Like skimo is ski mountaineering, speedmo is speedfly-mountaineering. A new series of speedmo events was held last year in the States, with the first one held in Draper, Utah in May. Thirty-one pilots (25 men and six women) raced hike-and-fly laps of the Cherry Canyon logging trail. A close finish decided the podium by only five seconds.
The course was a 2.4-mile hike with 2,500ft of ascent in which men did two laps and women did one, all flying down each time. Many speedwing and miniwing pilots were there to compete, but some were there just to hike-and-fly with friends.
Race winner Landon McDowel, 21, said: “Everybody immediately started running at the start!” He was surprised by the fast pace of the...
