New hike-and-fly event launched by Laurie Genovese
New concept designed to welcome more female pilots
19 March, 2026, by Cross CountryThe growth of hike-an-fly as a sport continues. Former World Cup winner and X-Alps pilot Laurie Genovese has announced details of a new hike-and-fly race where safety and inclusivity are the main focus. Registration has opened for the first event in Samoëns, France for the last weekend of August.
The concept is a stage race where “safety is first” and “performance is not measured by commitment alone”. “It’s about reading the conditions, making the right decisions, and being efficient both on foot and in the air. The goal is simple – to deliver a race that is coherent, committed and safe.”
Laurie tells us: “Like many pilots, I’ve been asking myself a recurring question: how can we keep the adventure, commitment and beauty of hike-and-fly competition, while reducing the level of risk that sometimes comes with it? And how to see more girls in competition? With these ideas in mind, I created a new event format called Peakrace.”
She says Peakrace is a hike-and-fly competition designed with safety in mind from the very beginning. “The idea is not to remove the adventure, but to rethink the framework – routes, decision-making, race design and the overall culture of the event. The goal is to create competitions that remain exciting and demanding, but where risk management is more central.”
There are three categories of entry – elite, mini and challenge, designed respectively for serious athletes, weekend warriors and those who just want a fun hike-and-fly experience in the mountains. The elite is a three-stage race, the mini has two stages while the challenge features just two uphill segments.
The plan is to organise two events this year with the goal of growing the concept and developing more events next season.
Laurie is a well-known figure in paragliding having taken her first flight at the age of eight. She is a two-time Red Bull X-Alps athlete, competing in 2021 and 2023, and a Paragliding World Cup Women’s Superfinal champion. She won her first Superfinal in 2014 at the age of 22 and then again four years later.
