The Zyme is an ultralight string-style paragliding harness from Ascendant, a new paragliding harness manufacturer from France. Weighing just 240g it is made from recycled nylon woven with Dyneema for strength.
Ascendant is a new company that was set up at the beginning of 2024 by husband-and-wife team Coralie and Hugo Laronze, and Titouan Dechelette. Hugo and Titouan studied engineering together in Annecy, France and are both pilots while Coralie worked as a prototype designer for seven years at Supair. Hugo also worked in design at Supair for six years.
Ascendant say their aim is to “create a company that reflects us and our values” and explain: “As outdoor sports enthusiasts and lovers of the great outdoors, we’ve all witnessed the changes our playground has undergone in recent years.
“The idea of manufacturing our equipment in France using traditional methods, and working on every detail of our products to limit their environmental impact, is an additional source of motivation for us. We pay particular attention to the provenance of our materials, the durability and repairability of our products and the optimisation of offcuts.”
The new Zyme is designed for hike-and-fly. The company are also working on a lightweight submarine harness prototype called Zian, which will weigh 1.6kg.
Located between Annecy and Chambéry, the Ascendant workshop is surrounded by numerous take-offs, which the team says allows them to quickly test prototypes, speeding up the development process and reducing environmental impact.
Besides harnesses, the team manufacturers rucksacks and various accessories including tees and what they claim is the lightest folding bag.
