The Paragliding World Cup headed to Disentis in August 2020 for a week of racing through the beautiful Swiss Alps
Cancelled, postponed, regretfully on hold…. The 2020 international competition season across the free flying world was pretty much cancelled due to Covid-19 this year. Except for Disentis. Under the stewardship of Swiss team leader Martin Scheel, the first and perhaps only leg of this year’s Paragliding World Cup circuit took place in Switzerland from 15-23 August. Given the international travel restrictions in place it was understandably dominated by Swiss and French pilots (35 pilots from each nation) and at 115 pilots the field was smaller than it can be, but the flying was perhaps all the sweeter for it.
Between showers and foehn there were four tasks over the week – 76km, 62km, 109km and 55km – and Switzerland’s Stephan Morgenthaler won the overall competition. In the first task he took a smart line down the centre of the valley while the mountains were in deep shade and managed to find a climb, which took him to goal. He was the only pilot to make it in, and that put him a massive 249 points (out of a potential 1,000 per task) ahead of the next pilot. All he had to do was fly consistently and hang on and the competition was his.
It’s never that easy though! He was 22nd in the next task, back up to second in the third, and 14th in the final task. By the end the chasing pack had nearly caught him, with Ozone designer Luc Armant (FR) in second, just 28 points behind. Charles Cazaux (FR) was third.
In the women’s class, Seiko Fukuoka Naville (FR) was back and on form, winning the first two tasks. Yael Margelisch (CH) and Laurie Genovese (FR) won one each, with the final result a tie between Seiko and Yael.
In the unofficial battle of the wings, the Enzo 3 continues to dominate: every pilot on the podium was flying one. Five pilots were flying the new Niviuk Icepeak X-One, and one of them just snuck into the top 10: Andreas Nyffenegger (CH) in ninth place. Gin team pilot Michael Sigel (CH) flew his Boomerang 11 to seventh, while Gin’s whale-fin inspired Boomerang 12 RFC (ready for competition – a prototype competition glider) caught the attention of everyone.
Beyond all that though, as PWC reporter Ruth Jessop, the voice behind the live commentary online, wrote, “Above all, Disentis 2020 has been a fantastic get-together of old friends, long-standing rivals, new World Cup pilots and flying families. Well done and a big thank you to all those who helped make Disentis 2020 such a success.”
Stephan Morgenthaler Overall winner
Congratulations on your win Stephan.
Thank you. It’s not often I make it to the top! I have flown competitions for a long time, and people say if I’m good at the start then I mess up at the end. So, this time I made it through without messing up!
You were the only person to make goal on Task 1.
This was the decision point for the competition, and it was a lucky punch, honestly! Of course, you have to give luck a chance, but basically everybody else had landed, and I just had a feeling the centre of the valley was good, because on both sides of the valley the air was flowing down.
I saw people trying to fly the slopes, but they were sinking. So I thought about going to the centre, and it was buoyant. It was a small area of convergence and it meant I got a very good glide ratio and could make it to a point where I could climb again.
And no one else saw it?
I think they all tried to go along the slopes. It’s normal to fly the mountainsides, but that day the slopes were in shade for so long that they went katabatic.
It takes quite some strength of character to do that, to think apart from the group.
Others call it rigid! It’s like putting a bet on your feeling. Sometimes you can be massively wrong with this! I enjoy flying, and I love to try other things, so sometimes you are lucky.
How long have you been flying now?
I started when I was 13 or 14, with my father. Now I am 42. He started paragliding and I liked the look of it.
Where do you live? Is the flying good?
Staffelbach. It’s flatlands! We have very small hills. The Jura is close, about half an hour’s drive. I bought a winch recently because sometimes conditions look nice but you just can’t do it with the small hills.
What’s your day job? Do you get to fly a lot?
I develop industrial inkjet printers for Brother. If I have a chance I fly. I fly in winter when I go skiing, I fly tandems with the family, but if you compare to tandem pilots or test pilots, they fly all the time. I fly probably 100 hours a year.
You’re in the Swiss team. What is it like in the team these days?
Some years ago we had problems attracting young pilots to competition, but recently it has been transformed. Now we have regional organisers who arrange training days, meet-ups and set tasks. The mood has changed. When there are new people there are always changes, and I enjoy that.
Internationally, the Swiss have been active in Brazil in a very organised way, setting up tow camps and going for records, flying 500km. Have you been out there to chase distance?
No, but I would really like to. I think I would have fun doing it, but I don’t have the time – I have three children, 3, 5 and 7. I have a friend who lives in Brazil and he always invites me, so maybe one day.
In Disentis you won the first task, but then there is pressure to stay on top. Did you feel that?
Obviously I could manage it, although I had one or two days where I was not in the lead. I try not to care too much about the rankings. I go for fun, and I also enjoy it if I don’t win. Of course I look at the ranking, but there is no disadvantage in life if I don’t win. I don’t earn money from it, for example.
Which was the task you enjoyed the most?
Always when we go long distance through the mountains. The shorter ones can be very quick. The longer the flight the more I like it.
How was the whole organisation?
I’m very proud of the organisation that they made this competition. We have to live with this situation now, and just to make no competition is not the right answer. For us it was easy – we wore masks in the transport, but that was it. It wasn’t a big issue.
And finally, any tips for pilots new to the competition scene?
I think most of the people who want to fly competitions are self-motivated. This is all you need. You don’t need to tell them how to do it. They can see how to do it and they learn fast. But I guess stay open, there is always something new to learn.
Ed Ewing
Yael Margelisch, equal-first woman
Yael, you live in Verbier, so were almost on home turf. How was the comp?
It was the hardest of all the competitions I have flown at Disentis. We had quite a lot of wind and the thermals weren’t that strong. But on the first day I was fourth, then eighth, then first, then second – and so overall I came first equal with Seiko, which was fantastic.
What would you have had to do to beat her? Or her to beat you? What were the deciding points?
During the third task, I was flying really well but I took it a bit easy on the final glide. That was a bit bad, because I could have won by more and not been first equal. But afterwards, you can say what you want, so that’s not a problem. I’m fine to be equal with Seiko.
It looked like a friendly comp. How is the feeling in the Swiss crew of PWC pilots these days?
It’s really good and we have a great atmosphere. In Switzerland, we have pilots who speak French first, like me, and the people who speak German. In the team, we have more and more of the French speakers coming through now. I get on really well with both groups because I speak French and German, but not everyone speaks – or wants to speak – both languages and sometimes it’s hard to imagine that we all come from the same country.
How important is it to be part of a friendly scene?
We all like to go into competitions because we meet good friends. We are all linked with the same passion.
You became the first woman to fly 500km last year. How does flying distance compare with flying competitions?
I actually started flying competitions to learn how to fly fast for cross country – but then you meet new people and become friends with them and so I continued to compete. I feel different emotions when I fly cross country. In cross country, I am more enjoying the landscape, the flight itself. In competition, I am more focused on what I have to do right now to perform.
Do you fly full-time? Are you sponsored or do you fly tandem professionally?
Yes, I fly tandems throughout the summer. In winter, I am a ski instructor. I am sponsored by my home town, Verbier. I also have an arrangement with ONEDAY coaching, but the only money I get is from Verbier. For me, it has always been hard to get sponsors because I don’t really like selling myself and saying how great I am.
You fly distance, you fly mountains, you have world records (huge triangles!). What’s next? Would you apply to the X-Alps, for example?
I have just applied for the Red Bull X-Alps. To compete in that has always been a dream of mine. With the flying, I feel ready, but it requires a huge amount of physical commitment, too. I have started training already.
Will you be back in Brazil this year?
I won’t be travelling because of the pandemic. Insurance is a massive issue. It’s not only crashing, you could get hit by a car – and then how could you get home? For me, it’s a good opportunity to spend more time finding sponsors and training as much as possible.
How do we get as good as you?
Fly a lot! You learn so much with experience in paragliding.
Matt Warren
Published in issue 214 (October 2020)
