Cross Country Magazine

With a “blistering” forecast of 35ºC for Sunday's start of the X-Pyr, the racing on the ground will be hot while in the air it will be fast. The leading pilots could be flying into goal within just four days. Don’t miss it!

Find the best ways to follow the race at https://xcmag.info/FollowXPyr26

Back in the ‘90s and early 2000s, glider choice was more limited and somewhat simpler. A manufacturer maybe had one ‘intermediate’ (DHV1-2) glider in their range. Nowadays, manufacturers might have several wings that are classed EN/LTF B, and we have started talking about ‘low B’, ‘high B’ and now ‘mid B’.

We wanted to know more about the mid-B class. The first problem being how to define it?

Ozone's Russ Ogden offered: “A mid-B is suitable as a second wing. It is a good stepping stone to a high-B. When the step from an [EN-A] school wing like the Moxie to the low-B Buzz is too small and to the high-B Rush is too much, you choose the Vibe GT.”

Torsten Siegel, designer at Advance, said: “The required skill set is actually quite similar for mid- and high-B. It strongly depends on where you fly. A pilot with solid skills may handle a high-B comfortably in flatland or moderate mountain terrain, yet feel overwhelmed even on a mid-B in more complex environments like the high Alps. That said, a mid-B typically offers a bit more margin for error due to its design. It is generally more forgiving and accessible, allowing the pilot to manage situations with less precision and workload compared to a high-B or B+.”

In issue 266 .wentzel uncovered ‘The Goldilocks Class'.

Read: https://xcmag.info/MidB

🪂🪂
1. Ozone Vibe GT
2. Advance Theta ULS
3. Gin Bandit 2
4. UP Kibo X
5. Niviuk Hiko
6. AirDesign Vivo 3
7. Skywalk Arak Air 2

Antoine Girard has claimed a new FAI Triangle world record – a massive 400km. He is the first paraglider pilot to fly a 400km FAI triangle.

Flying on 16 June he launched from near Karimabad in northern Pakistan and was in the air for 11hr 32 minutes. He was flying an Ozone Zeolite 2.

From Karimabad he flew west to a turnpoint in the far west of Pakistan, then southeast towards the provincial capital of Gilgit, before flying back northeast to Karimabad and beyond.

The flight took him through and across high altitude and heavily glaciated mountainous terrain, where peaks reach 6,000-7,000m. His highest altitude during the flight was more than 6,700m (nearly 22,000ft).

Antoine is well known for his adventure flying in Pakistan and the high mountains of the Karakoram. On 18 July 2021 he became the first paraglider pilot to fly up and over the summit of an 8,000m peak when he soared over the top of Broad Peak (8,051m).

After the 400km flight he said: "At the controls of the Zeolite and the F*Race 2, Veso Ovcharov and I teamed up to increase our speed on the course. The strategy worked perfectly until heavy rain interrupted our progress.

"I chose to wait it out and then skirt around the rain zone. While this decision cost me almost an hour – leaving me to navigate weak and disorganised thermals after the storm passed – patience finally paid off. The flight concluded with the first-ever 400km triangle and a new world record in one of my favourite playgrounds!”

The current FAI Triangle world record is 358km and is held by Edouard Potel – it was set from Col de l'Izoard in the southern French Alps in August last year. The exact distance of Antoine's flight will need to be ratified by the FAI to stand as an official world record.

Congratulations Antoine!

Flight stats include:

Distance: 400.5km FAI triangle
Maximum speed: 90 km/h
Average speed: 35.8 km/h
Ceiling: 6,746m
Gain: 2,455m
Flight time: 11 hours 32 minutes
Maximum climb: 5m/s

Find the tracklog at: 
syride.com/fr/pilotes/antoinegirard/3547412

Photo: Veso Ovcharov

Italy’s Alex Ploner won gold at the FAI European Hang Gliding Championships in Gemona, Italy at the weekend – again! It is the fourth time he has won the European Hang Gliding Championships.

Read more at https://xcmag.info/HGEuros26

Photos : Flavio Tebaldi / Team Italy / FAI

Spanning 1,200km from Slovenia to Monaco, the Alps offer unbeatable flying in incredible destinations – but where do you start if you’ve never been? In the latest issue, we introduce the Alps for first-time visitors.

PHOTOS:
1. Bernese Alps🇨🇭by Jérôme Maupoint
2. Kitzbuhel 🇦🇹 by Marcus King
3. Blüemlisalp Hut at 2,840m in the Bernese Alps 🇨🇭by Jérôme Maupoint
4. Edge of the Ecrins National Park 🇫🇷 by Marcus King
5. Dolomites 🇮🇹 by Felix Wölk

📑XC266
🔗https://xcmag.info/Alps101

Pál Takáts and Mette Krum take the top spots at the Naviter SeeYou Edition of the SRS in Slovenia. Second overall was the UK’s Luke Nicol with Matthijs Derks (NLD) in third. Team OZONE Paragliders took the top spot in the team competition.

Full report at

"Pál Takáts made it a masterclass in how to race" Pál Takáts and Mette Krum take the top spots at the Naviter Edition of the Sports-class Racing Series in Slovenia

Ekstremsportveko returns to Voss in Norway this month (20–28 June), bringing paragliders, speedflyers and other extreme sports athletes, including skydivers and mountain bikers, to the Norwegian fjord landscape.

For the paragliding community, Ekstremsportveko combines competition flying and daily organised activities with XC pilots sharing airspace over a site known for both accessibility and cross-country potential.

More at

Ekstremsportveko 2026: Norway's week of midsummer magic returns Ekstremsportveko returns to Voss in Norway this month – bringing paragliders and speedflyers to the Norwegian fjord landscape

XCMAG ISSUE 266 – Welcome to the Alps

The Alps can be everything to every pilot. From morning hike-and-fly to SIV or acro runs to thermalling lessons to first XC to flying 200km to breaking world records. They can inspire, intimidate, frighten, challenge and reward, at whatever level you’re at.

We’ve dedicated this issue to The Alps – that 1,200km arc of mountains that curves through the centre of Europe from Monaco to Slovenia. For many they are the spiritual home of free flight – the place where hang gliding reached the masses and where pilots first ran off hills with ram-air parachutes nearly 50 years ago. They offer “accessible adventure” – where else can you thermal above the glaciers at lunchtime before landing to paddle in an Alpine lake or eat apple strudel in a village café hours or even minutes later.

They also offer a lifetime of learning: the meteorology is complex, the valley systems never-ending, and the secret spots, house thermals and XC tricks enough to last a lifetime. Many pilots fly nowhere else, while for others they act as a beacon, encouraging pilots to return year after year, to fly better, discover more.

In an attempt to provide inspiration we have cherry-picked our stories. Tim Rochas () explains how to hike-and-fly the biggest of them all, Mont Blanc at 4,808m. Tom Payne gives us some great ideas for exploring the Alps and having fun without being tied to counting kilometres.

Hans Petit, just 18, reveals how he set a new Junior FAI triangle world record from the famous Col de l’Izoard in France. Swiss solo eagle Luca Godenzi (.godenzi) shares his love of his home patch in the Bernina Range – top-landing peaks and combining climbing, skiing and flying in a never-ending game of efficiency and beauty. Romano Salis shares some of his images from those adventures too; I know none of us have time to pause these days, but take a moment and look at what they are doing, where they are flying. This is pure adventure on the roof of Europe.

Elsewhere we dive into what the Alps actually are and why they work so well, with our “Beginner’s Guide to the Alps”. If you want to soar the north face of the Eiger like photographer Tobias Dimmler (.bee.792), then you have to start somewhere.

Finally, it is worth noting that you don’t need a pro-level wing to make these adventures happen. As Bastienne Wentzel (.wentzel) observes in her Insight article into the “mid-B” class, Chrigel Maurer () and Peter von Känel used mid-B wings in their project to climb and fly all 82 4,000m peaks in the Alps two years ago. Our flying equipment performs as well as the pilot who uses it: no excuses.

I hope it all inspires and informs. Enjoy the issue!

Ed Ewing, editor

https://xcmag.info/XC266

Greetings from Slovenia, where the Naviter SeeYou edition of the Sports-class Racing Series - SRS is underway. Three tasks have been flown so far, of 53.9km, 74.2km and 50.1km. The last couple of days have been rained off, but the forecast is looking better for tomorrow. Pál Takáts (Ozone Photon) is currently in the lead, ahead of Kuba Sto (Photon) and Luke Nicol (Gin GTO 3). Mette Krum of Denmark (Gin GTO 3) is leading the women's race. With two more days to go, that could, of course, all change! Follow at https://srs.live

Photos: SRS / Mark Janaway

The latest episode of the Paragliding Podcast is live. In this episode Tarquin and Ed discuss issue 266, which is dedicated to all things Alpine. Ed gives a preview of the magazine, which features a wealth of tips, advice and inspiration for flying in the Alps, whether you’re looking to fly your first 100km or just happy to be in and amongst the mountains on foot or under wing.

Listen at

The Paragliding Podcast, Episode 6 In this episode Tarquin and Ed discuss issue 266, which is dedicated to all things Alpine. It's packed with tons of advice and inspiration.