Jonathan A. Hutton is a very optimistic guy. Not in a glass-half-full sort of way, but really, thorougly, astonishingly optimistic. He has nose cancer, very rare and almost unheard of in 30-year olds like him. His memoirs, written up in his book Unflappable, tell his journey through treatment, cure, recurrence, repeat. And between all that he decides to learn paragliding.

Once again, Théo de Blic won the Acro World Tour 2025, securing his 5th solo AWT championship by winning all competitions and the Superfinal in Ölüdeniz (Turkey) in September.

(Photo: Meetingpointstudio/Naomie Gallon)

Sebrand Warren eindigde (voor Nederland) als 21e — en als allerlaatste die de goal haalde — in de Red Bull X-Alps 2025. Zijn taaie eindsprint dwars door de buien leverde hem een dikke portie respect en applaus op. Een paar dagen later crashte hij, overmoedig door zijn prestaties, bij een toplanding in de Dolomieten en zit hij nu met een gebroken hiel verplicht op de bank. Tijd om terug te blikken.

On large, popular launches like Annecy it's easy to be convinced that you're not really part of the scene unless you're flying a pod harness. Open or sit harnesses are rare and if you fly one, inevitably someone will ask: "When are you going to get a pod?"
The reality is, there are many disciplines where an open harness is much more convenient. They are very popular and manufacturers tell us they sell more open harnesses than pods. There are so many types that there is an open harness for any flying style. And they are most definitely not only for beginners.

Met onder andere: WK Deltavliegen | Drieluik climb&fly deel 2: Mönch | Terugblik Red Bull X-Alps met Sebrand Warren | Ozone Chabre Open 2025 | Fly&hike Oostenrijk | Na 15 jaar weer paragliden | Oldtimers op het strand | NK Vlakland paragliding 2025 | Overland met de paramotor

Aaron Durogati ended Chrigel Maurer's dominance of the RedBull X-Alps when he won the 1283km race in style in June. Bastienne Wentzel talked to him and the other final four about what was extraordinary and at times controversial, edition of the competition.
Bastienne Wentzel and Erwin Voogt contributed to reporting the race for Cross Country with photos, videos and interviews on social media, online as well as in print.

We talk about arc in the design of a paraglider, but what does that actually mean?

Met onder andere: Red Bull X-Alps special | Interview met Sebrand Warren | Live tracking | Vol-bivouac avontuur in Frankrijk | Soaren op Madeira | Harnassen en protectie deel 4 | Vliegen rondom een CTR | Lessen na een ongeval | Langs de Liftlat: Mark de Lange | Drieluik hike&fly rondom Alpenreuzen deel 1: Jungfrau.

Naviter is a new race partner this year in the Red Bull X-Alps, which kicks off on 12 June 2025. It means they will be supplying all athletes with a flight instrument for tracking; the brand new Naviter Omni. But behind the scenes, Live Tracking is a lot more involved than just following the tracks of the athletes. Let's take a look. (Image: Naviter)

During the CIVL Plenary meeting in March, a proposal to allow performance equalisers in competitions was approved. The purpose is to reduce the inherent performance advantage of larger over smaller gliders by putting foam tubes on the lines of larger gliders to add drag. (Photo: Ozone)

Kanan
"When I was about six years old, we saw gliders on a family holiday in Panchgani. My dad asked them 'Will you take my daughter?". So I was strapped to the chute and in my memory the person behind me was just hanging from the two lines he was holding. Later I learned that the pilot sits in a harness too, and I thought, ah, that makes a lot more sense now!"
 
Josh
"I was around paragliding before I could walk or talk because of my dad Jocky Sanderson. I used to go tandem with him all the time. I initially learned paragliding at 13 and passed my exam at 14."

Met onder andere: Hike&fly in Colombia | Stubai Cup 2025 | Interview Greg Hamerton | Harnassen en protectie deel 3 | Recensie Gin Calypso 2 en Camino 3 | Langs de Liftlat

Have you seen the videos of paraglider pilots flying through tunnels? How do they do that? (photo: Adi Geisegger)

Finally, the day arrived that you can fly free. You just passed your exams and received the coveted pass to free flight: your pilot's license. Classic psychology tells us that you have graduated from 'unconscious incompetence' - when you started to fly you didn't know what you didn't know - to 'conscious incompetence'. You've become conscious of the fact that full competence in flying is still a long way away. Or as one instructor put it: you've learned to launch, land and not hit anything. But there is so much more to learn when it comes to flying. Where to start?

Porosity is one of the main properties that should be checked when your glider gets its periodic inspection. But we may be measuring it wrong, experts say. "We should be measuring flow, not time."

Met onder andere: Hike&fly naar de top van de Mt. Blanc | Parakites in opmars | Mount Manganui (Nieuw Zeeland) | Red Bull X-Alps 2025 - interview met Nederlandse deelnemer Sebrand Warren | Harnassen en protectie deel 2 | Vliegdagen voor paramotor, delta en ballonnen | Recensie: Moyes Gecko | Paramotorvliegen over Lelystad Airport | Afsluiting Acroseizoen 2024 | Liftlat: Doseah Morriën