The free flying year ahead is packed with events and competitions. Here’s an international selection of what’s happening in January.
You might be sitting there thinking that January is all about skiing, or hot chocolate, or staying inside – but these events prove you couldn’t be more wrong. From the Alps to the flatlands of Australia January can be a busy month if you know where to look.
Wheels4Flying MEET: Colombia
10-22 January 2024
The first international meet and competition for pilots with reduced mobility will be held in Piedechinche, Valle del Cauca, Colombia. For the first six days, participants will free-fly over the picturesque landscape getting to know the area before this first of a kind cross-country competition takes to the skies.
xcmag.com
Skinning up during the Eigertour Winter Edition 2022. Photo: Eigertour
Eigertour WINTER EDITION
12-14 January 2024
This ski-mountaineering and paragliding adventure race passes through the heart of the Alps, across three regions in just three days. Twenty teams of two experienced mountain athletes will take on a 90km route at the mercy of snow and weather while watching out for avalanches.
eigertour.rocks
The legendary Forbes. Photo: forbesflatlands.com
Forbes Flatlands Hang GlidING CHampionships 2024
15-20 January 2024
Forbes is an agricultural town in Central West New South Wales, Australia, about a five-hour drive from Sydney Airport. This FAI Cat 2, “all aerotow” competition above the scorching flatlands will see upto 50 pilots take on a variety of challenging tasks. The January summer in the region has average maximum temperatures of 32-35ºC, so be sure to take a few days to acclimatise – and bring your sunscreen.
forbesflatlands.com
Manilla XC Camp 2024
20-27 January 2024
“Fly as far as you can” is as simple as a paragliding competition could get. Mt Borah is the launch site and has four huge astro-turfed take-offs – developed for the 2007 World Championship – for nearly all wind directions. The event offers a laid back approach to flying in one of the world’s safest XC regions: “No pressure, no worries… just fly.” This attitude has proven effective as many pilots, of all levels, achieve personal bests each year.
flymanilla.com
Landing out in Kenya can be wild. Photo: civlcomps.org
Pre-PWC Kenya Paragliding Open
21-27 January 2024
An amazing chance to compete in the first FAI Cat 2 paragliding competition to be held in Kenya. The event will be hosted in Naivasha, 100km northwest of Nairobi and looks like it will be a clear season highlight for those who will take part. You can take a taxi from the airport for two hours or, for the more adventurous travellers, the public bus will surely provide some great stories to tell.
civlcomps.org
New Zealand HANG GLIDING OPEN
25 January – 3 February 2024
The 46th edition of this legendary hang gliding competition will be held in Murchison, New Zealand once again. This high mountain site is right in the middle between West and East coasts with easy landings at the bottom and in the area. The FAI Cat 2 competition has developed such a great relationship with the locals, there’s sure to be a warm welcome to everyone involved.
airtribune.com
British Winter Open
27 January – 3 February 2024
Escape the European winter to thermal above the sugarcane fields of Colombia’s principle paragliding paradise. The Winter Open marks the start of the British Open Competitions for 2024 and where better to have it than the world class competition venue of Roldanillo. With its exceptionally reliable flying conditions, it’s no surprise that the Colombian Open Pre-PWC follows soon after.
airtribune.com
Cruising the bay. Photo: civlcomps.org
Hawkes Bay PG Open
30 January – 4 February 2024
Having a competition in the middle of New Zealand’s awesome flying season wasn’t enough: it also had to be among the area’s many world-class vineyards. Hawkes Bay is on the east coast of the North Island and is the base for this five-day, FAI Cat 2 competition.
civlcomps.org
Las Candelas Paramotors
3-4 February 2024
The 27th edition of this paramotoring event and flight fair comes to the shores of the José Torán Reservoir in La Puebla de los Infantes, Seville. Las Candelas was born from the tradition of bonfire festivals in the region and enjoys pleasant temperatures while the rest of Europe is still under snow. The event offers one of the earliest chances to see the latest products from manufacturers and serves as a meeting point for pilots from all over the world.
lascandelasparamotores.com
