Red Bull X-Alps veteran and two-time Paragliding World Cup Super Final Champion Aaron Durogati has left Advance and joined Nova. Billed as a “return to his roots” Nova and Aaron announced the move at the Stubai Cup in Austria..
Speculation about what Aaron was planning had started to build after a social media post from Advance revealed that Aaron was leaving the Advance team after eight years.
In an interview posted to the Nova website Aaron said he was joining Nova “full of motivation.” He said: “When I started flying, my father sold Nova paragliders in South Tyrol. I was 16 years old at the time and had direct access to the scene and the products from the beginning. So, my second glider was already from Nova.
“I participated in my first competitions with Nova gliders and quickly landed among the top five at international competitions.”
When Nova shifted away from focussing on competition wings Aaron flew other brands but, he said “the contact and interest never broke off.” Over the last three years Aaron has used the company’s Bantam in the Red Bull Dolomitenmann, winning in 2023.
Aaron Durogati at the Stubai Cup. Photo: Jack Sheard
Aaron said he plans to “represent the Nova brand in the best possible way at competitions, events, and film projects. I also look forward to bringing my experience and know-how to paraglider development.”
One wing he hopes to be working on with Nova designer Philipp Medicus and his team is a new hike-and-fly competition glider in the EN-D category. Nova already have a project working on a new CCC wing with the input of Nicola Donini, a project Aaron says he is “also looking forward to”.
When asked about his plans for 2024 Aaron said: “In the first half of 2024, I am fully occupied with my training and a very large film project – I don’t want to reveal anything more specific about it at the moment.
“In the second half, I will dedicate myself more intensively to hike-and-fly competitions like the Red Bull Dolomitenmann. In the fall, I will start some climb-and-fly actions, and in the winter, my beloved ski adventures will call me again.”
He added: “I still have a big goal for 2024: I want to (again) try to break the FAI triangle world record of 350km. Unfortunately, I narrowly missed it last year. In 2025, the X-Alps are up again, and generally, I will participate in as many hike-and-fly competitions as possible this year.”
