The first Ozone Krushevo Open friendly paragliding competition will take place from 22-28 July 2018.
Organisers say:
“The Krushevo Open is designed in the spirit and model of the Legendary Ozone Chabre Open, a stress-free paragliding cross-country competition with an emphasis on fun and learning through in-depth XC coaching and setting achievable tasks.
It is aimed primarily at pilots with some XC experience, who want to get more into competitions or further hone their XC skills. Daily briefings and de-briefings by Jocky Sanderson set the stage for a week of intense learning in a perfect location for fun XC flying”.
Scores will be categorised by wing classes, Fun, Recreation and Sport, which are defined by the wing’s aspect ratio. There is also a Rookie, and Women’s class.
The Icarus trophy paramotor adventure race will take place in southern Africa in 2018.
The race, which is run by the Adventurists, has previously been held in the United States, and last year was won by 22-year-old Tucker Gott.
“This is the Icarus Trophy on steroids, adventure on a baobab stick”.
The race will be around 1,000 miles long, depending on the actual route chosen by participants. Pilots will start at Hartbeespoort near Johannesburg in South Africa on 25 July, and cross Botswana to finish in Zambia a few days later. Pilots have to land and cross borders on foot, and their passports will be checked for the appropriate stamps! More on the 2018 route here.
This year again there will be an Adventure Division (supported, no race element), and a Race Division (no designated supporter, but pilots can use ‘open access’ support- anything that the average person can access.
“Should they manage to charm total strangers into lending their assistance, that’s kosher. They cannot use help offered by friends, distant relatives, other pilots or the race team to further their progress.
“Probably the key part of any adventure is the adventurous bits. And that means setting out into the world and fending for yourself. Anything else becomes a bit less exciting. It starts to remove all the fun bits, like ‘where the hell will I sleep?’ or ‘what do I do now I’ve run out of fuel?’ And it starts to become a bit of a guided tour.”
All competitors must carry their own food, clothes and sleeping equipment (although if you land near a hotel it’s within the rules to use it) and basic paramotor spares. Competitors are tracked, and are sent regular weather reports. There’s also a support truck following just in case, although, “It will probably take a while to reach you if you land in the middle of the desert, so best pack some sandwiches”.
The Hang Gliding Pre-Worlds 2018 will be based in Tolmezzo, Friuli Venezia Giulia, in the northeast of Italy and will run from 27 July until 4 August.
Organisers say:
“The competition flying area will develop above extremely different and vast areas: from the sea to the Dolomites, crossing the flatlands, the Alps and the Prealps. The main competition region will be Friuli Venezia Giulia, but pilots could fly also above some other regions and countries: Veneto, Trentino Alto Adige, Slovenia and Austria“.
More information and registration at Airtribune.com
Parafest, the UK’s family-friendly flying-and-music festival, is back in North Wales from 27-29 July 2018.
Mixing live music and family entertainment with paragliding, hang gliding and paramotoring, Parafest takes place at Llanbedr airfield on the beautiful Welsh coast, at the edge of Snowdonia National Park.
The event will host the UK’s only manufacturers’ trade show as well winch and aerotowing for suitably qualified pilots. There are hill-launch sites just a short drive away, and local pilots will be on hand to brief visitors.
Powered pilots have a dedicated area of the airfield to use for the duration of the event, from which they can explore the miles of unspoilt sandy beaches, the picture-postcard coastal towns and the mountains and valleys of Snowdonia.
Organisers say:
“Parafest is not just for pilots it’s for the whole family. Bring your partner, bring the kids, bring non-flying friends – you can even bring the dog!”
A purpose-built stage in the festival arena will host professional live bands who will play until midnight on the Friday and Saturday nights. Party-lovers can then head over to the Asbo Disco, set away from the camping area, where DJs will play on into the wee small hours.
More information and tickets at parafest.co.uk and facebook.com/parafestuk
If you come to Texas in August for the 16th Big Spring National Series you can expect big Tasks, smooth thermals, unrestricted landing areas and easy retrieval.
In addition, consistent 1pm cumulus development, air-conditioned HQ and free water and ice cream are in store. Organisers say, “We usually fly big distances every day at Big Spring so be prepared physically.” You have been warned!
The third and final round of the 2018 British Paragliding Cup takes place in the Peak District, UK.
Organisers write:
“The BP Cup is an entry-level paragliding competition for Pilot rated pilots. No previous competition experience is necessary but you do need to be confident thermalling. Our aims are – flying, fun and learning – in that order! The intention is to provide a friendly, supportive environment to facilitate pilots’ development, pushing PB boundaries and achieving competition goals. All rounds are open to suitably qualified foreign pilots, see Rules section on the website”.
The Peaks round HQ and camping will be the Derbyshire & Lancashire Gliding Club, near Great Hucklow in the Derbyshire Peak District, UK.
The last stop on the 2018 Acro World Tour before the finals in Sonchaux, Acro Max takes place in Trasaghis, Italy from 12-15 August.
There will be practice sessions for Acro World Tour pilots, and the Italian Aerobatics Paragliding Champions Open, from 9-11 August.
More info on vololiberofriuli.it
The British Paragliding Championships is being run as a single round in 2018, and it will take place at Kruševo, Macedonia from 11-17 August.
“The British Championship will be contested as a single open competition, the British Championship Open, instead of as in previous years being contested over two open competitions, the rationale being that an increasing number of British pilots with time, family, or financial pressures simply can’t afford to attend both open competitions.
“The meet director will be Goran Dimiskovski. In line with our new FAI status as a Category 2 nation we now offer very good quality PWC qualification letters. Krushevo will be hosting the World Championships in 2019 too and so our Championship Open should be perfect for other nations’ team pilots looking for racing experience in this paragliding Mecca.
“Immediately after Krushevo there’s also a PWC in nearby Sopot, Bulgaria and Goran has offered to put on transport (5hours by coach) for those pilots interested in doing both competitions. As in previous years we expect to be joined by the Dutch for their Championship.
“Pilots registering for the competition will be required to have a minimum level of competition experience in line with previous years’ British Open Competitions. The approved pilot list will be ordered by pilots’ highest World Pilot Ranking System (WPRS) position in the past two years and pilots will be invited to pay in ranked order. Registration for the competition will open on 3 February 2018 and pilots will be invited to pay beginning 17 February”.
More information at the British PGComps website, and registration at Airtribune.
The fourth competition of the 2018 Paragliding World Cup tour takes place in Sopot, Bulgaria from 18-25 August 2018.
Photo: sateam2013.blogspot.fr
The Dutch Open takes place in Laragne-Monteglin in the French Alps from 19-25 August 2018.
The event is open to hang glider classes 1 (including Sport class) and 5. Information and registration on Airtribune.
