Ozone Chabre open results
They came and conquered. US pilots triumph in France
7 July, 2026, by Cross CountryThe Ozone Chabre open came a close at the weekend and perhaps fittingly it was the American pilots who triumphed, just before the July 4th celebrations. David Gridley (USA), Mark Graham, (USA) and Nick Giguere (USA) were first, second and third respectively in the open-class event.
First female pilot went to another American, Chelsea Mckenzie. Dutch pilot Kim Paauw was second female while Anna Hadders (SWE) was third. Meet director Jocky Sanderson described it as a “triumphant” end to the event, “with 124 happy pilots flying six days, with five five tasks.”
The Ozone Charbre open is a week-long international, stress-free competition for pilots flying wings up to EN-C. “Providing a learning environment for experienced XC pilots new to competition, the week includes task briefings and de-briefings as well as a number of social events,” say organisers. Now in its 19th edition, the event is organised by local club, Chabre Vol Libre. It is sponsored by Ozone as well as Cross Country magazine.
The tasks ranged from 28km to 79km. They were all held in the Laragne region of southern France which is known for its limestone cliffs, booming thermals and high cloudbase as well as good landing options.
Results:
Overall
1 David Gridley (USA), Niviuk Artik R 2, 3,230.3
2 Mark Graham (USA), Ozone Delta 3, 2934.5
3 Nick Giguere (USA), Ozone Lyght, 2,803.9
Female
1 Chelsea Mckenzie (USA), Ozone Lyght, 2,524.9
2 Kim Paauw (NED), Phi Maestro 2 light, 2,281.9
3 Anna Hadders (SWE), Ozone Lyght, 2,117.2
