Cross Country Magazine - November/December 2014 by tomjmul

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KEA Simplicity

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3.3kg M size Real size glider Real performance Low pack volume Bend of Skylex 27 & 32 fabric High tech precision construction

It has all it needs,

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AriSMSSSTV

Do you warn U know mare about t i e SENSIS7

Scan t k c Oft co3eor ask your local dealer

I S l U r ^ B r M www.swing.de I paragliders I mimwings I speed riders I harnesses I rescues

> FEELING PECKISH Griffon vulture looks dose. Photo: Soldt/iStock

NOV - DEC 2014

CONTENTS

50 58 66 74

Birds of a Feather "There's no reason they should outclimb you." Andy Pag clips in and follows the birds.

Speeding Points "It's super easy. Too easy!" Arnaud Baumy explains how to get into speedriding safely.

Red Hot Loreto Hurtado introduces Chile - from endless days in Iquique in the north lo thermallin^ in Santiago.

Checkmate Marcus King jumps on the EN A bandwagon and flies a classic route in the south of France.

80 88 92 98

vNEED FORSPEED Winter in the Alps. Photo: Jerome Maupoint

Zero Degrees Andy Busslinger and Werner Bosch head into the hills for a winter hikc-and-fly with a difference.

Rush Hour Traffic "Class crushing performance" is the promise - Bob Drury takes delivery of the new Ozone Rush 4, EN B.

Horizontal Shift "The wing surges forward, jumps up and we're off'' We test the Vista III, the latest EN B from Apco Aviation.

'Breathing w a s a bit hard' Babak Kouhi and friends get a ride to space in the Zagros Mountains of Iran.

LAUNCH - Editorial 8 - Gallery 10-15 - In The Core 16 - BASE - News and New Products18-30 • Naked Pilot 32 - My Line 34 - What's On 36 • IQ - Insight 38 Bruce Goldsmith's Icaristics 40 • Meteorology 42 - Heavyweight Issues 44 - Jon Chambers 46 - XC Files 48 - Destination 86 - REVIEWS - Neo String Pack 96 CONTENTS CROSS COUNTRY 156

LAUNCH

_JCross

Countn E d i t o r : E d I ••••• i Associate editor, designer; Marcus King

Subeditor: Charlie King Columnists: Bruce G o l d s m i t h , H o n z a Rejmanek and Jon Chambers A d v e r t i s i n g : Verity Sowden S u b s c r i p t i o n s : Verity S o w d e n & Celine R o d r i g u e z A c c o u n t s : Carol Harrison Publisher: H u g h Miller

Cross C o u n t r y International Ltd Tollgate. B e d d i n g h a m

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Fax: + 4 4 ( 0 ) 1 2 7 3 7 8 4 9 7 6 Editorial: editorg>xcmag.com News: news@xcmag.com

D u t i n g t h e G I N W i d e O p e n in S e p t e m b e r . Photo: Jerome Maupoint

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ome of our best moments are when we fly with birds, "It's like swimming with dolphins, but in the air," is how I explain it to non-flying friends. Having a bird on the wing, tip, or following one to a thermal, leaves an indelible memory that lasts far longer than the feeling of satisfaction (or otherwise) of the flight. I think about flights where I have encountered birds. We used to fly with a kestrel on a soaring site near where I grew up. We'd approach from behind, level, and watch its wings beat as it hovered, watching the ground for movement, seemingly oblivious to us. We weren't a threat. in Australia i was scrali.iiini; in zeroes, drifting nowhere, a few hundred feet above a dusty paddock. A family of wedge tailed eagles showed me the lift and, switching off the vario, I flew with them to near base. In Brazil the urubus, black vultures, didn't even seem to circle, they just went up, flying zig-zags, in the mellow air. Circling I sank, but switching to follow their lazy beats I maintained, drifting with their gaggle like smoke. Soaring the coast in South India, the fresh Indian Ocean wind keeping our toes clean of sand, there were so many birds of prey and vultures it felt like flying inside a bird-filled snowdome. A young eagle bounced into my

CROSS COUNTRY

156

LAUNCH

lines and started to slide down before flying through. And of course in the north of that country there are the biggest of them all the Himalayan griffon vultures that hitch a ride on your leading edge as you glide. Watching them as their wingtip feathers feel the wind, like i- ghost playing a piano, you realise how effortless it all is for them, how much you can learn from them. Closer to home it's Red Kites and Buzzards in England. Effortless evening soaring inches above the grass or hitching in close as they climb rowdily, feathers flying, in a spring thermal. Further north it's always a glimpse from afar: a black speck, could be an eagle or an usp'rv. Probably an eagle, you reckon. Vultures now dot the European skies, European griffons in the Pyrenees climb in flocks of scores. And in the Alps I sat in the fog on Annecy one early spring as something almost prehistoric soared silently past, coming through the gloom like an ancient pterodactyl. A Lammergeier, Europe's biggest raptor at 2.Sim wingspan, was down below the snowline looking lor c.irrion. Moments like that stay with you for a long time. Happy Hying - and enjoy the issue. ]'.<{ I w i n g

cditoi [.-rxcmag.com

CONTRIBUTORS Crass C o u n t r y relies o n contributions f r o m pilots around the world. Please send us your news, story

We'd love to see t h e m .

SUPPORTING US publication and is available t h r o u g h subscription and shops. W e publ -h -i> issues d year, in print and

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THE LAW Cross Country (ISSN No 03.1080, USPS No. 024-012) is pubfehed bi-monthly by Cross Country hitenvitional and distributed in the USA by by SPP17B S Midrlcso Ave, Monroe POSTMASTER: send address changes to Cross Country. T7B S M.l.llr".-. '"•v-' Moil- rn N . i:-S"i"l C l . l . i . ,:, ,| i ; I : I H ^ . H | . | . I ' Tlii'[.|]iiii:.iis •iil',in,i.j."iiiiLijrwtnecessa , ily reflect the opiiior

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IN THE CORE

XContest 2014: Movers and shakers Honorin Hamard (FR, Niviuk lcepeak 6) won the World JCContest 2014 (paragliding) when the season closed at the end of September. He racked up six amazing flights, all in Quixada, Brazil in November last year: 438.42km, 424.77km, 369.1km, 344.7km, 341.87km, 327.15km. That put him at the top of the leaderboard early in the season, and he stayed there. Bernhard Pessl (AT, Nova Mentor 3) was second, and showcased the other way to score well in the contest, completing six big triangles (five FAI, one flat) in the Italian and Austrian Alps. That included his mega 300.65km FAI triangle. Seb Benz (CH, Nova Factor 2) was in third place - he's been chipping JW ay chasing the 400km mark in Australia for a few seasons now, and last year nearly made it with a 375.26km flight from Deniliquin. All up he made five 300km+ flights. The same three topped the Open Class and the Serial Class. In the Sport Class, Bernie and Seb were lirsl ;i:id second, with Christoph Bcssci {DE, Mentor 3) in third. In the Standard Class, it was Bernie, Christoph Bessei and Stefan Lauth (DE, Nova Mentor 3 Light). In the Women's Class, Brigitte Kurbel (DE, UP Trango X-Light 2) topped the table, mainly flying alpine triangle, including one at 211.41km. Kari Roberson (AU, Mentor 3) and Nicole McLearn (CA, 16

CROSS C O U N T R Y 156 IN THE CORE

T T O P O F T H E CLASS

Niviuk Peak 3) were second and third in the class of 374 pilots. In total, there were 6,615 paraglider pilots in the contest. In hang gliding, Tom Weissenberger (AT, Litespeed RS 3.5) came out top. He spent a season in Chile and came home with four 300km flat triangles (364.95km, 361.8km, 352km, 347km), which pinned him to first for the whole year. Markus Ebenfeld {DE, Icaro Laminar Z9) was second, flying six 200km+ triangles in the German Alps, while Beat Sagesser (CH, Aeros) was third, racking up the big triangles in the Swiss Alps. 'Ihere are 455 pilots in the I IG XContesf. On Class 5 rigids, Mark Haycraft (FR, Atos VR 11) won the class - flying six 200km triangles from Chabre in France. His biggest was 291.26km. Patrick Ruber (DE, Atos VRS) and Capelle Bruno (FR, Atos VR) were second and third. Eighty pilots in the class. In the niche world that is Class 2 rigid wing flying, Jacques Bott (FR, Swift Light) won the class. He flew two huge triangles - 476km and 361km - in Namibia, and four monsters from his home site of Aspres, France, too: 380km, 408km, 318km and 308km. Roger Ruppert (CH, Archaeopteryx) and Ernst Ruppert (CH, Archaeoptryx) were second and third. Twentythree pilots make up the class. H www.xcon test, o rg

MENTOR 4 - gets you further More technology, more know-how, more performance; The MENTOR 4 is the next milestone in the XC intermediate class. As well as improving its performance across the whole polar curve, the MENTOR 4 also offers refined handling in thermals, balanced roll damping and even better climb characteristics. And thanks to its compact sail, the wing has gained efficiency and is also faster. Better glide. Better

landling. MENTOR 4 (EN B] - the XC machin

NOm

CROSS COUNTRY 156

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aul makes (he turnpoint. =hoto: Harald Tauderer/ Red Bull Content Pool

GUSCHLBAUER W I N S DOLOMITENMANN

aul Guschlbauer won the flying part of the Red Bull Dolomitenmann event in Austria in September, helping put his team of multi-sport adventure athletes on the podium. Now in its 27th year the Dolomitenmann is one of the toughest one-day relay races out there and comprises mountain running, paragliding, Whitewater kayaking and mountain biking. Each athlete has to complete their leg of the race before the next one can start. Starting and finishing in the town of Lienz in eastern Austria the course varies each year but typically takes in a 12km mountain run, two flights with a run in between, a kayak with an 'alpine start' featuring a seven-metre drop-in, and then a 27km mountain bike ride uphill. This year over 100 teams started out and the top five teams all finished within six minutes of each other. The winning team, Adidas Outdoor, won in 4:07:57. Paul Guschlbauer was on Team Red Bull, and was put in ,i ureal position at the start by his teammate, mountain-runner Ahmet Asian. "Ahmet came in fourth," Paul said afterwards, "making me start my race right behind [pilots] Christian Anion, |akob Hermann and Lorenz Peer.

"Jakob took off just in front of me and it seemed to me that he tried to play it safe, flying to the other side of the valley. 1 took advantage of that and passed him at about one-third of the flying distance, "But I knew that during the steep and exhausting running part which was ahead of us, Jakob would be very fast - and he was." Jakob passed Paul on the race up the skislope to the next take-off, but with, a "perfect second flight, landing and run to the goal" Paul got ahead again, putting his team in second place overall. Tire two flights and run take around half an hour. The final paragliding ranking was: Paul Guschlbauer 30:46 min; Jakob Hermann 31:23 mini Aaron Durogati: 31:34 min. Overall the team positions were Adidas Outdoor, Kolland Topsport and Team Red Bull in third. Like many of the pilots Paul was flying a Skywalk Tonic. "It's a Dolomitenmann race machine! Thirteen of the top 15 pilots were Some 45,000 spectators watched the race this year. Founded in 1988 by self-described "tough guy" Werner Grissmann, a former World Cup skier, the Dolomitenmann is a yearly event. Now sponsored by Red Bull, the winning team takes home â&#x201A;Ź15,000. M

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â&#x20AC;˘:......, BASE ADVANCE'S LIGHTNESS 3

Advance unveiled their new Lightness 2 pod harness at the Coupe Icare.with the Hrst production models evpei led mid-November. Despite weighing just 2.Ski; :i.O;)kg (depending on size), Advance say it is a full-on cross country harness, with an integrated reserve and certified back protector. It comes with its own dedicated rucksack, the l.ightpaek 2, which uses a lightweight inner to ensure a tidy, compact package that is comfortable to carry. Available in tl

BRIEF

O r a n g e Cross Swing's Orange Cross design reserve: a pull-down apex with outlet ports on the comers which offers good pendulum stability, even in strong or unfavourable wind conditions. Fast opening is combined with a low sink rate and thanks to modern materials and a simplified packing method it packs small and is nice and light, say Swing.

M i n i Beamer High Adventure have made a small Beamer 3 steerable rescue parachute, certified to 90kg and with an extended weight limit of 100kg for experienced Rogallo users.. The Beamer 3 small is available in standard and lightweiqht versions and weighs 1.23kg.

GIN'S GENIE X-ALPS Also on show at the Coupe Icare was GIN's Genie X-Alps harness, an ultra-light (2kg in size M) cocoon harness aimed at hike-and-fly and XC adventure pilots. It's based on the harness used by GIN athletes in the 2013 X-Alps, and is constructed from highstrength lightweight Dyneema. It has a 14cm mousse airbag, and six sizes, which ens tailored fit.OI v'ifii-:fiiiiglif/w!..fiwi

MACPARA'S HAVEN

C o u p e Icare online and about with cameras asking questions at the Coupe Icare. Check our YouTube page for gear interviews with Neo, Flytec, Advance, Ozone, SupAir (pictured), ASI and Oudie.

CROSS C O U N T R Y 156

Mcf.r.wliilr, thi' 1 Liven is M;-irl';-i]",is new cocoon harness, offering "excellent glider feedback and comfort tor long flights'! 'The pod is made of a stretchy material that keeps its sleek shape, and the harness adjusters and riser attachments are covered up for a smooth finish. The back fabric is breathable, it has an underseat reserve ntainer and lightweight buckles and a carbon eatplate. The harness weighs 5.45kg including 23cm foam back protection and karabiners, and is available in three sizes. EH

SUP'AIR'S DELIGHT 2

OZONE'S F LITE

Sup Air's Delight 2 was also on show at the Coupe Icare. A hammock-style lightweight pod harness tor experienced XC pilots, it has a removable mini seatplate and an integrated cockpit with removable instrument plate. The speed bag is also removable, with i carbon footrest. The seating position is '3/4 reclined' and the two-step spcedbar uses Harken pulleys. EN/I.TF certified it has a 15cm Bumpair back protector and a dorsal reserve pocket; handle on the right. Available in three sizes, it weighs 3.66kg. 01 www.supair. com

Pinned to a drawing board at the Coupe Icare was Ozone's new 99g hike-and-rly harness, the PLite. The structural integrity is all in the Dyneema thread, which has been stitched onto the tissue-paper-thin cloth according to load requirements. Carbon compression bars give it extra structure in the legs. The brief slip of a harness has passed EN load tests at 15G forlOOkg - and apparently the designer, Fred Pieri (pictured, smiling), has flown it. Available next year.lH www.flyozone.com

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step B A S E

SMALL &FAST

The X-Factor Neo's X-Ride is a competition speedriding wing offering. "The peak of today's speedriding performance." Available in in 8, 9 and 10m2 sizes it is

FOURTH GENERATION \(IVJ'S hit; surprise at Lhi' Coupe Icare was announcing the arrival of the new Mentor 4 - ^ H Nova say its performance is belter than the i). Mentor 3 by half a glide point, and it offers refined handling in (hernials, balanced roll damping and even better climb characteristics. A Mt weight conscious design, it's lighter than the Mentor 3, but with reinforcement in vulnerable places. Available in live sizes, Nova sav i( is aimed at experienced pilots who fly regularly. Ill

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load tested to 6G. Weighs 2-2.5kg. wflyneo.com

i skiing. Certified EN1651 it eighs just 290g. You can even buy it integrated into a ski-suit.

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U N D E R A CLOUD

Goose 2 Little Cloud's upgrade to the Goose is the Goose 2. It's aimed at pilots who might usually fly an EN C wing, but LC don't plan to certify it because of what they call "the philosophy drift" of the EN norm. Easy inflation, easy launch, pitchstability and direct handling are promised. Two sizes: 21 and 22m2, www.littledoud.fr

CROSS COUNTRY 156

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Little Cloud have replaced the original Spirul with the Spiruline EZ, available in six sizes ranging from 9 to 24m2. Built "100% for pleasure1' they say it is playful, intuitive and direct. A three-liner, it is more compact than the original with a low aspect ratio and large cells. LC say it is very collapse-resistant. They have almost eliminated span wobble, so it feel; nicer on glide, and it is more efficient, more intuitive and more precise to handle. Size-wisi it's a case of choose your weapon. The tiniest are hyper-re active and fast; the largest are for beginners, travelling and hike-and-fly adventures, but XC-able too. IB www.titttectoud.fr

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MACPARA'S MUSE

BRIEF AustriAlpin recall AustriAlpin

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MacPara have released the fourth generation of their EN A begin ner-to-XC wing. They say the Muse 4 is safe, durable and performant. Tt is available in five si?os covering weight ranges from 60-135kg all-up, and is suitable for powered flight. The company have also released a lightw version of their EN C Elan. It is 1.5kg lighter than the Elan, but has "the same sporty handling and climb performance, with a good glide across the whole speed range" Available

com/n2y8m3v for affected batch go about receiving free replacement karabiners. www. a us triaIp in, a (

SONIC BOOM Sol have high expectations tor the Sonic 31), the latest in their line of competition aero and freestyle Sonics. Built for strength and durability, they have used WTX40 (40g/m3) fabric, and carbon/mylar reinforcements, internal bracing and short lines. Sol say the glider is direct and sensitive to fly, with short and precise brake travel, and strong reactions h extreme manoeuvres. It's available in one size, 18m2, and is uncertified. Experts only. IB

Novas Try and Buy Nova have introduced a Try and Buy'scheme to their new-look nearby Nova dealer and book a demo wing (or n leit fliglr. using rr

Vista III Apco have announced two further sizes of their all-round intermediate EN B Vista III: XS and L now join the S and M sizes to complete the range, which now covers in-flight weights from 55-1iOkg.

CROSS C O U N T R Y 156

TOMA TAKES OFF Lightweight specialists Skyman have released their EN C CrossAlps wing Tonia Coconea came third on in this year's X-Pyr. They say it combines performance and speed with safety in a compact package (3.8kg-4.2kg). Designed lor hike-and-fly or mountain adventures design details include a 'take-off support' to keep the wing from falling down a steep launch, and a strand of red running through the Dyneema ri you can see if they are twisted. Available in three sizes, 70-125kg. tW

We are incorporating the latest technologies into all of our wings, with some inovalions of our own. In every detail, you can be sure that your 777 wing is a state of the art machine that will take you far and safe.

P A W N A ROOK?"? QUEEN W SKEWER

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cro*»-COunlry flying adventures. Glider's technical design is ontha

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A wing that surprised many with its great performance and stability in flight while pushing trie speed to its . The wing n ! villi all yruul

z^jiv; pilots practising mountaineering, I fly adventures or pilots enjoying in »pe«d ud'untiliiic lidos down

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INFINITY 4

BRIEF

U-Turn have released the Infinity 4. Despite the name suggesting a succession, the wing has been designed new from the ground up. U-Turn promise "subtle handling and sweet-tempered characteristics" and pitch it as a true low-end EN B wing. It's aimed at "talented beginners" as a second wing or for pilots stepping down. Designer Ernst Strobl says be wanted it to be agile,flexibleand fast, but at the same time "particularly safe" The glider seems to have delivered: it rated 79 As and only two Bs during certification. M

Paramotoring: Essential G u i d e Paramotoring: The Essential Guide is the latest book from Crass Country's book publishing division- With world record holder Dean Eldridge at the helm it cover everything you need to know about flying powered paragliders. including advice on converting from paragliding, need-to-know about flying reflex wings, and how to keep your engine in top shape. Available from dealers and in the XC Shop now. with delivery from 28

No-

mber.

Aero tow in Nepal Avia Club Nepal (Pokhara) are now offering microlight aerotows for hang gliders. See

Brauniger leaves t h e building Flytec has announced that all

ASI'S FLYNETXC ASI's little FlyNetXC is probably the smallest GPS/vario on the market. The 50g gadget contains an accurate GPS, sensitive pressui sensor and audio variometer and accelerator and a battery that lasts 12 hours. It has Bluetooth 4.0 LE (lc energy) technology and A USB port, and its functions can be set from your smartphonc, PC, Mac tablet. It can be used with a smartphonc or tablet for crosscountry flying. The FAI/FIVL valid IGC record is compatible with all XC the world. Price is t280 before ta www.flynet-varto.com

Brauniger instruments are to be sold under the brand name Flytec from the end of 2014. The two companies merged a decade ago. but until now have continued to sell very similar products.

mmfirtmcMm Nova's pilots o f t h e year Nova's Pilots of the Year awards went to Austrians Berni Pessl, Tomy Hofbauer and Vera Polaschegg this year. Young German pilots Luca Bayer and Timon Weber were named Nova's Newcomers of the Year. The awards are given for XC flying and being a good team player.

CROSS COUNTRY 156

IN HIS ELEMENT Under Joerg Ewald's direction Flytec have hit the market with the Element flight instrument. The GPS vario is based on the 6015 but has a modern look, with a new keyboard design, clearer screen and easier-to-use menu system and four coluur choices. It offers simple airspace warning, with direction and distance information, and optimised route guidance tor competition tasks. It connects to your computer via micro USB, and you can upload waypoints, airspace and software updates and download tracks in IGC or Google Earth format. D

GOPRO FOR ALL GoPro have also released the Hero, a low cost, easy to use entry-level version that captures 1080p video at 30FPS and 720p at up to 60FPS, and five-megapixel stills with a fiFPS burst mode. Waterproof to

Go all day Brunton have released a longlasting All Day battery that will extend the power of your GoPro by up to four times the specified runtime. You can also use it to power standard smartphones. www. brunton.com

Bamboo shades Seed Eyewear sunglasses are mac from bamboo. The Slovenian couple behind the company are and designed the glasses "to prov

NEW GOPROS GoPro's Hero 4 has arrived. The Hcro4 Black is the all-singing, all-dancing model, which captures 4k video at 30FPS. Or you can record lower-res at higher rates, 1080p/720p at up to 120FPS, great for slow-motion capture. The stills capture is now 12 megapixels with a 30FPS burst mode, and the camera has improved low-light capabilities, rusto mi sable exposure settings and shutter speeds of up to 30 seconds. You can control it using the optional remote or smartphone app using Bluetooth or WiFi. Meanwhile the lower-spec Hero4 Silver model has lower-res capture, but the benefit of a touchscreen on the back. Both are waterproof to 40m. RRP £369.99 and £289.99. fM www.gopro.com

quality doesn't have to cost the planet". Five trees are planted for every pair of shades bought.

STEADY Too cool Talking of shad, Rogney won our unofficial annual •olest Shades' award this year We found him on the South Launch looking groovy, a T-shirt!

CROSS C O U N T R Y 156 WHAT'S NEW

GoPros have no internal image stabilisation, but :ompany Feiyu Tech have made a handheld gimbal to help you get sle.uly shots. It inns hum i c( balneal) I e batteries inside the handle. The aircraft mount' version designed for drones but could be mounted anywhere. EM

Hoy,,

BACK IN THE DAY 2 5 Y e a r s ago *"^3FI '/\ The first issue of 1990 was packed with groundbreaking achievements. Pilots had been in Namibia slaying dragons (Xavier Remond flew 130km for a new PG world record) but the standout story was from Fred Locw and Gillcs Santantonio who had gone way off the beaten track in Kazakhstan. They returned with stories of drinking vodka at 9am, epic walks across the steppe looking for take-offs and amazing encounters with the Kazakh eagle hunters of Mongolia. More used to hunting with eagles from horseback

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it wasn't long before Fred and M ^—** Gilles were i id; strapping in the locals and giving them taster flights. L^^^ "Golden eagles are sensitive," they write, "with cample x psychology." Human needs were more basic. "We roasted mutton and drank vodka, In ng into the night." Friendships formec memories made. Of

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10 Years ago In May 2004 Angelo d'Arrigo attempted to hang glide over Everest, towed by Richard Meredith-Hardy's microlight. Preparations included experiencing 1 OOkm/h winds in Fiat's windtunnel, and using the Italian Air Force's hypobaric chamber. On the day, all went well until the towrope broke, somewhere around the height of Everest. Trussed up in his down suit Richard was unable to see Angelo, only imagining him with 65 metres ol rope wrapped around him. But, "the summit of Everest was just

there in front of me so I flew by'! He recorded a max altitude of 9,129m. Clouds materialised and it was a race to make the Syangboche landing before it disappeared from view but despite a stud throttle he did. Poor Angelo landed 'bruis but OK', four rescue days away. Still, says Richard, "We'd done it - and lived!" " Dl

That was then...

-CO; •J\J

""""""•Wide Bill and Molly Moyes flying tandem in Australia October collecting Bill's FAI Gold Medal for a

arly 1970s. And Bill and Molly in Thailand in r sports. Congratulations both!

^Vo^

CROSS COUNTRY 156

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The lightweight version or our bestseller TEQUILA4 will convince you not only with its low weight and small packing volume With our lightweight features we have also made the launch behavior, performance and handling of the TEfJLHLAi even better Starting at just 3.9 kg. the A M R I B A I is the ideal choice for hike&fly. travel, or everyday flying at your home mountain Convince yourselF with a test Flight!

IRE PASSION IR FLYING www.skywaik.mfa

4 HERE I AM on the South Launch at the Coupe Icare in September. Photo: Ed Ewing

THE NAKED PILOT

FABIO BARRETTOFAVA I'm an ancient aero pilot! I'm from Florianopolis in Brazil. I've flown since 1996 and I've done aerobatics since 2000. I'm the only below-the-knee amputee to infinite tumble. In July 2012 I had an accident Base jumping in northern Italy. I couldn't find the deployment handle until it was nearly too late. By the grace of God I found it on the second attempt. I landed with a partially opened parachute. I was conscious and felt my foot explode inside my shoes. I tried to stay calm and shouted for help from my friends. After 12 minutes they found me. They were impressed I was so calm. When I was eventually transferred to a helicopter I thought I only had a few minutes left. I was in surgery for six hours. 1 decided to have my foot amputated because it was going to take 20 years to really know how it was going to he. So I decided, No, I need to fly now, I'm already 40 years old and I need to start doing the things that I love. And here I am. We are shooting a movie about my decision to amputate and my love for flying. This decision was due to the love 1 have tor the air. I couldn't run or land or take off anymore. So I decided to give up my foot, but not give up my life.

My prosthetic is very simple engineering. It's a Vari-Flex model, made by a company called Ossur. It's modular, and it's the best. You don't have a lot of pieces to break or mechanical parts, it's just two screws. I have my own knee. It's a transtibial amputation. It's a bit like a running blade but it's more like a real foot, so it's better for regular walking. Normally the ' C doesn't have a heel so you can't stand, you need to be moving all the time. This one is for shoes, regular use. 1 fly a U-Turn Thriller, 18m2. I'm U-Turn's man in Brazil. My harness is a Sup'Air Aero 3.1 have support from them. And my reserve is a

1 use a Brauniger IQ-One and couple GoPro 3s for filmmaking. I've been coming to the Coupe Icare : 2004. Back then I did some heli-jumps: hopefully this year, if they bring the helicopter, we'll get to do that again! EO

Watch Online Fabio's Vimeo channel: wvtw. vimeo. com/tvpatapro Fabio speaks: www.youtube.c

*-,

MY LINE

ACRO CHAMPION

Francois Ragolski is the Aern World {'.up Champion 2014. An expert all-rounder he's as happy flying .WOktit in Quixada or at 6,500m in Pakistan as he h dropping onto a raft in the Alps. I started flying in 2005 aged 17. Now I work as a ski and paragliding instructor, and live the typical life of an aero pilot. That means Iquique and South America in winter, Organya in spring and the aero circuit in Europe in summer. Olu Ueniz is perfect, but the road up is too expensive now. In winter I stop flying and go skiing. I fly AirG. I flew a Supersonic and then a Thriller, but then I had 10 minutes on the AirG Emilie in 2012 and that was it. This year I won solo and synchro titles on the Aero World Cup tour. There were three competitions: one in Albania and two in Italy, 34

CROSS COUNTRY 156

My synchro partner was Raul Rodriguez. We had a great time flying together - super relaxed. Aero eomps have evolved. The scoring is much more subjective now, we are not scored on a set of manoeuvres. It's much more about freestyle. The scoring rewards perfection over difficulty. If you did the hardest tricks and were perfect though, you'd score probably 17 - no one's ever done that. Myn

To learn aero fly a big glider and go to a good place. Ninety-nine percent of us don't live anywhere good for aero. I live in the southern French Alps and I'd rather drive seven hours to Organya than two hours to St Andre. A week in Organya is worth two years in Norway.

Albania was brilliant. We got towed to more than 1,000m above a lake. There was a big beach, no wind, and a good mood.

I started pushing my XC three years ago. I flew two 300+km flights in Quixada last year, and I was in Pakistan for six weeks last year too. Pakistan is for sure the best place to fly. You're flying next to 8,000m mountains, incredible. We went because we realised we had the capability and the skills. You need to be a very good pilot to fly there.

This year it's been all about twisted manoeuvres. Twisted infinity, twisted wingovers. It's amazing, like learning everything all over again. You learn by doing and by making mistakes.

People think aero is dangerous but XC makes my heart beat. When I fly XC I take my Spot, I check my reserve, I know something will probably happen along the way. It can be scary.

-< • SYNCHRO WN I

Francois, in blue and white, on the synchro podium with Raul Rodriguez. And right, splashdown. Photo this page: Ermes Furlani

People who don't know me probably think I'm a little crazy. But in fact I don't push it. I learn by flying a lot - I like flying six, seven hours a day. And 1 learn from others who push the sport. They can be a little bit crazy.

}

Aero has gone through two big jumps recently. In 2011 Pal Takats invented lots of new tricks, and then this year Theo de Blic came with the twisted revolution. Of all the young pilots I'd say watch out for Tim Alongi, he's good.

\1 i y

When this comes out I'll be in Chile. Martin Schricke and I are planning to hike and fly 1,000km along the coast from Copiapo to Arica. Look for us on Facebook Chilean Paragliding Line. Objectivity is important to be a good pilot. You have to be able to assess yourself honestly. Too confident and you can hurt yourself, too unsure and you'll never fly so you won't process. I'm lucky to be sponsored by a French IT company, Teclib. I taught the boss to paiaglidc and we clicked. The company supports my trips and my m^^m^m^ videos. Thanks!

Watch On

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Y S O U T H AFRICA Big skies and big din Photo: Coral Benn

WHAT'S ON

L3-20 December Fly one of Africa's best arenas. With five launch sites on offer and 120 pilots this is the perfect antidote to any northern hemisphere winter blues - as well as one of the key events in the South African calendar.

7-13 December Canaries H G O p e n , Canary Islands Lanzarote is a haven for migrating hang glider pilots, and the Canaries Open is a classic. Now in its 18th year the location is unique in this "island of the volcanoes" Some of the best winter flying in Europe is on offer â&#x20AC;&#x201D; go grab it.

1-8 January 2015 10-25 January

Forbes Flatlands, Australia

Forbes is classic and offers some of the best and most consistent competition ha:in Lilid:ng ui: the planet. The town welcomes pilots with open arms, and the entry fee includes unlimited tows. Four classes: Open, Women's, A-Grade and Sports, www. forbesflatland5.com

Paragliding Worlds. Roldanillo, Colombia Colombia 2015 promises to showcase paragliding competition at its finest. Organisers promise round the clock coverage, with great Hying in an excellent location. Some 250 pilots applied for 150 places - the level will be high. www.airtribune.com/world s2015 For more events see the calendars at vi

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31 Jan to 5 Feb Manilla X C Camp, Australia The free XC open for pilots of all levels in a perfect XC location, loin Godfrey and 120 or so of his very best friends and make tracks across the rolling farmland of New South Wales. I >ailv briefings and a laidback atmosphere add to the vibe. Kfat.org/clvl-e

Fly in one of the best places...

in the world ill

www.enjoythermalflight.com

EN TEST UPDATED

hanges to the EN flight test for paragliders were introduced over the northern summer, including one that will auLoinuLicallv classify the glider EN D if folding lines are used in the test. We asked Randi Eriksen from test house Air Turquoise what the changes are, why they've been made, and what they mean to pilots.

ASIDE COLLAPSE Changes in the E N system always create a lot of debate. Photo: Fted Gustafsson

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What are the changes? The major changes concern the spiral, front collapse, asymmetric collapse and whether L I L ' s J i d . T i.s I .â&#x20AC;˘>.!. â&#x20AC;˘{] u - , : n g f o l d i n i ; l i n e s m

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S p i r a l dive In the old test we used to test two types of spiral, including testing a ' 14m/s' spiral. Now, the target for the test pilot is to enter a real-world spiral dive and analyse the exit, to see if it's spontaneous, or whether the spiral stays locked-in or accelerates. We've changed how we analyse the spiral because we want to analyse the exit without using instruments, which can easily give a mis-reading. We want to be able to tell pilots if the glider stays locked-in, regardless of the sink rate. We

didn't like the old 14m/s rule - now the test pilots go in harder and it's more like real life. We always like to tell pilots that harness configuration and body position can greatly influence how a glider exits a spiral. Whatever the test says, when flying it's good advice to assume that the glider can stay in a spiral — this way you will fly actively throughout and fly into and then out of it.

Front collapse The target for the test pilot now is to analyse how a glider recovers from a front collapse at trim speed with 30% and then a minimum of 50% of the chord, and at full speed with a minimum 50% of the chord. We're testing more, different-si zed colbpses. 'lhe change has been made because we've often seen bad behaviour in glide is following a small front collapse. That's why it's important to test both small and big front collapses.

Asymmetric collapse Here the target is to analyse the exit after a small and big asymmetric collapse at trim and at full speed. We're not talking about 70-75% collapses anymore. The target is to get the same sort of collapse with any type of glider. The reason for the change is to get closer to the German test standard, the LTF, and it makes sense to have the tolerance measured along the trailing edge rather than the leading edge.

Folding lines Folding lines are a copy of the Alines and are sometimes attached close to the leading edge during testing. They are not 'cross lines', which are a different thing and are not affected by this change. Folding lines were introduced by manufacturers and test houses when gliders started to get more rigid and the A-lines were set back. It became increasingly difficult to induce predictable collapses using the A-lines only. Folding lines aren't used to make the collapse softer, but lo achieve the front and asymmetric collapse according to the EN standard. The big change here — and one that has proved controversial among

manufacturers - is that any glider that uses folding lines during testing will now automatically be classified EN D. Why have we done this? Because we want to highlight on the test report that folding lines were used during the test and that the glider did not meet the required standard without them. When testing without folding lines the 'kick angle' of the collapse can be much greater than standard and with the stiffness of modern gliders it can cause really had behaviour on the exit of the manoeuvre. We want to warn pilots who want to try the exact same collapses on an SIV course thai folding linos have been used - and that they should use folding lines to induce collapses too. If your glider has been certified with folding lines and you want to go on an SIV course, then yon should get a set of folding lines from the manufacturer with instructions on how to fit them properly. This change will not be applied retrospectively - gliders tested before this change will retain their classification; they won't be re-classified EN D.

So far so good? We have tested about 20 gliders using the new standard since lune 2014. It's too early to tell if the standard has improved things in the way we want, but so far it looks good. HI Bandi Eriksen works with test pilot Alain Zollerat test home Air 'Turquoise SA in Switzerland. She is a member o/WG6, the working group belaud recent changes in the l'.\: system.

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BRUCE GOLDSMITH ICARISTICS

BRAKES AND EFFICIENCY

Bruce Goldsmith has been flying since the 1980s. He has been British Hang Gliding Champion twice, British Paraglidmg Champicr, f/ir?e times and was Paragliding Wo:Id Chamber, n 2C07. He has been desigr.mg pataglidets for 20 years.

•* H A N D S U P

Bruce flying during the Fassa Sky Expo in September. Val di Fassa, Italy. Photo: Ant Green

ome pilots fly with a little brake the whole time, whether climbing, gliding or just ridge soaring. Many schools teach this as the standard technique, because it can provide a level of comfort to the pilot and give them a feeling of safety, and a kind of permanent physical contact with the wing. A few years ago this was how we all used to fly, but the gliders have changed and the way they should be flown also needs to evolve. Flying permanently with brakes on, it is no longer the best way to fly modern wings for several r

Enhanced stability The stability ol parjs>lidtri's lias improved hugely over the last decade, and whereas previously you needed the extra stability of flying with the brakes on, the modern glider is reassuringly stable when flown hands up. Historically, flying with brakes on gave the wing more incidence and pressurised the leading edge giving the pilot an increased margin of safety. Flying with brakes on not only reduces your speed but also used to limit the pitching of the wing.

modern wings are designed to be illy pitch neutral as well as more resistant to collapse, they can be relied upon to be stable and efficient when flown handsup; the need to fly with the brakes on is gone.

Flatter polar curve Glider performance has also improved in recent years and the polar curve has got much flatter and the minimum sink rate has got closer to trim speed. This means that you do not get a better sink rate by flying slower any more. Now the best sink rate is with little or no brake applied. This improvement in the polar curve is the single most significant reason why flying with the brakes released is more efficient. Not only is the glide angle better but the sink rate is as well

Fly decisively This all means that pilots need to be more decisive in their flying. You need to decide if you are gliding or climbing. If you are gliding it is a disadvantage to glide with your brakes on, it reduces your speed by a couple of km/h and also reduces your glide by at least 1 point

of glide. If your wing glides at 10 hands up, then just a little brake will reduce your glide to around 8.5. Why pay to get the best possible performance wing when you destroy the performance by gliding with your brakes on? So glide with no brake on and try to resist using your brakes to control the wing in direction, roll or pitch. It is better to use weight shift for directional control and the rear risers or the accelerator for pitch control. This is what makes gliding a fine art. You can extract a lot more performance from your wing by using these techniques correctly.

Fly brakes-up Brakes-up is good lur salcty Loo. II your wing is not flying properly due to a flight incident, then going brakes-up will help your wing recover, especially from any kind of stall (deep stall, spin or full stall). If you are used to flying around the whole time with your brakes on then chances are that you will not automatically release your brakes when the going gets tough either. So get used to it: fly brakes-off as much as possible. Not only is it more efficient but it's safer too. HI

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idvection below ?a breeze blowing in, rtathe environmen tallap se rate and kills thermals. â&#x20AC;˘ MID/UPPER LEVEL Cold air advection in the upper levels of the convective boundary layer increases the Frequency of thermals. Illustrations: Charlie King

certainly qualifies as cold air advection. However, we know that this low level cold air that blows in, acts to stabilise the lower atmosphere where we fly and it kills thermals. In order to truly understand when cold air advection is beneficial to thermals we have to have information regarding the exact level of the atmosphere that is experiencing the greatest amount of cold air advection.

Spotting cold air advection

probably do not have the luxury of flying any day you fancy. Life has a way of loading on countless obligations and responsibilities. What is quite frustrating is that someone is always trying to get you to go flying. The soaring forecast is essential in making the, "All else can wait, I'm going flying!" decision. Such a decision can have difficult consequences at home or at work, so the flying better be worth it. Recently you have come across the term "Cold Air Advection" in a forecast discussion. You might not understand exactly what cold air advection means but you have heard thai it is good for thermals. You can't help but wonder

Better thermals First of all, advection is just a fancy way of saying horizontal transport, by the wind, of some variable from one region 42

to another. For example we can have advection of temperature, humidity, and even stability. Cold air advection occurs when wind blows from a region of colder air to a region of warmer air. The opposite would be called warm air advection. On a weather map we can look at isotherms, lines of equal temperature. As long as the wind blows parallel to the isotherms we have no advection. This makes sense. If we disregard any radiative heating or cooling then we do not expect a change in temperature if the wind is blowing from a region that has the exact same temperature.

How does it help thermals? Why should cold air advection help create better thermals? To answer this we need more information regarding the level in the atmosphere at which the advection is happening. The arrival of a sea breeze

CROSS C O U N T R Y 156 M E T E O R O L O G Y

To destabilise the atmosphere we can either heat from the bottom, cool from the top, or both. Too much destabilisation is not always desired because it can lead to the overturning of the whole troposphere by means of deep convection. This is achieved through deep cumulonimbus clouds and thunderstorms. We want just the right amount of destabilisation so we can create abundant thermals without overdevelopment. The layer in which we fly is called the convective boundary layer. In order for cold air advection to be most beneficial for thermals we want the advection to occur in the mid to upper levels of the convective boundary layer. The average top of the convective boundary layer varies quite a bit from flying site to flying site. It can be influenced by the elevation of the underlying terrain, the dryness til that terrain, and by the time of year. For many low lying vegetated regions it is not uncommon to be approaching the top of the boundary layer near the l.fiOOm above sea level mark. This is near the height that we reach the

Meteoiologisr Honza Rejmanekhas been a paraglider pilot since 199S. He has

series

competed in four Red Bull X-Alps, and came third in 2009. He lives in California.

850mb pressure level. Looking at forecast charts that depict both 850mb temperature and wind direction will help determine if cold air is blowing in above your flying site. In mountainous areas where it is not uncommon to have top of lift at 3,000+m asl, it would be more instrumental to study a 700mb chart. In high mountain desert sites the top of the convective boundary layer can reach the 500mb mark.

Push me, pull you Another way of thinking about cold air advection in the upper parts of the convective boundary layer is as follows. By removing warm air aloft, less heating is required from below in order to get the same number of thermals. There is only a finite amount ol solar energy available lor heating the near surface air at a flying site each day. Cooling aloft makes convection

more efficient. We can think of this as a push-pull scenario. Disregarding air quality and cloud cover we should have the same forcing creating thermals each day over the heated surface. This is the push. Cooling aloft due to cold air advection in the upper levels of the boundary layer works to steepen the environmental lapse rate, the rate at which temperature decreases with height. This is the pull. Thermals will start earlier and be more abundant under such a push-pull scenario. If warm air advects in at the upper levels of the boundary layer, then we get a push-push scenario. The advection is acting to stabilise the convective boundary layer and the same amount of solar heating yields fewer and less frequent thermals. It's on days like these when it is best to attend to life's obligations and responsibilities and keep your flying for another day. 01

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HEAVYWEIGHT

CROSS COUNTRY 156

4 40Z0NEEXC0CEAT The French Paragliding Championships in September saw lots of new comp harnesses out and about. Under the new rules competition pilots in World or Continental Championships must carry two reserves. That and plenty of w testing has resulted in the latest big-size offerings. The Exoceat from O:or bomb-bay reserve system was out in force. It weighs in at 7.8lg for the i without the reserves (all manufacturer figures). All photos: Michel Ferrer

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JON CHAMBERS MOUNTAINS

TRAINING FOR THE RED EULL X-ALPS

* HANGING IN THERE Jon Chambers and supporter Tom Payne wait for the cloud to clear on the top of the Zugspitze, 2,962m, during the Red Bull X-Alps 2013. It never did and Jon walked down. Photo: Ed Ewing

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I opefullyby the time you read this, participants in the X-Alps will I have been announced, I won't be among them. Having had an amazing time in the last two editions of this epic race it is now time for me to focus on other priorities. Besides, how could I beat my experience in 2013 of nine days of incredible flying, and finishing on the raft in Monaco? So for this issue I thought I would give senile perspective oi what the next nine months or so hold for the X-Alps athletes and give my lake on what is required to prepare for this race. Hopefully this is of interest to anyone wanting to enjoy hike and fly in the Alps at any level.

I .ct's start with fitness. For the X-Alps athletes will need stamina and endurance. Going out for regular runs won't help them as much as long periods of low intensity training. Walking for a few hours every day combined with some fornssed training on core strength (required to prevent injury) and interval training is the best combination. Everyone on the list of hopefuls is, I am sure, a great pilot already. But there are many aspects ol flying that are very different in this kind of race. X-Alps hopefuls will need f i) bn'i >:\iv i i iiii-.i.elelv i.i.nilmr wit h living in conditions they wouldn't normally fly in. I'm not talking about 'pushing the limits' here, rather just flying at times we wouldn't

Jon Chambers has been flying for 20 years. A Red Bull X-Alps athlete he wrote a book about his first race. Hanging in There, and came fourth in 2015. He lives in Geneva and flies in the Alps.

normally be flying. How about walking up a mountain in the early hours of the morning for a dawn flight down? Or grabbing a flight between showers on a cold damp day? These are things they will most likely have to do in the race and it makes sense to spend time doing this beforehand. My approach was to fix the time when 1 would he training regardless of conditions. I'd always take my wing on long walks in the mountains and every time there was a flyable opportunity I'd take it. It is amazing how often it is possible to get flying with this approach. It is also really important that they practise the very specific skills they'll need. One of these is to be able to take off in all sorts of situations and conditions. This includes really small spaces, crosswinds, backwinds, snow, very shallow slopes and very steep slopes. I remember spending almost an hour in training in 201f trying to launch from a narrow path in virtually no wind with small trees in front of me. It was heinously difficult but I did finally manage. Pilots should not just assume they can do this when the time comes, it needs practice and practice builds experience so they won't waste precious time in the race - they'll know what is possible and what is not. I remember also spending a whole afternoon with my supporter in a

windy field practising cobra launches. I never used it in the race but we knew we had it in our arsenal if we needed it. lust as launching in tight spaces is important so is landing in small spaces. You need to deliberately choose smaller and smaller fields until you can put your wing down almost anywhere. Again it only comes with very deliberate practice. The other big difference races like the X-Alps have over normal flying is that the route is pre-determined and is independent of the conditions. On a good XC day in the Alps we'll plan the route we want to fly and drive to the best starting point. In the race pilots don't have that luxury, they need to start from wherever they can reach and find a way through to where they need to get to. So in training my approach was to set myself routes and challenges that were, I thought, unfeasible. Until I started doing this I realised that I rarely landed out anymore on XC flights which indicated that I was staying well within my capabilities and no longer pushing my limits. So I started doing things like trying to push through a col against a headwind, or trying to cross the Aravis from east to west in late afternoon conditions. By trying things that should not be possible I mostly failed but in the process learnt a lot

about what was possible. It also forced mc many times to land high up, walk across a ridge or through a col and launch on the other side. We never, or hardly ever, do this in normal flying - there is a sort of unwritten rule that you fly until you end up at the valley bottom and the day is over. But by forcing myself to keep moving onwards even when it was unpassable on a paraglider I learnt to see routes and mountains in different ways - I stopped worrvini; about living low into the hack (if a mountain or ridge as (in_; us " could land and walk over. And I learnt a lot about landing at altitude in the middle of the day, which is not always straightforward. 1 could write a lot more about what the X-Alps requires but I have run out of space. In the book I wrote about my experience in the 2011 race, Hanging in There, I ended up adding a whole chapter at the end about how I prepared for and trained for the race. From my experience in 2011 I was able to improve on that for the 2013 race. I am convinced that it was my thorough preparation that enabled me to beat some much better pilots in the race. So, best of luck to all the pilots competing in 2015, and to everyone else who aspires to use their glider to tour around the mountains and not just to chase their position in the XC league tables. El

XC FILES

7 COMMON ..and how to avoid them

I ASTRESSFREE

CROSS COUNTRY 156 XC FILES

Be p r e p a r e d a n d do your homework

One day last summer a friend took off into a good climb, but had to land to put his jacket on. It was the only thermic cycle of the day - lit? missed out big time. The week before another friend had to land after 20km because she wasn't sure of the airspace. Preparing for cross country flying should take a good two or three hours, including checking forecasts and likely route, and getting your kit sorted. Don't kick yourself for not doing your homework!

Know how to join a thermal When you're joining a climb, flying etiquette states that the pilots established in the climb have priority. You have to lit in with them. Don't fly straight into the middle of the climb. You'll have a closing speed of over 50km/h if you fly head-tohead with another pilot and it'll make for a disconcerting experience. Join the climb as you would a roundabout on a road: wait for your moment and slot in. If you're joining a right hand circle, ideally the pilot you're

joining should he at your 2 or 3 o'clock position: join from the outside edge. If the thermal was an apple, take a nibble from its edge. Biting straight into the core is bad manners and you won't climb as well either, as half your 360 will be out of lift. Slot in from the outside and work your way in.

Refine your handling skills

Writer Malcolm Gladwell came up with the '10,000 hour rule'. He estimated The Beatles played live in Hamburg from 1960 to 1964 for that amount of time, and when they returned to Liverpool they sounded like nothing else. Gladwell also reckons Bill Gates spent a similar time programming as a kid. Very few of us will ever get 10,000 hours of airtime in our lives, but the point is, put in the hours, and your flying will become more second-nature. 'Ihere's a reason why pilots like Chrigel Maurer and Russ Ogden look so natural: they've each been a professional test pilot for over ten years, often flying several hundred hours a year. The more you can fly you'll have to develop your awareness and use the air around you even better. Learn to ground-handle and thermal really well these are the building blocks for all pilots.

Give it a go

You might bomb. Others might laugh at you. Your wing hasn't got a good enough sink rate. It'll get better later. Yes, we can all think of any number of excuses not to launch or commit during our flying. But as former Aussie Champion Craig Collings states, success and confidence are a chicken and egg thing in flying - they develop together. So get the right head on, go do it, take the bashings, and keep doing it. The best pilots are the most stubborn. Future world champion Kirsty Cameron told me, "I got absolutely battered in my first competition. I did no more than 10km every day, while everyone else cruised round 100km tasks. People got afraid to ask me how I'd done each evening and by the last day I was in tears." Kirsty reckons she grew up a lot in that week, and learned to take failure on the chin and went on to develop the resolve you need to win World Cups. She still bombs occasionally - but don't we all.

Every day is different

There are no hard-and-fast rules in flying. As Chrigel Maurer says, a paraglider is somewhere between a helicopter and a leaf: sometimes you have total control over where and how you fly, and ; you are in danger of being blown

like a leaf. Keep as open a mind as possible. The flying technique required on a windy, stable, high pressure day is totally different to a fizzy, light wind low pressure day. Don't beat yourself up if you can't work it out. Just accept it's a different kind of day and talk to others about what worked for them.

Don't leave the first climb too early lust as big waves come in sets, lift comes and goes in phases. If you're in a thermal and can't spot anything within reach going up faster, stay where you are. It is likely you're in the very best spot. Just 360 and chill. A lot of inexperienced pilots don't hang on tightly enough to what they're in on their climb out.

The second climb will be weaker The chances are you'll have got a fairly zingy climb out of launch. Someone in the past made the site a site because it works well - it faces into the sun or into wind, and is reliable. Chances are your second climb will be weaker â&#x20AC;&#x201D; especially 11 you're heading into the flatlands. Again, chill, and be patient. Work it and fly your own flight. Ilngli Miller [.still n-guliaiy making all the above mistakesj

IXC- TrainerEasy far â&#x201A;Ź274,+ / FunRiser for free

Follow the birds' is ai pilots. Andy Pag find feathered friends are

A M O R N I N G GAGGLE Himalayan griffon vultures and pilots working the first lift of the day in Bir in the Indian Himalaya Photo: Fred Gustafsson

Visualisation But how do they know the conditions are working? "They have amazing eyesight," says Mason. "While we humans can make out the shape of a tree on the ridge two miles away, vultures can see individual leaves from that distance." Using this eyesight they can spot the effect of thermals rolling up hillsides, made visible as the air slides up slopes shaking leaves and grasses on its way. It's a trick used by good pilots scratching low, or weighing up a leap to the next ridge. It's perhaps no coincidence that some of the best XC pilots have better than 20/20

â&#x20AC;˘ ON THE GROUND A griffon vulture. Vultures will wait for he right conditions, sometime? for days, sfore taking off. Flapping wastes energy, while soaring is virtually effortles;. Photo: Magic Colors/iStock 4 -CLOSE UP AND PERSONAL If you get this close, you know what's iming next There's a lot going on inside this head - studies show that vultures map the sky, storing away knowledge of wind and thermals, remembering where climbs are under different conditions. Photo: Soldt/iStock

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Mason reveals vultures can visualise the actual thermals in the sky too, "I he air looks clear to us, but actually thermals are full of dust and insects that have been sucked up off the ground, and vultures can see all of that." To them the sky must look like a massive lava lamp with plumes going up and down everywhere. In the thermals their feathers give them a very nuanced teel for the lift, and some falconers suspect that vultures might even be able to detect the subtle temperature changes as they enter the warmer climbing air. In the early days of hang gliding, boffins developed the 'Snooper! a beeping instrument like a vario which detected changes in

temperature instead of air pressure, but it fell out of favour after studies showed its effectiveness was influenced by how dry or humid the air was. There's also good evidence that vultures map out their local territory identifying all the local house thermals. Professor Rory Wilson and Dr Emily Sheppard from Swansea University have tracked condor movements by attaching GI'Ss to log local and long distance nights. The results show condors will take long straight glides direct to thermals which are too far away to see, but which they've used on previous occasions when the sun and wind were in the same direction. Even when they can't see the thermals they remember where they were last time.

Aerodynamics Raptors can adapt the shapes of their \vini;s lor speed or manoeuvrability, like switching from a competition wing to an EN B wing each time they enter a thermal or feel some turbulence. At Kill s tie tell a v till tire's aspect ra'.io is comparable to a hang glider's and they use it to produce a comparable glide ratio and top speed. Albatrosses, with an even skinnier aspect ratio can glide at over 20:1 and their heart rate when flying is almost the same as it is when they're resting, implying that

* LEADING EDGE a gtiFfon southwes! of Pokhara. Nepal Photo: Marcus King

they are using almost no energy to stay in the air. When vultures splay their primary feathers - the ones at the tips of their wings - they slow down and seeing them spread is a good marker tor pilots that the birds have found some lift. To go on glide the tips are pulled in and flattened to the rest of the wing. Adrian Thomas, well known to us as a competition pilot, paraglider design consultant and Cross Country magazine contributor, is also professor of biomechanics at the University of Oxford. His latest book is Evolutionary Biomechanics: Selection, Phylogeny, and Constraint (published by Oxford University Press, Jan 2014, ÂŁ29.95) and in it Adrian points out that different vulture species have a range of wing loadings, with the lighter ones trading off climb rates for glide speed. "Tightly loaded species can fly early in the day and find the carcasses first," he explains. "Heavily-loaded bigger birds that follow the others to carcasses have the muscle to shift them out of the way, and often have longer beaks and necks to get into the core of the carcass." He adds: "In the USA this pattern is beautifully illustrated by the Turkey and Black vultures. Both have about the same wing area, but Black vultures have much higher wing loading. Turkey vultures

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get up on any old thermal and sniff out first, but get bullied off them by Blacks"

Collapses Vultures' bones have a honeycomb core, making them light and strong, and they lock their wings in place with a strong muscle once airborne, relaxing into a position as comfortable for them as a welladjusted paraglider harness is for a pilot. But despite the rigidity of their bones, new research shows that vultures also suffer collapses in flight. "In turbulence their wings collapse and they re-set them to a flying position with a half-flap," says Adrian. "There's a down stroke as the wing collapses, and half the upstroke back to the level position." Adrian suspects that they may allow their wings to collapse in order to tolerate stronger turbulence than the mechanical structure of a rigid wing could otherwise withstand, "Vulture skeletons show an astonishingly high frequency of healed green-stick fractures of the radius and ulna bones," he says. "Those fractures come from overloading the bones rather than impact, and the most likely source of that overloading is turbulence." Pilots heading for a thermalling gaggle of vultures where the birds are occasionally flapping as if they are shaking off a

.-lift

SIX GREAT PLACES TO FLY W I T H BIRDS Pokhara, N e p a l Parahawking is now famous the world over thanks to Scott Mason in Nepal. Backed by a vulture education programme too. Oct-March.

Bir, India. Flying with Himalayan griffon vultures is one of the highlights of flying this famous site. Best time: Oct/Nov.

M a n i l l a , Australia Wedge-tailed eagles dot the side are usually friendly - but can turn te.ri breeding season. October to March.

shower as they climb can expect a rough ride. Alter a tew hours in the air, vulture feathers start to bend, becoming less efficient. A rest period in the suns heat is enough to get the feather sterns to regain their original shape. The birds replace their feathers with a new set over the course of a six-month period each year, though larger vultures can take several years to complete the process.

Ager, Spain Soaring the rocky cliffs of this site in the prePyrenees you'll almost certainly be joined by Eurasian griffon vultures April to October.

Going down

Magaliesberg, South Africa

It's usually crows. that alert l'.gyptian and Himalayan vultures to the presence of rotting flesh. The vultures circle over it to see if it's safe to land first, letting the crows take the risks. They con pull their wings in, leaving just the tips exposed for a controlled descent at almost freefall speeds. In this type of stoop dive a tnlcon, which needs to be fast to catch live prey, can reach 200km/h. Although there's no risk of a carcass getting away, a fast descent technique is useful to get early positioning on the carcass ahead of other circling vultures. In the Journal of Experimental Biology, Professor Vance Tucker of Duke University describes how vultures use a square approach pattern, shifting the downwind, base and final legs to identify the wind direction on the ground so

Endangered Cape Vultures are the focus of

Governador Valadares, Brazil Flocks of Black vultures (Urubus) mark out thermals in GV. You'll learn a lot by following

their lifty lines on weak days. Jan-April.

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* SUITS YOU I'.i .-â&#x20AC;˘ â&#x20AC;˘ 11 .vk i itj in Pnk-wa is on every visitor's bucket-list and has received worldwide attention - it's TripAdvisor's number 1 thing to do in Pokhara, recommended by Lonely Planet and has been featured on the BBC and Discovery Channel to name only two. Photo: Supplied by Scott Mason / Parahawkinq.com

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they can land into wind, much like the U-shaped, constant-aspect approach used by paragliders and hang glider pilots.

Bird strike Dolphins famously seem to take pleasure playing in the how wave of boats, and vultures sometimes surf above paraglider or hang glider wings, but falconer Scott Mason doesn't think they're doing it to tickle their feathers. "It's probably just a way for them to save energy," he says. Flying close up with vultures can be as intimidating as it is exhilarating, but Mason explains that vultures don't aggressively protect their territories so are unlikely to attack. However, in the spring breeding season mothers can get protective if they think their nesting chicks are at risk. If they do attack it's worth remembering that unlike eagles, it won't be with

their talons because they don't use their feet to attack prey. Mid-airs between vultures and paraglider or hang glider pilots aren't common, but do occasionally happen. It's usually down to the birds being distracted looking down at the ground for signs of (bod. Despite their amazing eyesight, they can sometimes fail to perceive the lines on a wing if they spot it at the last minute. The bird will probably lose a few feathers if it flies through the lines of a paraglider, a battle scar which can take up to a year to grow back. To avoid collisions, some pilots shout, craw like a crow, or (lap their brakes as an audible warning to get the vulture's attention when they think the birds haven't seen them. Sometimes the vultures flare with their talons out as they take evasive action, and while the claws could be a sign of aggression, pilots that have seen this up close say

it's more likely to be a brace position or a form of Scott advises pilots to turn with vultures if they are already in the thermal, unless there are other wings in the thermal already s>oinu the other way. Not only does this reduce the risk of a bird strike, but they will lead you to the core, "In my experience, here in Pokhara, birds return to the same nesting places even where there's a lot of paraglider acli\ ilv," savs Mason, so it seems they are untroubled by sharing the sky. Stories of eagles nesting under hang gliding ramps in the Alps are not uncommon either. None the less, at some breeding sites free flying is banned.

Condor and the Wandering Albatross, and all three face challenges to their species. Albatross population has dwindled as its food supply is threatened by commercial fishing, while the Andean Condors are classified as "near threatened" due to habitat loss and hunting by farmers who fear they will attack livestock. And in the last two decades an antiinflammatory drug used to treat cattle in India and Nepal has proved highly toxic to vultures that feed on carcasses of cows with the drug in their system. Saving Asian Vultures from Extinction (SAVE) say the population ol some species <_>i vultures has been reduced by 99.9% in the last 20 years. The drug, Diclofenac, has now been banned and the vulture numbers are starting to stabilise but it will take decades for the vulture populations to make a full recovery.

Big bird

Finally, as well as being big, birds of prey and vultures are also smart. Egyptian Vultures are among very few animals that use tools, cracking into eggs with stones they hold in their beaks. It's perhaps this ability to problem solve that also makes them such great pilots. Ql

A Himalayan griffon vulture can grow to a wingspan of around 3m, and weighs in at an average of 9kg, It's only bested by the Andean

Tlianks to Danny 1'iirhJisx ,:uid the quoted contributors for help with this article.

* ROYALTY Eqypi an vultures can be Found from southwestern Europe through north Africa and into India. Photo: Helovi/iStock

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* T H I S PAGE A N D PREVIOUS Matt Gerdes shows how it's done. Photos: Olivier Laugero â&#x20AC;˘ â&#x20AC;˘ PAGE 62 Following the fall line. Photo: Michel Ferrer

peedriding is still pretty new. A fast and

The idea was taken further and d e v e l o p e d

attracts people from skiing, flying and

by a a r o u p oi parap.hder pilots and skiers in the

skydiving in equal measure. The key skill is that

you have t o be able to ski ok - the happier you are

d e v e l o p t h e first d e d i c a t e d s p e e d r i d i n g w i n g , the G I N N a n o , in 2005. This s u b - 1 4 m 2 canopy was

be able to fly a bit - and off you go: you've never

designed for speed, manoeuvrability and with a

had so m u c h fun.

m a x i m u m glide ratio of about 4:1. Arte:" succcsst'u Iv spcec.i id:lit; t h e X o i t h Face

the late-1990s skydivers developed foot-launched

of the Eiger with A n t o i n e M o n t ant, B o n put

s w o o p i n g c o m p e t i t i o n s where they'd ground-

himself and the n e w sport of speedriding firmly

launch their performance skydive rigs at the top of

o n the m a p in 2008 w h e n he c o m p l e t e d the

d o u b l e - d i a m o n d black runs and s w o o p d o w n the

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French Alps. O n e of them, Francois Bon, h e l p e d

off-piste the easier you'll find it. Then you n e e d to

The sport has its r o o t s in the U S A , w h e r e in

Blade Raid in California in the m i d - 2 0 0 0 s .

furious m i x of paragliding and skiing it

first speedriding descent of Aconcagua, South

c o u r s e like a skier d o w n ,\ giant slalom. Red liull

A m e r i c a s highest m o u n t a i n at 6,962m. After 11

was even in o n the act, sponsoring the Red Bull

days climbing the m o u n t a i n he d e s c e n d e d the

URlDING

S,l)00m south tare in tour minutes and SI) seconds reaching speeds of up to 150km/h as he swooped between rock and ice. "At that altitude you go really fast!" he said at the time. "I just fell out of the sky and past the rock walls. It was incredible!" Bon was awarded the National Geographic Adventurer of the Year 'Adrenaline Award' for his feat and the super-charged film of the descent is still jawdropping.

Learning to ride "Sliced wings," says Ant Green, Cross Coon try's in-house aero pilot and speedriding fan, "are dead easy to fly." The point of them is that they have a really bad

glide angle, and they go really fast, he explains. "I bat way you can stay as close to the ground as possible with skis. You can fly when you want to fly and ski when you want to ski." The first generation of speedriding wings actually had too much performance. The glide was too good and riders ended up flying high, not carving low. Later generations have been progressively de-tuned so they now have glide angles of 2:1. However, that accessibility can actually make problems for those looking to learn. "Anyone can do it. You just tie it on your back, start to ski down the slope, get some speed and the wing comes up. "You don't even need to touch the brakes or anything, it just pops up over your head and follows you like a little cloud. You grab the brakes and you take off." Pretty soon you're at the base of the mountain and ready to go again, steeper and deeper and smaller and faster. Check yourself here, says Ant. "You get to a certain point when you are speedriding with tiny wings down difficult terrain and the problem is it's such an adrenaline rush that you just can't stop yourself from doing more and more and pushing it harder and harder. "You end up at literally breakneck speeds and if you make a mistake you do end up... well, we've all heard of the accidents. It's really dangerous basically. I'd put it on a par with Base jumping." However, that said, you can learn speedriding in incremental steps, thus making it safer and more approachable. Like it or not, and comp w:nÂť i <v not, the best way to learn speedriding is not by borrowing your mate's 7m2 handkerchief, but by going back to school. SPEEDRIDIP

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Back to school A maud Baumy is a paragliding and speedriding instructor in Les Arcs. He got into the sport with Francois Bon at the start, and, alongside fellow instructor Jerome Bes, has been teaching the sport since 2007. "You have to learn safely," he says, echoing Ant's advice. "The sport gives you lots of adrenaline. Yon are going quite fast, not as fast as motorcycling but quite fast, and you feel quite safe. Which is not totally true!" People always want to go pas: their limit, IIL says, and this is one of the key skills in the sport to learn to stop. "In a way it's the hardest part, the mental part of speedriding. You have to keep cool. It's not that easy - with the adrenaline rush people always want to go faster and do more, and at the end of the day they crash because they are feeling confident but are tired." However, he says, "As long as you do it safely, in a good place, then you have no problem. But it is not a sport to push." With that clear, what happens on day one? "The approach for a pilot or a total beginner is the same, first, we learn about the equipment. I bat will take an hour. The next step is to learn how to get ready, how to be able to rapidly inspect the glider and then go. We don't lay out the wing like paragliding, it is attached to us all the time and we just throw it into the wind and go. "After we have learnt that technique, then we go up on the training slope. The first goal is to be able to slow down."

First steps Rather like learning to groundhandle before learning to fly, the first lesson in speedriding involves no airtime. "We go across the slope, to learn how to control our speed and the angle of descent. If you go straight down you will take off. You have to find the good angle with regard to the snow condition, the slope angle and the wind." It's all about finding llie right airspeed so you are in control, without taking off. "One of the main causes of accidents is when people take off. Ninety-nine percent of the time it is perfect, no problem, von c;in go straight ,ind the glider will inflate. But one percent of the Lime you might have a knot or you have to stop. So you must be able to control your speed and sLop. Otherwise il vou go fast and then see you have a knot, then you can't Once people have that and are making nice turns on the training slope, the next step is to go straight and work on finding the correct brake position and body posture to take off and fly. "For paragliders the best brake position is hands up,

but with speedwings there is quite a big element of brake, you need to apply about hall" brake. So you have to find this position and also be stable in your Where Arnaud teaches in Les Arcs is good for this he s.ivs lif r.HiM- if you do it right you will t , i ^ off,

but if you aren't, then you won'tfly."Where we train is like a red run off-piste. It faces north, never really gets the sun, and sometimes it is powder and you go slowly, other times it is crusty and you go faster!'

Going higher After that is mastered, you are ready to go higher. "From there we start to go down the slope while putting in turns. The aim is to make turns while skiing, half being lifted by the glider, half by the ski. When you manage that, then you can ski or fly, as you choose." It is, he says with a laugh, "Very exciting. Very exciting for paragliding pilots, but different." A typical speedriding course will last five days, after which pilots will be autonomous speedriders. "They will be ready to make their own decisions." About 20% of Arnauds clients are from the paragliding world, with another 20% from skydiving. Over half have never been in the air at all, and are skiers first. How they each progress depends on their background. "The first part is usually easier for the skiers. If you are a good skier and a good paraglider pilot then it is very ejsv. lint lor some people who don't know how to ski but just come with their pjiv.gliding skills, it's quite hard for them at the start. Afterwards, at the flying part, it's easier." Class Hiii i u - d l< xper "We could take more actually, the terrain is not a problem, because you just return on your own on the lift. But we limit the number."

Wing size The size of the wing you will learn on depends on your background and your weight, and requires quite a lot of thought. For example, a 75kg guy who is a good skier will be given an 11 or 12m2 wing to learn on. "If he is a bad skier then we go with i bigger wing, I4m2." Arnaud weighs 6:'il.-f; and rides with a 9.5m2 wing. "Someone who is 100kg and on a 14m2 wing will be going just as fast

Y. <*â&#x20AC;˘

As well as a wing, hai s and helmet, L a back protector students are kitted out that velcros round the body, and an avalanche transceiver. "One of the new risks for pilots is the risk of avalanche," says Arnaud, "So we all carry transceivers. Although no one has been avalanched with us yet." SPEEDRIU

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â&#x20AC;˘ÂŤ EN FORM! ny, speedriding pionee teaches in Les Arcs, France. Photo: AB

fr*& Getting goad A five day course typically costs 6500, and after that, what then? "1 really advise finding a mentor or a few other students and doing it together," says Ant. "The worst thing you can do is go out and do it on your own. You want to have people out there looking out for you and you for them." In the air, sppedwings a:-p sensitive and fast, depending on the size of the wing and weight. "Most of the wings are really sensitive to weightshift," says Ant. "So I try not to move in the harness. I usually just use the brakes, which are Take off, get some speed, and pull a hard left and you'll execute a barrel roll. You see the experts doing this all the time. "It's super easy!" laughs Ant. "Too easy!" Assuming you are not looping, and simply 64

CROSS COUNTRY 156 SPLLD

aiming to fly the terrain, the technique is simple: pull brakes to take off, let brakes up to come back down again. "Some of the gliders have a glide angle of less than L:l when you let the brakes up. When you pull the brakes in you get maybe 1:2 or 1:3. It depends on the size, but there are tonnes of Pilots on the smallest wings will be travelling with an airspeed of 70-80km/h, "You're going down really fast too. Stuff is coming so quickly trees and cliffs and cables - that you don't really want it much faster than that." At the end of the flight landing is like swooping for parachutists. "You just let up, swoop, then hold gently and progressively on the brakes until you touch down, then you stall the wing." Safely down you then bundle up your tiny wing, look up at where you've just been, and then head back up for another go. Qi

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AALTOHOSPICIO Flying in Iquique is an all day affair. Catch a bus to launch in [he morning For a couple of hours, land for lunch, then head back up fof an afternoon session leading into perfect evening soaring. Photo: Jorge Atrarniz 4 4 PACIFIC COAST JB Chandelier makes magic in Iquique. Photo: Louis Gamier

few years ago on a plane flying north a friend looked out of the window and asked me: "Is that real?" Below us was a vast, empty desert. I simply nodded: Yes, it's real. This is the Atacama Desert, the driest in the world. And right on ils very edge, between the hot, dry, high interior and the cold waters of the upwelling Humboldt Current ol the Pacific Ocean, lies Iquique, Chile's most (anions tree flying site. With 360 llyable days a year Iquique truly makes a fantastic place for any pilot, beginner or expert. Flyable all year round the peak season starts in October and lasts until February. But even in the depths of a South American winter, June to July, flying and even XC is possible. The main launch, Alto Hospicio, sits 500m above the city on a high ridge and is easily reached by public transport. Here, you can fly along the city in a mixture of soaring and thermal conditions, and once you've had your dose, fly over town and land on the beach at Playa Brava. I hen grab a pisco sour at the Otaku restaurant and feel the fresh bree/e of the ocean. Beginners should be sure to launch as early as possible. By 1pm thermals and strong wind build, which might leave you struggling to make it over Cerro Dragon, a large dune that lies between the ridge and the city. Trust me, you do not want to have to walk over this 220m high hill of sand with your equipment under the beating 30C hot sun. Instead, leave the place for the experienced XC and aero pilots and head for lunch and a dip in the ocean.

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After that it's time to go to Palo Buque. About 15 km south of the city it's famous for being the Dune de Pyla's 'little brother'. Expect to play with your wing wagga-style until you're exhausted. Or do you fancy perfecting your groundhandling? Once airborne from the tiny hill you can hop over to the next ridge, which reaches about 900rn and smoothly soar your way all the way up with the sunset at your feet.

Cross country from Los PatiUos For XC, a great place to be is Patillos, 60km south of Iquique. Here you can fly along the range of coastal mountains with Iquique as yout final destination. Pilots generally fly towards the north, since the wind tends to come from a southwesterly direction. If you don't mind

-6 ^^^^^^^^^B <HS sleeping under the open desert sky, you can try to venture north of Iquique towards Pisagua, once known as a prison under Pinochet's dictatorship. Flying here is truly a treasure to be discovered, but be well prepared as this area is extremely remote and landing options are scarce at the foot of the ridge, which often drops straight into the ocean. Local advice is essential, with a guide a good idea. Antofaya I'.xpeditirms is recommended. Some 400km south of Iquique is Antofagasta. Perfect for big one-way XC, it has become famous lately for being the starting point of multiple attempts to break the Chilean distance record, currently held by Pal Takats with 304km from 2011. Taking off from the launch called '1,200', after its altitude in metres, is a sublime experience, as it often lies above the clouds that come in from the sea.

City life Santiago is a busy metropolis, but not far from the city centre, surrounded by buildings, highways. and shopping centres, you find an oasis, a place where pilots get away from it all after a hard day's work. I'm talking about Piramide, located on a 150m high hill inside the Metropolitan I 'ark. from where you can connect to nearby higher hills and mountains while taking in the marvellous sight of evening Santiago. Tins is also die place where all aero pilots from Santiago go, because of the strong lift and altitude you can reach. There are two ways to get there: By foot from the roundabout located al Sain I C ieorge s College, or by car, meeting other pilots at the Paperchase 1 lorse Riding Club right by the landing place. Due to its strong conditions during the flying season it's best to fly after 5pm, which makes it perfect for a different type of "after office sundowner"

Âť RIDGE RUN Tom Wcisscnbcrgcr launches above Iquique. Tom spent two seasons here chasing hang gliding out and teturn world records. He finally got it. Flying J5Skm on his Moyes Litespeed RS J.5 on I November 2015 'hoto: Jean Luis de Heeckeren / Red Bull Content Pool

CHILt CROSS COUNTRY 156

* CITY OASIS Piramide is the local spot in Santiago Surrounded by buildings, highways and shopping centres it's inside the Metropolitan Psrt. Pilots chi after Photo: Loreto Hurtado

Take note though that this is an Aerodrome Traffic Zone and not particularly suited lor beginnei s or inexperienced pilots. And beware of the Chilean eagles that have been known to go after paragliders here; they can become very protective of their young when you get too close. Nothing a good scream and leg-shake can't take care of, but it is wise to respect their nests. The site is operated by the Flypiramide Club â&#x20AC;&#x201D; get in touch for a briefing. In the south of Santiago is Vizcachas, a very popular flying site where most of the local pilots go. It's located inside the Geo Aventura adventure park that offers everything to make your flying day comfortable: parking lot, transport to launch, fields for landing and groundhandling, a restaurant and much more. From there it's also possible to do a nice XC going north along the Andes and around to the other end of Santiago. Retrieve is generally easy as you are flying right close to the city: just find a crowded street and take the publictransport. (But be sure to get the 'BIP' card first, as it is not possible to pay in the bus.) In December every year a bunch of pilots arrange to go XC all together, a motivating event, where often the old hands help out the less experienced pilots. If you wish to join them check out the Facebook group Tr a volar! where you can also easily

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get in touch with locals for regular flying in Santiago and rides to the sites. Normally the best time to launch for XC in Vizcachas is between 2-3pm. Before that it can still be very rough with broken thermals and difficult, unpleasant conditions. If you just want to do a local I light, launching at 5pm is more than sufficient as lift will be abundant until sunset at 8-9pm. The most popular XC-flight from Vizcachas is a 50km tour-dc-Santiago to Colina, another site, where it's all about local soaring (lights. Colina is a small hill of 150m and the only place in Santiago that works all year round. It's not often frequented by foreign pilots, and the locals might be a bit shy in the beginning, so don't expect a hearty welcome immediately. But once they get to know you they will open up, help you out and start asking questions about your equipment. Getting there is not easy, however; better ask who's going through the Facebook group and try to get a ride. The best time for flying in Santiago is from October to February, with the peak season for aero ar.d XC being Xove in her/December. In April most of the flying sites close until September except Colina, which stays open all year round. One-and-a-half hours from Santiago lies a beautiful beach village named Maitencillo - the

perfect mix between wind and sea. The best month to go there is January, when it is often possible to fly all day long. With a cliff about 80m high and 10km long, Maitencillo allows you to soar along endlessly whilst sharing the air with pelicans and seagulls. Top landings are quite easy, oi simply touch down at the beach and go for a dip. Don't miss the Punta Natural Restaurant, just behind take-oil: ils gitat seatuuiJ tuLV.-thu:' â&#x20AC;˘.viL.i the attention of Fefi, the owner and once also a paraglider pilot, will make your stay just perfect.

The south Every time I miss Europe I go to the south. Here I can taste a bit of Germany with the Kuchen (cake) and traditional beers, a bit of Annecy with its lakes, and a hit of Switzerland with its cows and green. In the last century lots of Europeans, mostly from Germany and Italy, came to the south of Chile, accepting an invitation from the former Chilean government to colonise the area. That's why. :f you're from Lurope, you will sometimes find yourself in a kindofdeja vu. Temuco is the city where you will find most of the pilots. Arturo Avalos is the instructor and the man in charge to show you the sites and Iknm pleasures ol the region. The most popular site is Cerro Mariposa (Butterfly Hill), fantastic lor KuiiriiisJ in the city. Close to Temuco voti will find Valdivia, where Puerto Saavedra offers the possibility of nice soaring along their ridges. But if the weather is not on your side, try some of the 80+ local breweries around. In February the famous Encuentro Licanfly

takes place, a four day paragliding gathering where pilots from all over the country meet to fly over Calafquen Lake. The take-off is located 400m above on Challupen I lill where the owner, Flerida, welcomes you with (bod and hot or cold drinks (depending on the changeable weather). Last year there were more than 60 pilots there for a long weekend of flying, barbecues and good times amidst the most beautiful scenery. Nearby there are 15 natural hot springs, so if the weathers not tlyable.... But tor us the weather improved and wc ended up with magnificent flights, reaching 1,000m above launch, some of us making short XCs while others {like me) just relaxed and flew back and forth forth over over the the lakt ck and lake in bands of magic lift, the the ^ B ^ . magnificent Villarrica Volcano lowering i the horizon. It was a perfect end to the Chilean season,9

* SOUTH OF SANTIAGO Left: Flying abuvf Lake Calafijueii duiinj the Enccuentro Licanfly. Top; Sunset landing next to Lake Clafquin. Bottom: Soaring at the beautiful beach village of Maitencillo, 90 minutes south of Santiago.

About the author

Loreto Hi irtado, 35, r as been flying f jr seven years and lives in he r home city of Santiago. Cr ile. She "knows Chile pretty well' but has also lived in California and Switz arland. Dea F.sheisalip-rea ding teacher by profes: ;ion and alar> volunteers fora non-profit organisati on for deaf children. She fli ss a Skywalk Chili 3 and is amember of the Flypiramide Club in Santiago. 1 She says: "Lately 1 ha/e been taking part in some

od results!"

CHILE CROSS C O U N T R Y 156

mmi

TRAVEL NOTES

NEED TO K N O W BASICS Language: Spanish Money: Peso, SI - 580 pesos Time: -3hr G M T Emergency number: 131 ambulance. 133 polio Closest int'l airport: Santiago, then Iquique DAILY BUDGET $35 a day for backpacker budgets. $75 for

THE SCENE Paragliding central. International mix of aero legends, low airtimc cruisers, overland travellers and big distance record hunters. The flight park here is totally set up for flying - you can even rent a glider and land outside your cabin. WHEN TO GO October to March

1. Fly Alto Hospicio

3. Stay at the Altazor Flight Park

This take-off is a quick drive up the tarmac road

These guys have been here since 1996 and have

to launch above Iquique. 500m ASL. You can fly

built an "all-inclusive paragliding centre" with

GETTING A R O U N D

all day and land on the beach down below (watch

rooms from $18 and camping for $7. Stay here for

If you stay at the flight park just outside Iquique

your height over the city) or at the flight park.

rides to launch and to meet pilots.

you can get by without a car - a public bus takes you to launch. To explore rent a 4-X-4.

2. Fly Palo Buque

4. Get off the beaten track

A short drive south from Iquique beginners

Antofaya Expeditions are a Chilean/USA outfit

W A T C H O U T FOR

can soar the dunes here for hours, while for XC

specialising in paragliding adventures in Chile and

It can get windy - too windy is when you can see

hounds it's a good spot to get up and onto the

Argentina. They will take you into little-flown sites

white horses on the waves out at sea. Don't fly in

back, where long coastal runs can be done.

high and deep in the Atacama Desert.

a north wind. Its a desert - that means sandy. C O N D I T I O N S A N D WEATHER Consistently good onshore wind, incr during the day, easing off in the evening, iq peak hours. CONTACTS Altazor Flight Park and Antofaya Expediti.

CROSS C O U N T R Y 156 CHIL

ÂŤ FIRST MOVE Photo: Brian Steele TONBOARD Testing the air on take-off at Gourdon. Photo: Charlie King

CHECK

'>>

i \ J

Marcus King jumps on the new EN A bandwagon and flies a classic route in the southern French Alps

walked on to launch on Col de Bleine in the southern French Alps to find it covered in the latest super-slim hotships. It turned out there was a round of the national Spent*. Class leaone taking place, and this being France even the league below 1 lite level all fly hot wings. I sauntered off to the far side of launch to unroll my less excitinglooking EN" A wing, getting a few quizzical looks from, the pilots on launch that know me. It's my colleague Hugh's fault really. He got all fired-Up last year about flying 100km on an EN A, and despite less than ideal conditions came close. This year he got all fired up again flying the Swing Discus and I found myself caught up in his enthusiasm. Speaking t<> Matjaz Klemencic at 777 while reviewing their EN C Queen I mentioned the idea of doing some cross country flights on an EN A wing and he offered me their Pawn. He was keen to showcase what these wings are capable of and I'm always keen to discover new wings. While the comp-heads were all getting their briefing I took advantage of the quiet window to sneak off into the sky. A firm pull on the wing brought it steadily overhead where it sat comfortably while I watched a glider working some weak lift to the left of launch. Some of the early launchers had floated to the bottom and I wanted to make sure I was going to stay up. As the pilot climbed I released the brakes a little and accelerated off the hill, turning quickly in search of the Si ,- lilt.

Ridge-running I soon felt the surge as I entered the lift. As the glider pitched forward I pulled the brake and around we went. The wing settled in straight away and left me FRANCE: CROSS COUNTRY 156

* ATTACK Heading east along the ridge from takeoff at Col de Bleine, with the Cheiron in the background. Photo: Marcus King â&#x20AC;˘ ADVANCED PAWN It's an EN A but not as we know it. Three risers, a sharknose. usable speed system and a fine turn make for a very comfortable ride. Photos: Charlie King

little to do but watch as the world span round and (Ji iwnwards. But the day wasn't ^niiii, Lu i.ilkt j.y.\ easy merry-go-round to orbit, at least not yet. All too soon I hit the obvious inversion that stretched across the sky. Time to move along the ridge. From take-off 1 wanted to head east to the highest point of the ridge where the lift is often better. It also gives an initial leg running the ridge, which extends your final XC distance. The wind was a fairly strong easterly so I pushed har as I headed along. At the end I climbed a little before pushing out to extend the leg as far as possible before drifting back and along (lie ridge in the next climb. Others pushed on further east but then landed, saying they thought it was rough. Meanwhile, back at the inversion I decided to move on and pointed west. In the back of my mind I had set goal at St Andre, the normal beginner's XC route from Col de Bleine. With, the wind behind me I made fast progress along the ridge, past a busy looking launch and on to the west. But with the low ceding I was back scratching in the rocks all too soon. There was no sign of the convergence that normally sets up in this area and makes Col de Bleine such a great launchpad tor journeys northwards. Instead, the east wind was dominating and flushing the climbs down the

CROSS C O U N T R Y 156 f-RANCL

valley. I scrabbled on, intent on working an area of cliff that faces more east. I made sure I worked every piece of lift on the way; if I arrived too low I would miss the climbs and have to run towards the valley to avoid being caught in the shallow treecovered slopes below. This is where the EN A has strength. Not being a huge aspecty beast it can turn tightly and you can throw a 360 in a surprisingly small amount of space, making the most of any windblown cores. Thankfully I was soon in a more windward area where it was easier to maintain, but still the climbs just weren't coming through. By now I had been joined by a couple of other pilots I hey pushed round the corner, where in theory there should be lee climbs. I hung back without lift it would be impossible to return and the fields below often claim their fair share of early landers. But while one sank out, seemingly towards an early bath, the other managed to maintain and was working some scrappy lift. When the lower pilot started to circle and climb out it was time to go! Kit kins the bar 1 soon found tnvsoll in the lifting air between the two circling wings. As the thermal drifted with the wind we were soon committed. There was a wide tree-covered ridge behind us,

PAWN STAR

speedbar pulleys are the same sleek flat design as we saw on the Queen, and the two risers are colour coded at the bottom. On my second flight with the wing I tried a few collapses - roughly 5Q%*. The wing reacted well It did feel slightly dynamic but settled down to stable flight very quickly. Holding the collapse in it was very easy to turn in the opposite direction with Just as the EN B class has expanded to include

The line-set is greatly reduofdi amazingly so for

everything from beginners' wings to full-blooded

an EN A. Ther B are just two m3 in A-lines on each

XC machines, the EN A class has expanded too.

side, one goinc to the Big Ears riser and the other

It now covers everything from full beginner and

to the main on. Âť. The lines therselves are, as you

school wings to gliders like the Pawn and the Discu;

would expect, i iheathed and nc t super thin.

These arewings that you can happily - and very comfortably - go on big XCs with. They are perfec

There are th ree riser sets but the C-lines bifurcate

plenty of brake travel available. The wing seems very spin resistant: I tried long hard pulls on the brake and there was no tendency to go negative. While the EN test can give you an idea of a wing's reactions to a collapse, what it won't tell you is how resistant it is to collapses. I was flying well below

across the cho. d to D attachny snts. This usually

the top of the weight range here in southern France

for new pilots, occasional pilots, and those who

helps with colic pse recovery The risers themselves

and the wing felt pressurised throughout the flight.

want the reassurance of maximum hands-up passiv<

are wide rather than racy, but this makes the wing.

In thermals it took very little correction and the

security.

along with the simple line-set. -<ery easy to handle

outside tip had no weakness. I was happy to thermal

on the ground.

one-handed taking photos. The same can be said

Unrolling the Pawn you'll notice that despite being a 'lowly' EN A it is bristling with the latest glider technology. A t the front are nylon

The risers u; ed for Big Ears undB-line stall are well labelled. B ig Ears have to 1>e held in. The

for the wing on the ban it simply sits firmly above your head.

keep the cells open plus a sharknose (called 'back position intake'). There is also a degree of 3D shaping in the form of a single seam across the top of the leading edge. It's there to reduce billow in tht top surface of the cells. At the trailing edge you will find mini-iibs to help create a smooth profile. The wing is made of the well-proven Skyt'

CROSS C O U N T R Y 156

^^*I^ â&#x20AC;˘v

i * * KNIGHT'S TOUP Crossing to the First ridge and the zigzag face. The low ridge leads to the bare peak of the Teillon in the middle distance. Photo: Marcus King

but we were climbing quickly enough and drifting along the ridge so escape would be possible over the back. With the east wind probably flushing both sides of the ridge there would be little rotor. Soon though we were hitting our heads on the inversion, still too strong to get through. It was time to move on, to the next ridge over.

Therm alii rig. Photo: Ant Green Approaching St Andre. Photo: MK

Follow the flight

Into the blue The drift had taken us to the back of the main ridge, so it was an easy decision to go. I went to the obvious face with a zigzag track as this faces a little more east, while the other two hit the ridge further west. I have round that in an east wind here, if you head west too early you can get quite low, and l l i i ' T art' not a lot lit landi'liis. Sn I wanted t o play

To g o a l

Keeping an eye on the progress of the other two pilots I searched for a climb and was quickly

From here the normal route to St Andre crosses north to the ridge behind, where you will see the small ski resort of Vauplane, A climb above this

In Doarama: www.doarama.com/view/53281

rewarded. Conditions here were clearly a bit better as the others also found a climb and moved off along the ridge that leads to the largest peak in the area, the Teillon. I followed on, using the lift to stay well above the ridge, which at points gets pretty small here. It turns into a cliff just a few tens of metres high, sticking above a gentle treecovered slope. Getting low isn't comfortable! Approaching the peak I could see the others had climbed well above the summit - higher than the climb-capping inversion. Diving in I soon found a strong wide climb and let myself drift with it over the summit where it accelerated. I tightened up and spiralled into the blue. Perfect!

CROSS C O U N T R Y 156 f-RANCL

ridge should see you able to glide onto the Pic de Chamatte to the north, from where a ridge-run along the Crete des Serres will take you to within an easy glide of the landing at St Andre. It's important to time leaving the ridge correctly. Leave it too late and you can find yourself trapped in the strong valley wind flowing up the valley to the north east of the town. If the ski resort doesn't work you can get a second chance by heading west onto the Crete de Cremon, which faces into the valle\ breeze coining up the lake and is a good source of climbs. As I climbed I drifted further west, over the back of the Teillon. I dismissed the Crete des Serres route as I knew it would be in the lee of the easterly. I could also have headed west, keeping to the south edge of the big hills and flying in the direction of Moustiers Sainte Marie. This is a spectacular flight with amazing views into the Verdon Gorge, Europe's largest. But it does involve a couple of long glides into very rural areas, and the sky that way looked very stable. Instead I decided to head to a large hill northwest of Castellane in the direction of my drift. That allowed me to stick with the climb as long as possible and gain maximum height. As I drifted I decided if I found a climb on the peak I would continue going with the wind. If not, I would use the east face to head to St Andre. The route took me on a long glide above the azur waters of Lac Castillon and the colourful cluster of buildings of the religious sect at Mandarom, Feeling secure on the Pawn I was happy going lull bar as I took photos of the views. Decision time. The air felt stable and I opted for the east ridge to goal at St Andre. On half-bar I pushed past the water-filled southern half of the lake to the empty northern half where there were more landing options. Not that I had to worry as I arrived over the landing with plenty of height. There were lots of gliders flying slowly down from the south of take-off above the town, all scratching but slowly going down, so I opted to use the height I had to throw the Pawn around in a series of wingovers and asymmetric spirals, enjoying the playful side of the wing. As I was approaching the landing I was joined by one of the other pilots I had set out with, on his Mentor 3. As I joined the other pilots in the packing area of the Aerogliss paragliding school I was asked where I had come from. There were various degrees of disbelief from those around me when I answered! However, distance wasn't important - what was, was the grin on my face. The journey had been a smile-a-minute experience. N

* FIRST, BUILD YOUR IGLOO...' Skinni Luce-n.ng up to 1.850m above Lake was perfect ÂŤ + PI R SQUARED earn try to work out the area of their igloo using the Advance mini wings.

n recent years the hike-and-fly scene has boomed. It's no wonder when you consider how the wing and the rest of the equipment only seems to get lighter. A hike-and-fly rucksack weighs around six to eight kilos â&#x20AC;&#x201D; even less if you like - and is no problem to carry. The result is climbing up a mountain and gliding back down to the valley sort of resembles a duathlon in sporting terms. If you add overnighting on the mountain then we have a triathlon: a project not to be sniffed at in serious sporting circles! The idea of this flying triathlon amused us not a little, and greatly added to the entertainment value as we planned our overnight trip.

Central Switzerland, 1,923m We gave ourselves various dates for the Great Igloo Event, but to our surprise everything happened straight away. You could not have had a better crew: Peter Stierli, frequent recreational flyer; Marcel Schmid, a professional tandem pilot and Swiss XC crack; Andy Busslinger, wellknown as a paragliding photographer as well as a passionate climbing and paragliding writer; and 82

CROSS C O U N T R Y 156 H I K L A N D P L Y

me. An experienced team is a major advantage in the igloo-building discipline! We met in Emmetten, a tiny paragliding mecca with a local school not far from Lucerne. For our flying and igloo mountain we chose the Niederbauen-Chulm (1,923 metres above sea level), a crowning peak with a fantastic view over the Vierwaldstiittersee (Lake Lucerne) and good takeoff possibilities. To start the ascent we first took the 10-man gondola from Emmetten (775m) to the summit station, around 400m below the top. It was the beginning of March and winter was no longer at its strongest, and the snow depth manageable. A keen southeast wind - known here as the Bise - was blowing briskly and left many paraglider pilots looking somewhat short of ideas. We weren't worried; we wanted to be on the summit.

The Summit Ideas man and project manager Andy had thought of everything so we had big backpacks to unpack as we prepared to make our afternoon final ascent. Wi:h our snowshocs and touring skis \\i<' syiinsj was not so steep at first on the way to a nearby

farmer's hut; it then became reasonably challenging up to the top. We pushed on taking a more moderate route, keeping the direct slope at arm's length. As we climbed steadily the fantastic view held our attention. Below us a pilot pulled up his wing and floated away from the SE take-off. Others followed. We followed the ridge and made a stop at 1,850m. "This is a good place for our igloo," we all agreed. The snow condition was close to perfect for igloo building, in fact it was already a bit soft! A look at the map showed me that if we dug 1,300 metres straight down we would meet the cladding of the well-known Seelisberg tunnel. We left this thought behind and, leaving our packs, headed up to the summit where we took in the stunning view. Below us lay the city of Lucerne, the Reuss river valley and, directly opposite, the 1,898m Grossc Mythen. Back at point 1850 we named the spot 'Gutscft after a famous wedding cake hotel in Lucerne, and started building our accommodation. The snow was about 1.2 in deep and <<t good quality so we had every hope of a topping out ceremony before sunset.

Success through teamwork Once we had prepared a neat-looking plot we set about the easy working procedure. 'Ihe sun shone, the temperature was around freezing, wind moderate, but not unpleasant. To build an igloo the most important implements are snow saws. First a 2.4m diameter circle is drawn with a string, the clearer the better. It's also important to have a clear division of duties: Marcel stood inside Ihe house to lay the snow blocks, Andy 'helped' him from outside and took photographs, while Peter and I cut the 50x30x30cm blocks and carried them the ten or so metres to the igloo. How many of these blocks could it take? Once the foundation course is laid one gets some idea of quantity surveying. Marcel built up the blocks in a steady spiral fashion - the radius getting smaller as the snow house rose. After we had cut and carried 130 blocks, Marcel called "A last one to close the roof please"; then he was completely closed in. One of us put the finishing touches to the outside while the other two made the trench for the entrance. In an igloo it is important that the top of the entrance is lower than the living surface,

T N I G H T VISION Outside is freezing, inside i

* DAWN CHORUS Flying as the sun comes up.

otherwise physics would ensure that you would have to sleep in a bath of cold air. No sooner said than done: the access tunnel was built and after 20 minutes Marcel was released. After a test lie-down we agreed - this was the place for a relaxed night! The building work took three hours, and foreman Andy looked delighted. As a reward we are allowed to pull up our Pis in the reasonably chilly SE wind; so that we could have some fun, of course, but also to satisfy oar photographer's endless search for perfect subjects. Towards 8pm we repaired to our windproof igloo, where a quality cheese fondue was soon prepared for raising the spirits. The conversation rewound and fast-forwarded as flying chatter filled the igloo, and tomorrow morning was debated until yawns confirmed that an eventful day makes you tired. The cuddly sleeping bags were partly responsible lor the hot night on the bare mountain, but even so, in the morning we were unanimous that we have spent better nights.

THE AUTHOR mountaineer and p

Goodbye igloo Marcel was the first up at 6am. The sun hadn't risen but he already had his PI 19 under his arm

CROSS C O U N T R Y 156 H I K L A N D r L Y

and climbed the 50 metres to the ridge. A tough SE wind was blowing up there, direct from Lake Urner. A tew minutes later the XC champ was in the air with his light glider, soaring along the steep east side of the summit of the Niederbauen, throwing wingovers, whooping and yelling, before climbing above the peak to watch the sun come up at 6.40am over the Urner mountains. He landed after his 45 minute early-bird flight next to the igloo. We agreed again: that was something special! Next step: move out, pack up and prepare for departure. We left the igloo unfurnished, assuming that hardly anyone else would use it as a home. At 8.30am we were ready for takeoff. The wind was blowing from the perfect direction, and within 30 seconds all four light We flew high over the Niederbauen station towards Lake Lucerne, until with a sense of joy we landed after the 20-minute glide. One after the other we dropped down into the frosty pasture next to the Emmetten cable-car. Our expedition closed with breakfast in the nearby pub where we relived the highlights of hiking, sleeping and flying. We will definitely try it again! Hi

mOVES BOYS FPB5 DOIHINQTE AT TUE SANTA CRUZ FLATS 2014 Taking o^t a££ 5 day *J,'iu! Takina out f-&e firjf 5 jrfao'nai! 2 Day wins to Mike Bilyk, 2 Day wins to Kraig Coomber and 1 Day win to Jonny Durand

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DESTINATIONS

OUEST LE PONT?

world. his is the tallest bridge It cost €340m to build and was a collaboration between French structural engineer Michel Virlogeux and British architect Norman Foster. Construction started in October 2001 and finished three years later - it was opened almost exactly a decade ago, on 16 December 2004. Today it costs €6 to cross in a voiture, and sees between 10,000 to 25,000 cross each day. What's the name of the structure that (erome Maupoint has captured in this amazing shot? For bonus points, name the flying site close by.

Put your answer in the subject field and send your name, address and T-shirt size (please specify M/F) in an email to us at Comps@xcmag.com before 8 December 2014 to be in with a chance of winning a prize. Good luck! EH

•r to last issue's Destinations was Disentis in Switzerland - it was the Disentis Open this year. Vic winner, chosen by random number generator, was... Maxirne Beltemin, from France. Congralultuiom;! 86

CROSS COUNTRY 156 DESTINATIONS

DLSTINATIONSCROSSCOUNTRY156