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)

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.

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?

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."

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."

'Extreme botany' - Paramotors help conservationalists to protect ecosystems in Peru

Ever stopped and looked at your karabiners in flight? Bastienne Wentzel investigates our most critical links.
They weigh less than 100 grams – the two karabiners that connect us, via our harness, to the glider. But each one of them is essential: failure of a karabiner in the air inevitably results in a reserve ride. Isn’t it strange that it’s the only part of our equipment that doesn’t have to meet a standard? They deserve a bit more TLC than we usually give them.

“Dive, swoop, climb, soar…” Launched in a blaze of high-octane glory in 2022 parakites have now definitely come of age – attracting new pilots from disciplines like skydiving and kiting as well as paraglider pilots who want to go high-wind soaring at the coast. Bastienne Wentzel dials in...

"Welcome to the Harness Files – where science writer Bastienne Wentzel explores what we need to know about paragliding back protection and why. If you’re thinking of changing, going lightweight, or upgrading your harness, then this is eye-opening stuff. Essential reading."

Sky Paragliders recently brought in new blood from young company Drift, attracted by their two-line EN-C Merlin. Erwin Voogt and Bastienne Wentzel find out more

Where there is not even a hillock in sight a winch is the only way for paragliders to get airborne. All that is needed is a long open space roughly in the direction of the current wind. "Towing opens up a completely new range of flying areas," says Michael Gebert, a guide with the Swiss company Fly with Andy organising trips to fly from tow in Uruguay, Argentina, Brasil and the Balkans. "And it's a supersafe kind of flying," he adds.

"I'm Fatemeh Eftekhari, one of the most well-known pilots in Iran. I'm one of the owners of Xagros Clouds air sports club in Iran. I am an active XC and competition pilot. My best flight so far was 241 km on a Skywalk Chili 5 in 2022. But my goal is to bring more ladies to the women's sport community."

As free flyers, we are exempt from quite a number of rules and regulations that apply to larger and motorised aircraft. A lot of our sport is self-regulated which makes it such a beautiful and free sport.
An example of this self-regulation we find in the certification process of paragliders and their maintenance. When you think all the norms, checks, inspections and repairs must comply with laws, rules and regulations, you could be disappointed. But the lack of a legal framework doesn't mean these things aren't important. It just means we can't hide behind a law but have to take responsibility ourselves.
(Foto: Nova)

Flying the Airdesign Vivo 2 and its superlight sibling the LiVi at the same time is a great opportunity to make a direct comparison between a regular wing and the exact same one in a lightweight version. Both pitched as easy B gliders, the airfoil design is identical. The differences are mainly in lighter fabric, unsheathed lines and nitinol instead of plastic rods in the nose. What does that mean for the pilot?

This year's acro competition scene was more exciting than ever. There was a change of competition rules for the better, a neck-and-neck battle between the two top pilots of the year: veteran Théo de Blic and upcoming star Luke de Weert and there was a good effort to make it all more accessible to the public. Here's an overview of the year through Luke's eyes.
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This article was published in Cross Country magazine #246, December 2023.

Being a lightweight pilot in paragliding is a disadvantage. It's no myth that the smallest paragliders fly worse than larger ones. Some competitions such as the BGD Weightless even have a separate ranking for light pilots for this reason.
But recreational pilots struggle as well. Reader Angela Bonato ("considered lightweight by most wing manufacturers") emailed us: "I unfortunately only fly with much heavier guys and at almost every flight I have the feeling we flew in a very different air from what they say to me."
Lightweight competition- and ex-test pilot Joanna diGrigoli can fully relate. Among other wings, she flies an XS EN-B glider below mid-weight range. "I feel light against the wind. It has no bite." On a lightly loaded glider it can be harder to enter thermals, Joanna says. "But the main problem is into wind."

This article was published in Cross Country magazine #246, December 2023.

"I am Lorenzo, aka Energy Papi, entertainer, content creator and MC for paragliding events. I live in Eindhoven in The Netherlands. This year I traveled through the Alps with my small campervan, flying as much as I can. As a kid we went to the Austrian mountains for holidays. That's where my love for mountains was born."

This interview was published in Cross Country Magazine #245, November 2023.

Hike&fly is hot and with it comes our urge to slim down our equipment. A lighter wing, harness and reserve and yes, also a lighter helmet. Recently we have seen the number of pilots choosing a climbing helmet for hike&fly rise significantly, in competitions and recreational flights alike.

This article was published in Cross Country Magazine #245, November 2023.

The ‘X’ in Step X stands for ‘cross’ which means at the crossroads between performance and light weight. With a weight of 4kg for the S, it is similar to other semi-lightweight wings such as the Advance Iota DLS. It replaces Supair’s Step 2 and Step Light. Supair’s designer Pierre-Yves Alloix says: “You do not need to choose between light and classic, this new Step is ‘all in one’: almost as light as the Step Light with similar durability of the Step.”

Chrigel, congratulations! You said you didn't quite have the feeling before the race. What did you mean by this?
"Before the race, many things are unclear. This gives me the feeling of not being comfortable. It is always the same. The last experience is so far away, this feeling of insecurity starts to appear and I have to start to get into the next adventure to become comfortable and to focus on the race. And when it feels really good you can start pushing."
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Bastienne Wentzel talked to Chrigel and some of the others who made it in, including Damien Lacaze, Maxime Pinot and the first woman to finish the race, Eli Egger. The final 10-page feature makes for essential reading for X-Alps race-watchers.
Cross Country Magazine #242, August 2023.

The “easy B” class is crowded nowadays. New pilots and those who wish to fly for fun and keep things super simple often look for easy intermediates. Launched at the start of this year the Gin Evora is the latest member of this class. It is designed to be “undemanding for relatively inexperienced pilots, yet at the same time offer more than enough performance for the category” say Gin. To see what it has to offer I flew the Evora for a week in the fresh spring thermals at hotspot Bassano del Grappa in northern Italy.

The Nyos 2 RS is an update of Swing's high-end EN-B. With four EN-B's, Swing is a steady contributor to the populair EN-B class. Erwin Voogt investigates how the Nyos 2 RS stands out from the crowd.

Designing a paraglider without a computer is unthinkable nowadays. But for most of us the design software is mainly appreciated for the colorful images it creates. However, new developments in software mean our gliders get much better, much faster. Let's take a closer look.

Is minimum sink on a paraglider with brakes at 30% or hands-up? Advances in paraglider design mean things have changed - and that means updating teaching and flying techniques.

Just announced as the new race director of the Red Bull X-Alps we talk to Ferdinand Vogel. “I’m going to watch and learn in 2023,” he says.

Bastienne Wentzel joined a beginner's XC course organised by Parafly and guided by Ferdinand Vogel. Here is what we learnt.

Is it a speed glider, paraglider or kite? It’s a Moustache! Seb Ospina and Luke Nicol flew one of the first production wings. Bastienne Wentzel finds out more. (Photo: Miriam Joanna)

Bastienne Wentzel took Skywalk’s new reversible harness for a spin during a week of XC flying in Bassano.

"I am a former competition pilot from Feltre, Italy. I started flying in 1987 in Feltre on a Brindazur 24K. The K is for kevlar, it was one of the first paragliders with lines of kevlar. I was lucky because it was one of the best gliders at that time. To launch it you had to pull hard with your hands over your head and you had to yell 'Banzai!'"

“I pull to the right and instantly know I shouldn’t have. Too late. The lines go slack.” Bastienne Wentzel joins an all-women SIV / Acro course with Rise Paragliding in Oludeniz, Turkey.

An acro wing suitable to learn your first tricks and have fun, says Erwin Voogt.

"I am the first woman from Qatar to register and own a microlight aircraft. I am a sports coach from Doha, Qatar. Flying is my passion. I fly a weightshift microlight aircraft, a paramotor and a paraglider. I am learning to fly a fixed wing ultralight aircraft and I plan to obtain my gyrocopter licence."

Women's World Champion Yael Margelisch on chasing records, doing the X-Alps and winning the Worlds,

"I am a retired Airforce fighter pilot from Cologne. You sign up with the Airforce for twenty years and when you turn 41 you stop flying. I did a tour in Afghanistan which was really hard. Four of my friends didn't make it. So it was time to leave."

Acro World Champion Victor 'Bicho' Carrera about his dreams, the mental game, fast air and new tricks.

How much do you know about paragliding? Bastienne Wentzel, Erwin Voogt and Cross Country developed a quiz to find out. There is a quiz for everyone: newbies, beginners and experienced pilots.

Find the quizzes at beginnersguidetoparagliding.com/quiz

The web engine behind the quiz (developed by Erwin Voogt) is fully functional examination software used in schools. Send us an email (info@bmedia.nl) to find out more.

"I grew up in a mountain village in Switzerland, it was paradise. We went hiking, skiing, climbing and motorbiking. But ever since I was young I dreamt of flying. At 17 I started to fly a sailplane, that was my biggest passion. I was on the air field all the time but the summer flying season was short."

When the wind is strong even the lowest dunes offer the potential for some fantastic days out. Bastienne Wentzel heads to the coast to power up the mini wing and finesse her high-wind skills.

"I've been flying all my life. I grew up in Graz, Austria, where my dad, Willi Friedrich, ran the Flugschule Steiermark. I'm 19 years old now and I still live in the house where I grew up."

"I grew up in Bucaramanga, Colombia where we taught ourselves to fly paragliders in 1994. The first foreign pilots only arrived here two years earlier. There were no instructors or schools. I remember my first flight where my friend said: “Just run and when your down there, put your hands down!”

"I'm a 29 year old pilot living near Stuttgart. In daily life I am an orthopedic technician, I build prosthetics. But in the evenings, weekends and vacations, everything is about flying activities."

If you are looking for a top quality glider, Skywalk has always been the go-to brand. Skywalk say an important part of their market demands durable gliders, because of the rough and rocky take-offs and landings for example in Turkey, Iran, Spain and Brazil. But somehow, they've managed to outperform themselves with their new sports class glider, the Cayenne 6.

Vera: "In '85 a hang glider pilot invited me to fly with him. I had never seen a hang glider flying, I was stunned. I didn't know you could fly like that. The flight was a mind-blowing experience and changed my whole life. I left my job and became an instructor in paragliding and hang gliding, I met Wolfgang in 1995, we moved to Bavaria and we started Icaro paragliders.

The trademark BGD colors radiate rather boldly while I'm preparing the Cure 2 for my first flight. It seems as if all available shades of cloth are present in the 'Alkaline' colored review glider. More than the in-your-face colors, the sheer number of parts dazzles me. It looks like great skill is needed to sow all these parts together flawlessly.