German pilot Jens Cullmann won the 11th Ozone Chabre Open, just eight points ahead of Grant Oseland (GB) and Fredrik Angrimer of Sweden.
The Ozone Chabre Open is a friendly annual event, designed to guide cross-country pilots into the world of competition paragliding. It always includes a workshop on using flight instruments, and pre-flight advice on how to fly the tasks as well as post-task breakdowns. It’s based at Laragne-Monteglin in the southern French alps, and this year it ran from 1 to 8 July.
Two tasks were scored, of 66km and 33km, with almost half of the field in goal on the second task, and armfuls of ‘goal virgin’ and ‘personal best’ prizes being handed out in the morning briefings.
But pilots described an “emotional rollercoaster” of a week, grief hanging over the competition after the death of Swiss competitor Gordan Vosicki in a fatal accident above the Chabre on what was to have been the first task. You can read the statement from the competition organisers relating to this accident on the FlyLaragne website, here. We join the organisers and pilots in offering our sincere condolences to Gordan’s family and friends.
A no-task day was called after the accident, and a minute’s silence held in the morning briefing. Those who wanted to free-flew at St Jean Montclar, and meet director Jocky Sanderson ran a safety session focussing on collapse recovery and reserve parachutes.
The competition resumed, with the last two days providing scorable tasks and deciding the winners. Aside from the X-Class, who also formed the overall winners’ podium, the Ozone Chabre Open always awards prizes for other categories which this year were set by wing aspect ratio rather than EN-rating. There is also a raffle at the end of the event, with a new Ozone paraglider as the most coveted prize – Natalia Shoutova was the lucky winner of the wing.
All photos: Martijn van Dijk.
Results
Women
1. Catherine Castle (GB, Ozone Alpina)
2. Irene Barras (CH, Nova Ion 2 Light)
3. Christelle Tabarie (FR, Ozone Rush 4)
Fun Class
1. Irene Barras (CH, Nova Ion 2 Light)
2. Dave Aitkenhead (GB, Ozone Geo 4)
3. Patrick Nanninga (NL, Ozone Buzz Z4)
Recreation Class
1. Jeroen Kaub (NL, Nova Mentor 4)
2. Luc Loewensberg (CH, Nova Mentor 3)
3. Nick Pain (GB, Advance Iota)
Sports Class
1. Antares Hazelton (IE, Advance Sigma 9)
2. Nicola Mockli (CH, Niviuk Artik 4)
3. Catherine Castle (GB, Ozone Alpina)
Rookies
1. Antares Hazelton (IE, Advance Sigma 9)
2. Frederik Weber (CH, Advance Iota)
3. Mark Baldwin (GB, Advance Sigma)
Top Team
Team Laat:
Peter Bienek (Ozone Mantra 6)
Gerard Van Rijn (Ozone Mantra 4)
Alex Boldyrev (Niviuk Artik 4)
Sigurd Schafer (Sol Ellus 5)
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