The way our paraglider harnesses are tested for strength and safety is getting an update. By the end of this year, a group of harness experts including Alexandre Jofresa from Air Turquoise will propose a new EN standard. The current EN standard for harnesses has come in for criticism because it does not simulate how paraglider pilots actually fall in many cases – instead it only measures the impact of a fall almost vertically, straight down on your bum.
For the new EN standard Alexandre told us: “We want to include a new impact-pad test for harness back protection, which drops the harness at a 75-degree angle. This simulates you falling almost flat on your back.”
Air Turquoise is one of the main organisations that carries out the certification tests for all paragliding equipment. For the impact-pad test, where the protector of the harness is tested for safety, they have...
