It’s nearly mid-summer in the northern hemisphere, which means long days and never-ending evenings. And boy are we making the most of that! After a spring spent grounded and looking outside at the clouds, we’ve been back in the air, making the most of every special moment. We hope you have been too. Here’s a quick look at what’s inside Cross Country 211 (July 2020).
With lockdown still impacting many of us where we fly, this issue we take a look at how to make the most of those days when you’ve got to stay local. From finessing your speedbar technique to honing your thermalling and planning an out-and-return or triangle, we show you how to get the best out of your day.
If you love the flying in Annecy but don’t love the crowds, then maybe this spot is for you. XContest women’s winner Joanna Di Grigoli reveals all about her secret spot in the northern French Alps – La Sambuy. From early morning sled rides to 90k triangles and more, this hidden gem won’t stay hidden for much longer.
What did you do during lockdown? Paint the bedroom? Fix those shelves? Red Bull X-Alps race reporter Tarquin Cooper spent some of it dialled in to an online meteorology course. Now he knows his mammatus from his lenticulars – do you? After extensive road testing he tells us what those online weather courses are really like.
Locked away and socially distant, Gavin McClurg remembers one epic day when he and buddy Matt Beechinor spent an evening whooping and hollering above the Pioneer Mountains in Idaho, USA. “We touched down, built a fire and spent one of the most enjoyable nights of my life under the stars.”
“Paramotors oscillate” writes Jeff Goin, “but why, and does it matter?” After years flying everyone from beginner wings to racing machines Jeff thinks he’s worked out why.
“Ethiopia is a huge country,” says photographer Andy Busslinger as he looks back on a trip of a lifetime through the Ethiopian Highlands. Combining adventure tourism with paragliding, he and his team of Swiss flying friends explore the potential of this amazing country.
Castelluccio in Italy used to be on every Italian pilot’s radar, but then two earthquakes in 2016 literally flattened this medieval hilltop village. Now, the rebuilding has started and pilots are being welcomed back with open arms, reports Laura Loewel.
Mount Canigou sits between mountains and sea in the eastern Pyrenees. Jerome Maupoint heads to a unique rural guesthouse with its very own airstrip to join some of France’s best paramotor pilots as they explore the region.
The Flow Fusion (EN C) is a new sports class wing with hybrid 3/2-line technology. That’s three lines at the centre, two lines at the tips. It’s a headline-grabber, for sure, but how does it perform? The first day after lockdown we got it out and into the air.
Looking for light? Charlie King tries the new Sky Apollo Light 2 (EN B) paired with their Sky Reverse 5 harness, a mid-range, high-B package that’s good for hike-and-fly and XC adventures.
“Compared to lockdown, an hour in the air would be paradise itself.” Lockdown was a psychological journey for millions, writes Matt Warren, and that journey had some surprising outcomes. For Matt, it meant reevaluating his own flying and what it meant. What he discovered surprised even himself.
Plus we put Andrés Pepe Villamizar in the Naked Pilot hot-seat, investigate the different types of cumulus clouds with Honza Rejmanek, check out flying eyes-wide-shut with Bruce Goldsmith, and bring you the latest on new gear and equipment in the sport.
