m ten kilometres away. He was keen to avoid further grief with the authorities, but as he met up with Boxi at the hotel the whole police force turned up! Basti was grilled for an hour in the hotel room, his equipment and mobile phone given a going over. Then both pilots were released. Next day they got their passports back, but were not immediately able to leave the country.
Difficult exit They had to travel 250 kilometres south towards Mahendranagar in order to leave the country. It took a full day’s bumpy bus ride out into the flatlands, before they could make a successful border crossing into Nepal, and then followed a taxi ride back again into the mountains. Basti and Boxi could then resume their vol-bivouac adventure. They pressed on through impenetrable tiger country, where Basti had to keep climbing trees to check out their direction, onwards towards Pokhara,
until they got separated while flying and lost contact with each other on October 27th in a cloud.
The arrival Basti flew to the south, to escape the low cloudbase and bad weather that threatened from the north, and followed the most direct route to Pokhara. His tactics worked out. Four days later, in the evening, he landed in the Nepalese paragliding mecca. To the north Boxi was snowed in and had to wait. In the meantime Basti decided to go home to his girlfriend and family. His imaginary pot of new experiences was full to the brim. “I saw so much”, he said. “All the things I was able to experience with Boxi, but also alone, were amazing!“ But there comes a time when enough is enough. After discussion with Boxi he brought his return flight forward by a week.
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Nicolas on the Mรถnch SE ridge, Aletschhorn in the background.
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Peak Trilogy
#climbandfly #speedclimbing #eigermoenchjungfrau
Peak Trilogy Eiger, Mรถnch and Jungfrau in one day
As Nicolas Hojac set out from Stechelberg on the 18th June to summit the Jungfrau, Mรถnch and Eiger, the 24-year-old not only had an ice axe and crampons in his baggage, but also a PI 2 16. When the young alpinist arrived in Grindelwald scarcely 12 hours later, he also had a new speed record in the bag. Here he describes the experience.
Who hasn’t heard of them? Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau, the world famous threesome in the heart of the Alps. Year round thousands of tourists flock to the Jungfraujoch to get a close look at this fantastic mountain world.
Not without my wing It was these three summits that inspired my project. This would not be a classic expedition. In my pack I had a small paraglider, to make each descent somewhat simpler. My idea was to get from Stechelberg to Grindelwald, via the summits of the Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau, as quickly as possible.
Forgoing the traditional sleep I set off from Stechelberg at midnight, and made my way towards the Jungfrau. After about five hours I had already reached the summit. I lay out my PI 2 and glided down to the Jungfraujoch. Without the wing I wouldn’t have dared to climb down the crevasse-ridden glacier alone to the Joch. After a roughish landing I packed up the paraglider and climbed again up to the Mönch. A gusty north east wind was blowing in my face on the summit and I quickly assessed that it was too risky to launch the wing. Actually I was more concerned about the next landing because my intended spot was directly in the lee of the Eiger. The turbulence that could be generated down there might make this landing dangerous.
Eiger 3.970 m
Mönch 4.107 m
Jungfrau 4.158 m
Descent on foot So I climbed down on foot along the north ridge and crossed the Eigerjoch to the Eiger summit. Here the wind was more favourable, but not exactly perfect. The Eiger takeoff is very exposed and does not allow for mistakes. A stop decision or failed attempt is not an option here. So I decided to climb down and take off by the Geneva Pillar where the rock slopes a little less.
Peak Trilogy
Start at midnight
Successful takeoff on the Eiger Geneva Pillar.
About
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In recent years the sport of paragliding has taken a great leap forward. Wings have not only become lighter and safer, but they take up less space when packed. With my PI 2 16, which only weighs 2.05 kg, I can get around the mountains easily and quickly – despite having a paraglider in my pack.
It was via a language stay that Nicolas
From zero to thirty degrees
Hojac came to mountain and rock clim-
I flew directly from zero degrees to a hot 30-degree valley. Before folding the glider I had to sit down. The descent spiral had pushed the blood into my legs. I was now feeling the effects of lack of sleep. 11 hours and 43 minutes after leaving Stechelberg, 4,300 vertical metres and 31.5 kilometres later I was back in Grindelwald. The many experiences of the previous hours could hardly be described. I’ll be dining out on them for some time!
bing. At eighteen the Bern polytechnic student climbed the north face of the Eiger for the first time. Since then he’s done it another ten times, one of which, when he was 24, set the team speed record with Ueli Steck in 3 hours 46 minutes. The young climbing professional has notably mastered remote mountain ranges in other parts of the world, including the Tian Shan and the Karakoram.
Equipment
Wings have become not only lighter and safer, but their pack volume is smaller.
PI 2 16
Nicolas Hojac
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Publishing Details
Publishing Details Publisher: ADVANCE Thun AG, Uttigenstrasse 87, 3600 Thun, Switzerland Concept & Idea: Simon Campiche Editing: Mirjam Hempel Layout: Bänz Erb Maps & Computer Graphics: Mark Oertig Coordination: Rahel Wittwer Translation: Mike Riley Proofreading: Charlotte King Title picture: Alex d’Emilia Get inspired | Picture: Thomas Ulrich (P. 74) Climb & Fly Peru | Text: Peter Salzmann | Pictures: Peter Salzmann (P. 6, 8, 10), Wolfgang Rainer (P. 11) Lake to Lake | Text: Adi Geisegger | Pictures: Adi Geisegger (all) XC Adventure Brazil | Text: Simon Campiche | Pictures: Jan Sterren (P. 18, 20, 22, 24, 25), Adi Seitz (P. 23, 25) Direttissima 2.0 | Text: Mirjam Hempel | Pictures: Thomas Ulrich (P. 27, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33), Bruno Petroni (P. 31), Valentin Luthiger (P. 32) Go with the Flow | Text: Mirjam Hempel | Pictures: Beni Kälin (all) Fascination K ilimanjaro | Text: Christian Mörken | Pictures: Julian Beermann (P. 37, 39, 41, 43), Yitzhack Mmasi (P. 41), Bruno Piller (P. 42, 43) Project BZ’ALPS | Text: Mirjam Hempel | Pictures: Bänz Erb (all), Irantzu Olondo Elorduy (P. 46) Soaring Giants | Text: Max Mittmann | Pictures: Greg Blondeau (P. 49), Max Mittmann (P. 51, 53), Jérôme Maupoint (P. 52) Keeping your B alance | Text: Christian Mörken | Pictures: Alexandra Cuper (P. 67, 55) Trans Kyrgyzstan | Text: Christian Mörken | Pictures: Martin Beaujouan (P. 57, 59), Fred Souchon (P. 58) Crossing Borders | Text: Mirjam Hempel | Pictures: Basti Huber (all) Peak Trilogy | Text: Nicolas Hojac | Pictures: Daniel Bleuer (P. 66, 67, 68), Thomas Senf (P. 67 ) Summer 2018 © ADVANCE
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