The Cross Country Adventure Guide 2022 is our guide to the very best of adventure paragliding. Cross Country editor Ed Ewing introduces it.
“OK, let’s focus on what we’re doing, we can chat later!” In a polite way I was trying to tell my buddy that really, now was the time to be paying attention, not talking.
We were climbing on a steep mountain ridge on a perfect blue-sky day. It was a long way down and we still had a long way to go ahead. Yes, it was amazing to be up there, and I knew why he was elated, but we needed to bring all our attention to the business in hand.
In searching for a definition of what “Adventure” is, that’s what I came up with, that feeling of seriousness, when your actions count, when your mistakes can have consequences, when you need to focus and get things right. That’s adventure.
There is no need to be miles from home. Indeed, some of the best adventures can happen in our own backyard. As several of our contributors point out in these pages, you can have an adventure simply by trying something new or in a different way. It’s about learning, being active in your environment and applying your knowledge and skills to where you are. It’s about planning and execution, and it’s about having fun.
In this first Cross Country Adventure Guide – specially produced for subscribers of Cross Country magazine and sent out with XC227 (Feb/Mar 2022) – we wanted to bring together a collection of people, activities and experiences that reveal what pilots are doing across our sports. From para-alpinists to hike-and-fly racers, from eight-minute flights to 2,000km long odysseys.
Plus, we wanted to showcase some of the very best new technology and equipment, explaining how you can use or adapt it to help you get more out of your own next adventure. From lightweight harnesses to specialist adventure-racing wings, it is the equipment that continues to allow evolution and revolution in our sports.
Threaded through it all is that spirit of adventure, and that love for flying we all share.
We hope you enjoy it!
What’s inside?
Cross Country Magazine’s Adventure Guide 2022 is packed with information and advice from some of the best adventure pilots in the sport. From vol-bivouac to para-alpinism to hike-and-fly, from eight-minute flights to 2,000km long odysseys we showcase what’s possible in some of the most beautiful flying locations on the planet.
Plus, we take a look at the very best new technology and equipment, explaining how you can use or adapt it to help you get more out of your own next adventure. From lightweight harnesses to specialist adventure-racing wings.
Reliable, fact-checked and up-to-date information from one of the leading publications in the sport, here’s what’s inside:
-
- Flying Kilimanjaro – The world’s biggest hike-and-fly
- The Last Glaciers – With Malcolm Wood
- Big in Brazil – Long distance XC with Serena Ronchi
- The Parajet Xplorer – Truly, a flying car
- Combo magic – Skiing and paragliding with Antoine Boisellier
- Flying the Matterhorn – The hardest way
- Bikepacking and paragliding in Scotland’s Western Isles
- Keeping it real with pro athlete Cedar Wright
- Adventure racing with X-Alps pilot Laurie Genovese
- Tandem XC with the BipBip crew
- Fly, Sleep, Repeat – All you need to know about the art of vol-bivouac
- No Place Like Home – Adi Geisegger on the joy of staying local
- The Arctic Trail – Exploring Western Greenland with Nico Cochet and son
- Paramotoring – Sylvestre Campe’s Amazon Rainforest odyssey
- Lightweight Kit – From bootlace harnesses to high-performance paragliders
- On your Back – Adventure paragliding rucksacks tried and tested
- There’s an App for That – Flight instruments that won’t weigh you down
- Photography – Capturing the perfect moment with Guy Bolton
- Clothing – How to take care of your outdoor kit so it lasts
- What’s On in 2022
- The Vagabond Poet – Didier Favre
All Cross Country subscribers get sent a Cross Country Adventure Guide 2022 with Cross Country 227 (Feb/Mar 2022). It is also available to buy in print and will be available as a digital edition very soon.
