Watch: Parakiting’s first ski-fly comp

It was only a matter of time before a parakiting comp emerged. This video from filmmaker Hugo Lami looks back at the inaugural Birday event held earlier this season in Val d’Isère.

“It’s the first edition,” says organiser Léo Taillefer. “We’re trying an event that doesn’t exist yet – we’re building something from scratch. I tried to imagine a competition format using parakites. The idea would be to run three heats with a single wing, a little bit like a ski race.”

The first heat was a timed top-to-bottom, the next a freeride descent where pilots choose their own line with the final heat requiring pilots to hit targets and “sliding zones” similar to paramotoring slalom. “The winner is the most versatile,” adds Léo.

Birday may be the first comp exclusive to the parakite community. We suspect it won’t be the last.