Michi Maurer surfs the power of nature on the cover of the May issue of Cross Country Magazine. Shot by Andy Busslinger the spectacular Stauber waterfall is his backdrop. It’s springtime in the Alps, time to get out there and fly.
From the Swiss Cup to the Swedish XC Open, we take an optimistic look at what’s happening in the free-flight world this month. Plus we take a look at what last year’s cancellations means for CIVL and the competition world.
Joaquin Stable literally flew across his home country of Uruguay earlier this year – all 400km of it! We find out more about him, his approach to team flying, and his hopes for flying even bigger XC in Brazil.
The trend for using more lightweight kit has implications for how we should be flying. Instructor Malin Lobb explains all you need to know about the differences between using lightweight and standard equipment in paragliding.
Do you know the difference between the two mackerel skies? We talk to natural navigator Tristan Gooley who has written a new book about how to forest the weather the old-fashioned way – by simply looking at the sky, no apps, no internet.
BGD’s new Base 2 (EN B+) is in the spotlight in our Reviews section. It has a new colour scheme and a new profile. “An easy to use package for big days out,” says reviewer Marcus King.
Théo de Blic knows a bit about moving around the sky with intention. Our regular columnist takes a look at some of the best rapid descent techniques available to paraglider pilots, from big-ears-and-bar to big-ear-and-opposite-spiral.
We welcome UK and German national paramotor champion Bene Bos to our pages as a new regular writer. His first topic? How to make friends in the free-flying world. “I have made some of my best friends at fly-ins, and travelled all over the world with them,” he says.
Lawrie Noctor gets to grips with Gin’s new paramotor wing, the Vantage 3. Aimed at new pilots and above it’s designed for free-flight and powered flying.
When the sun shines and the snow is fresh there is no better place to be in the Alps than Mont Blanc. Three pilots took advantage of a three-day weather wind to ski-and-fly vol-Visa style around this iconic mountain. Fred Souchon tells the story.
Colombia’s Cauca Valley is justifiably famous as a paragliding Mecca, and that’s because the journey on the ground is just as much fun as the miles flown in the sky. Photographer Kieran Campbell falls for its charms.
Horacio Llorens and Rafael Goberna headed to Dubai over winter to fly the world’s biggest fountain and make a film about it. Water in the desert, it’s a powerful combination – as are this pair of world class pilots. Horacio takes us behind the scenes to explain how it was done.
Lots of pilots use phones or tablets paired with an external vario – but what if you want an all-in-one machine that has the benefits of a tablet but is just switch-on-and-go? We try out the full-spec Air3 Android tablet.
