‘Instagram shape’ … A Zeno is for life, not just the Superfinal’
In case you land at this page later than 1 April 2017, this was an April Fool!
A new task force has been set up to prevent cruelty to paragliders.
Called the Society Against Cruelty to Paragliders, the organisation has been created following concerns over the number of “barely used” Zeno paragliders appearing on secondhand paragliding gear forums around the world.
“A Zeno is for life, not just the Superfinal,” SACP spokesman Rusty Beagle said in a statement put out on social media at midnight last night.
“We are deeply saddened by what is happening to many Zeno paragliders. The fact is they are being dumped onto secondhand markets around the world, and that’s simply not right. Some of these Zenos have barely 40 hours on them, and their line-sets are totally intact.
“We haven’t seen anything like it since the Paragliding World Cup went Serial Class, and that was back at the turn of the century.”
It is thought that up to 100 Zeno paragliders are at immediate risk of being sold ’nearly new’ around the world.
Bought in December last year in anticipation of the PWCA Superfinal in Brazil in January, it is understood the arrival of the Enzo 3 – as well as dark horse Boomerang 11 and a highly rumoured Red Bull X-Alps special ‘Zeno Lite’ – has prompted many Zeno owners to attempt to sell their standard Zeno EN D paragliders.
“Dozens of Zenos are being sold against their will and far too early,” Rusty Beagle said in an interview over Skype.
“They have 30, maybe 40 hours on them. Work it out – these things cost €3,500 at least, even with a cut-price deal. That means pilots are spending €100 per hour to fly them. Honestly, you may as well just rent a helicopter.”
With the FAI Paragliding World Championships on the horizon later this year, and the start of the PWC season in May, fears are growing that many more Zenos may make their way onto the secondhand market.
“The fear is that the market will crash and we’ll be flooded with cheap Zenos,” Rusty Beagle said, “And then what will happen? These Zenos will be bought by owners who don’t know how to look after them.
“We’re worried that many Zenos will end up being mistreated. They may be dragged across launches, dumped into bushes, or drowned in lakes on SIV courses.”
Un-used, unwanted, unloved … a brand new Zeno MS for sale on SkyAds
One middle-aged former Zeno owner who declined to be named for fear of being unjustly but relentlessly and amusingly pilloried on social media, said he had sold his Zeno because he was addicted to performance.
“My life was ok until I discovered the World Cup,” he said, speaking from a dark place. “Now I have nothing: no wife, no girlfriend, no car. I’ve given up my job, sold my possessions and given the dog away.
“I literally have nothing but this 2015 Roldanillo T-shirt and my Havaianas. I gave all my money to these damned manufacturers. Twice this year! Twice in a bloody year! And all for this thing called ‘performance’. It’s ruining me.”
A Zeno support group at an unidentified location in Colombia
Several self-help groups have sprung up at key paragliding sites around the world in an attempt to stop the addiction to high-performance paragliders.
“Our ultimate aim is to wean these pilots off high-performance paragliders,” said paragliding performance addiction counsellor Blanket Ban.
“But it’s a hard road. First we try to show them how much money they are spending, and then we try to explain that there are other things in life apart from paragliding competition.”
However, Ban said, most pilots find that hard to accept. “Many of these guys – and it is mainly guys – used to have serious jobs, responsibilities, some even wore suits. But now they just look blank, empty. I’ve worked in paragliding addiction counselling for 12 years, and it’s the worst I’ve seen.”
To help raise awareness, SACP have launched an awareness-raising social media campaign.
“With the phrase ‘A Zeno is for Life, Not Just the Superfinal’ we think we can get the message across in a simple but effective way,” Rusty Beagle said. “Especially as we have re-sized the sticker to a square – perfect for Instagram and other square-shaped social media platforms.”
He added: “If we can’t get that message through then I’m afraid of what might happen next. We might just have to let people get on with it.”
>> Download your square Instagram image here and help save a Zeno today.
