High-wire artist Nicolas Berestoff treads a fine line as pilot Nicolas Santoni-Sonneville flies past on the cover of Cross Country 221 (July 2021). Shot in Corsica, inside, cover photographer Jacques-Paul Stefani reveals all you need to know about the flying in this magical spot.
With the X-Alps just around the corner we take a look at the fresh new batch of rookies who’ll be lining up to try to take Chrigel’s crown. Plus we compare and contrast the different wings the X-Alps pilots will be flying, from Skywalk’s X-Alps 5 to Advance’s OXA 4 and Ozone’s Zeolite XD.
“My strong point is I’m independent.” Ferdy van Schelven is one of the X-Alps old guard and is back for the fifth time. As he lines up again for another race he explains why he just can’t stay away.
Annecy is one of the most popular sites in the world, and the Tour du Lac is the classic XC. Former paragliding world champion and XC maestro Charles Cazaux guides us round. Photo: Jerome Maupoint.
Ahead of the Ozone Chelan Open, organiser Nick Greece gives us the inside track on how to fly this classic site. Prepare to get high and go far.
Austrian designer Markus Grundhammer is the larger-than-life personality behind Skyman. Known for their single-skin wings and hike-and-fly gliders, the CrossAlps 2 is their new lightweight double-surface XC paraglider aimed squarely at the EN C market.
“Don’t fly in the lee … fly in the lee.” Malin Lobb explains when to fly in the lee and how to avoid its sharp edges.
What are gusts and can you forecast them? Honza Rejmanek tackles this complex meteorological problem.
British paramotor champion Bene Bos explains how to get started in flying cross country with your paramotor. From 25 to 50 and finally 100km circuits.
Want to pack your wing and head into the hills? Then a lightweight bivvy tent will make life so much more comfortable. Marcus King reviews some of the best on the market with a view to what we need for paragliding and vol-biv.
Where the European Alps have on-site cafes, grassy launches and chamois, the San Gabriel mountains around LA have poison oak, taco bars and rattlesnakes. Mitch Riley, Cedar Wright and Logan Walters head out for a three-day hike-and-fly adventure around the LA Basin.
Corsica juts out of the Mediterranean like a fortress. On the west lies Ajaccio, with a year-round flyable micro climate. Photographer and longtime resident Jacques-Paul Stefani guides us round the flying on this holiday isle.
King by name, king by nature. Seb Ospina flies this high-performance EN D three-liner from Triple Seven. The King 2 is for those who like their air strong and gliders smooth.
We take an in-depth look at two new pod harnesses. Seb Ospina spent a season flying Gin’s top-flight XC pod harness the Genie Lite 3. Designed for all XC pilots the attention to detail is second to none.
Plus we fly the new Supair Strike 2, a lightweight pod aimed at hike-and-fly/vol-biv and XC pilots. At just 2kg for the M it’s going to appeal to a lot of us!
