The annual Stubai Cup is on from 1-3 March this year and will offer pilots a chance to test fly new paragliders and harnesses in the beautiful Austrian Alps.
Held every year in the Stubai Valley, close to Innsbruck, the Stubai Cup is a large open-air paragliding trade show and festival. It’s put on by the ParaFly flight school, and is one of the biggest international testivals in the European paragliding calendar.
If you are looking for a new glider for 2024 and want to try before you buy, this is a good chance to do exactly that. With more than 30 exhibitors taking part, it’s more than likely that the glider you have your eye on will be available to fly at Stubai.
However, Stubai can also be busy – and it costs to take part too – so here’s our six-point guide to getting the most out of your weekend.
1. Sign up early. If you plan to test gliders or harnesses you must pre-register online before you arrive. It’s free to do so and if you end up not going, then you don’t lose anything. You’ll need insurance and pilot licence details. When you arrive you will need to pay and pick up your lift ticket and helmet sticker.
2. Know what you are signing up for. You can come for half a day or the whole three days, and there are ticket prices to suit. A half-day ticket is €39, while a three-day full package is €195: that includes access to the evening lectures (Red Bull X-Alps stars Aaron Durogati and Eli Egger), a free T-shirt and access to the two mountain launches: the Elfer and Schlick 2000.
3. Know your Elfer from your Schlick. The Elfer is the mountain directly behind the trade show, which itself is lined up alongside the landing zone. Launch is accessible by the Elferbahn lift which is a few minutes walk from the trade show. Take-off is at 1,850m, landing is at 1,000m. The launch is snow-covered – it’s a ski piste. It’s steepish, but straightforward enough. It can be busy, but lots of volunteer marshalls will help you lay out. There is a small preparation area, right next to the lift station at the top. Get ready there then bundle up and walk to the main take-off zone.
The second take-off is at Schlick 2000, a ski resort a bit further down the valley. There are free shuttles to get there from the trade show, but be prepared to wait a bit. The launch at Schlick is at 2,150m and you can make it back to the main festival landing zone in a glide. Launch is also marshalled and snow-covered – like the Elfer you will most likely be forward launching and having to run.
4. Know what you want to fly. Do your research ahead of time and make a shortlist of gliders that you want to test fly. Then arrive early, talk to the manufacturer or dealer and get your name on the list. If it’s a popular wing, or they only have one of the size you want to demo, then you might have to wait.
When you do demo a glider, treat it nicely: try not to step on it, break lines, or drag it through that slush puddle in the middle of the landing field. There is loads of dedicated packing space, so take care to pack it up nicely for the next pilot. Manufacturers will check your experience before giving you a glider: they won’t let you fly a two-line EN-C if you’re just out of training. Finally, remember it’s a demo flight: flying for four hours’ XC around the valley is not really the done thing; although yes, if conditions are that good no one can blame you…
5. Listen up and stay informed. Keep an eye on the briefing page on the website, and listen to the announcements in the landing zone, especially when it comes to weather. They will let you know if they need to close any of the launches because of weather, for example. Watch the (silent) briefing video to familiarise yourself with safety information and the launches and download the timetable.
6. Come dressed for success. There can be snow in the valley or it can be like spring. Regardless, it will be cold in the air if you climb out. Dress for early season spring flying. If you don’t want to fly in thermic air then fly in the morning.
Find out more at stubaicup.at
