Well we’ve come to the end of the 11th Paragliding World Champs.
I’ve just got back from the closing ceremony and need some kip so I’ll just report briefly here that Andy Aebi from Switzerland won the event to become World Champion and Elisa Houdry from France becomes the Female World Champion.
The Czech Republic won the Team event with us chaps from the UK coming a creditable 4th just behind Italy and Slovenia but well ahead of some of the ‘superstar’ nations like France and Germany. I think we can hold our heads reasonably high with this performance.
My team mates Russ, Jamie and Mark were 12th, 22nd and 91st whilst I came 48th. Kirsty was 14th in the female event.
Today was a strange one to finish on with the first really stable conditions making it very rough and tumble in the early thermals only to be replaced with a complete lack of any lift on the first major crossing meaning about half the leaders landed. This could have changed everything on the score board but the task was cancelled as 2 helicopters had to be called to deal with accidents.
I was involved in one of these when another pilot who was either over-stressed with the crowded thermal conditions or just being very aggressive decided to fly straight into me in a thermal. With a whole gaggle of pilots on my right and nowhere to go I was forced to watch open mouthed as he flew into me from the left and the world went instantly grey. Axis Mercury Grey to be exact. Before I’d even thought of grabbing for the reserve handle I’d somehow managed to wriggle myself out of the fabric of his glider and came free with a loud bang and ripping of sail cloth and snapping lines. After getting my glider flying again and checking for damage or broken kit (there wasn’t any) I looked over the side of my harness to see my assailant falling to Earth under a stricken and torn paraglider. He threw his reserve but unfortunately fell from the tree he landed in and has been helicoptered to Mexico City but I’m told he’ll mend and it’s not very serious – a broken hip and leg, maybe.
Riding in the back of the retrieve truck in the late afternoon sun and watching the quiet, rural Mexican life go past it seemed odd to reflect on the turmoil, battle and fulfilment or dashing of dreams that had been going on in the sky above for the past two weeks.
But for now I must sleep, probably to dream about being wrapped up in a giant handkerchief and thrown down and down into the breathy green maw of the forest far below…
More tomorrow…
Mark H
