The Nepal Paragliding Open 2017 took place 1-5 November in Sirkot, Nepal a three- hour drive southwest of Pokhara. This was the first Nepalese-organised competition to take place, and was billed as the national team selection event.
The competition was organised by Babu Sunwar, who famously flew a paraglider from the summit of Everest in 2011, and his team covered the disciplines of accuracy and cross-county flying with two days dedicated to each and the scores combined for the overall standings. In fact it was the very first accuracy comp held in Nepal, so a huge learning curve for all the local pilots.
The event saw nearly 100 pilots converge on the flying site at Sirkot. Although the field was mainly Nepalese there were also pilots from India, Malaysia and Indonesia competing. The event was a massive success with huge crowds on launch every day and plenty of dignitaries in attendance including the vice-president of Nepal.
Cross Country Magazine’s Marcus King and Ant Green visited to fly the hills and mountains around Sirkot and soak up the amazing atmosphere of this country.
