Kössen Super Paragliding Testival delivers

In the buildup to the Kössen Super Paragliding Testival the forecast was so bad that manufacturers were asking whether it would be shortened by a day or two. In the end, the skies cleared to deliver four days of flyable conditions for hundreds of pilots keen to try out the latest wings.

“We had over 600 pilots who registered and I think nearly 90% showed up. So it’s been really good,” says Leo Dagn, who took over as organiser for the first time this year. “At the beginning of the week the forecast looked really tough but Kössen has delivered again. It’s nearly always flyable, even after a short period of rain.”

In the EN-B class, there was much interest in the new Vibe GT from Ozone, as well as the Gin Bandit 2. AirDesign had also brought their new EN-B Vivo 3 to try, with its 2.5 line architecture and rear riser control bars. Another available EN-B was the new Nova Nexo, a full weight low EN-B aimed at school and progressing pilots seeking comfortable flying experiences. In the EN-C class both the Advance Tau DLS and BGD Tigra attracted much interest.

The new Delight 5 pod harness from Supair was also on display and overall, 28 brands attended the event. The team from Cross Country flew 37 wings over the four day period, ranging from sports class racing machines like the Advance Tau, to Skywalk’s 1.05kg singleskin Pace.

The testival also proved a good opportunity to sit in and try the latest harnesses with the team enjoying test flights in the new Supair Delight 5 as well as Neo’s Stringpack 2.0. As at Coupe Icare, the 1.95m inflatable fairing on Nearbirds’s Vyra harness caught many eyes which is now “almost ready”, according its creator Volodimir Perevalov.

Although a band of rain passed through on the Friday, organisers compensated by persuading the lift company to extend the operating hours until 6pm. “Obviously the first year is always tough because there are so many new things and so many regulations,” Leo added. “But I think the app solution is the future.”

For the first time this year, all attending pilots had to register flights on an app, opening their flight before being allowed on launch, then closing it before leaving the landing field. Anyone who failed to close their flight was subsequently called by Leo. He added that there were a few complaints but only a handful out of 500 which was to be expected.

Fly Kössen is the oldest flying school in Europe and was the first host of the Hang Gliding World Championships in 1976. The Super Paragliding Testival is the biggest in the region attracting not just local pilots but many from around Europe.

Situated at an altitude of 1,480m, the launch site of Unterberghorn is just a couple of minutes walk from the top of the gondola and offers just over 1,000m of descent to the landing field, itself situated next to the Fliegerbar. “It’s a really nice vibe,” the Nova pilot Valentina Pötsch said. “It’s like a huge family gathering. All the scene is here. It’s amazing to chill, watch some landings, enjoy the vibes and meet people.”

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