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READ BY HANG GLIDER AND PARAGLIDER PILots IN ovER 75 couNtRIEs WoRLDWIDE

March - aPrIL 2012EdItIon 140

Alpine Cross Country • Paragliding in Nepal • Stubai • Gerald Ameseder • Superfinal • Convergence

2 Edition 89 | www.xcmag.com

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The Mentor 2 has proven that you don’t need to fly a high performance wing to make very long XC flights. With the ION 2, we take our ‘performance demo-cratisation‘ to the next level. As a low end EN B wing, the ION 2 is not only suitable for school flights, but also offers the potential for 200 km+ FAI triangles.

This little brother of the Mentor 2 is the ‘all-in-one‘ Swiss Army Knife of paragliders. To prove we‘re serious: The first flight of a 200km FAI-triangle in the 2012 season on an ION 2 will be awarded with ¶ 2000,-. Additionally, the best flight (max. points) with an ION 2 in the 2012 season will

be awarded with ten times the amount of the points in ¶. Presupposed: flights are claimed at www.XContest.org and shown in its `ION 2 Hundred Challenge´.If no such flights are registered, we will give a Donation of ¡ 5000,- to the Wings for Life Foundation, Salzburg.

140

COVERPál Takáts and Hannes Arch go for a gentle top to bottom in Austria. Photo: Red Bull Media House / Pál Takáts

CONTENTS On thin ice above the Achensee, Austria. Photo: Philipp Medicus

[CONTENTS]

3Contents | edition 140 | Cross Country

REGULARS

06 GALLERY snow

12 EDITORIAL14 SURVEILLANCE records fall in Australia and Brazil

28 DISPATCHES 30 TEN YEARS AGO32 READERS' GALLERY34 HIGH LIFE tandem Love and Hot spot

38 ICARISTICS deep stall

68 XC FILES Flying the big stuff and convergence

72 NEW PRODUCTS 78 MINI REVIEWS82 PARTING SHOT

52 EL SUPERFINAL Joerg ewald interviews the winner and we check out the best photos

FEATURES

44 FLYING THE ALPS ‘some people get intimidated.’ From flow of the day to bridge theory, master alpine flying with Kelly Farina

40 STUbAI it marks the start of the alpine season. We round up what was hot at stubai

58 bAbU’S PLACE Marcus King goes flying in nepal with the new national Geographic Adventurer of the year, Babu sunuwar

64 GERALD AMESDER ‘the tougher the better.’ ten-hour days and sailplane software are in this XContest winner’s flight deck

76 bETWEEN THE SHEETS the Apco Vista ll sP (en B) gets a thorough going over in the spring thermals of southern France

6 Cross Country | Edition 140 | GALLEry

Asagiri, Kyushu, Japan. The name literally means 'morning mist'. Photo: Jérôme Maupoint

SnowIt’s cold, it’s crystalline, it shimmers in the light. Or it’s wet, grey and melts down the back of your collar. Those of us in the north have been out playing in it, while those in the south probably haven’t missed it. Here’s this season’s hymn for the snow.

7GALLEry | Edition 140 | Cross Country 7

“You are going to jump?”Nothing attracts attention like a free flight

pilot getting ready to launch. I was lucky enough to spend a couple of weeks over New Year in Kerala, south India, and the question was asked pretty much every time I got my glider out. People are interested in what we’re up to. They see the birds flying, look at you in your helmet flapping about on the ground in the wind and make the connection.

There on the coast, in the small town of Varkala Beach, I “jumped” every day for the week I was there. The seabreeze would kick in about 2pm, the resident French pilot would emerge from his long-term let and dance into the air, and the others – a couple of visiting pilots at most – would struggle with the rotory wind curling over the clifftop before getting it right and heading off.

To the right you could fly the shacks, restaurants and coconut palms of the ‘village’ spread out along the clifftop. But to the left, a bit of a sketchy glide away across a gap, was a proper mile-long sea cliff, all rocks and crashing waves below. It faced directly into wind and had a lift band the size of Mexico. I’ve never flown with so many birds. They flocked alongside the gliders, so each pilot had a convoy of 20 or 30 kites and sea eagles. One bounced off the canopy and into my lines, making my heart leap and images of a YouTube-style spiral into the ground flash before my eyes. But he flew away, his feathers ruffled but otherwise OK.

On the ground some of us were also having close shaves. Saul, a just-qualified northern European pilot who had grabbed his glider and run to the sun, got blown back and landed in some coconut palms much to some locals' delight. The French pilot was furious. Furious! Poor fellow, Saul had about two hours logged and his instructor must have rushed the theory classes. Later, while explaining things on a paper napkin for him, he said he’d been up in the hills, exploring the flying sites of Vagamon and Munnar. “I had to ask a shepherd the way but I got there in the end.” He flew he said, but was a bit overawed by the size of the place, the midday thermals and landing in the little fields below.

Saul, this issue is for you. The Travel Guide, our second edition, which comes free with the magazine this issue, is designed specifically for you and all of us like you. Pilots who have a licence, a wing and just want to explore and go flying, flying, flying. Read it, enjoy it, take it travelling with you. Then download the rest of the magazine each issue to your iPad so that wherever you are you can sit under the palm tree – not on top – and read all about venturi, compression, air speed, ground speed, rotor or any one of the thousand things we have to learn about in this never ending, always engaging sport. It takes a lifetime.

The whole episode made me think about my own early learning curve, so it was with

sadness that I heard that pioneer pilot Bruce Mills had passed away of natural causes (see p26). I remember hearing about Bruce in the early 1990s while travelling in India with my new licence and new paraglider. I was doing what Saul was doing basically, learning by doing. Up in Ladakh I met plenty of people who told me I should hook up with Bruce, but I never made the connection. He was already well known in the nascent Indian paragliding scene back then, but I didn’t meet him until almost a decade later in 2000. He was a friend to many pilots, and he was a friend to this magazine, regularly sending us news of the latest political shenanigans in Bir, or of a particularly notable flight someone had done in the mountains of India. In his case the oft-used term ‘guru’ really did fit: a man of great knowledge, wisdom and authority who used it to guide others.

On that note, did I mention we’ve got a brilliant article about flying in the Alps in this issue? Written by Kelly Farina it’s essential reading if you’re planning a trip. As he says, and as we know, knowledge is power: let’s arm ourselves. Enjoy the issue.

Blue skies

Ed Ewing editor@xcmag.com

12 CROSS COUNTRY | EdITION 140 EdITORIAL

[EDITORIAL]

Taking it easy at Varkala Beach, south India. Photo: EE

XCMag_213x303_Packpack.indd 1 12.02.12 21:09

A ndre Wolf set a new South American hang gliding record in Brazil at the end of January, and in doing so opened up a new

potential world-record beating site.Launching from Caçapava do Sul in the south of

Brazil on 26 January Andre, 49, flew west for nine-and-a-half hours for a total distance of 494.5km. He landed next to the road near Mercedes in Argentina, where his retrieve driver was already waiting compete with windsock and chilled beer.

“It’s a world record site,” Andre said from his home in Porto Alegre, which is 250km from the site. Breaking the paragliding open distance world record from the site should be “very easy,” he said, while the 700km hang gliding world record “would need a special day”.

After flying for 28 years and chasing long distance records around the world – his best is 640km set in Texas in 2001 – he said he was “calling myself a fool every day” for not knowing about the site that is practically on his doorstep.

“I’m just amazed,” he said, “It’s two-and-a-half hours from my home town. I can wake up and go fly this place.”

“I’ve been going to the northeast of Brazil every

year,” he said, “so I’m kind of amazed that we didn’t discover Caçapava do Sul until last year.”

In fact the site, a 140m hill in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil’s southernmost state, was first flown by hang glider pilots in 1994. It was then forgotten until Brazilian paraglider pilots Itair Piccinin and Valdir Dias da Rosa rediscovered it in 2010. Word spread of its potential and Alfio Vegni Jnr and Donizete Lemos started going for distance from it – together with Luciano Horn they flew 326.8km from the site in January this year. “Then I started to believe,” said Andre. “Our local record for hang gliding was 320km, so I thought I have to try there.”

Launching at 11am his first thermal in front of launch was 5m/s straight to base. “I could have taken off at least an hour-and-a-half earlier,” he said. From there he followed the road west towards the border with Argentina, flying at up to 2,100m and at an average speed of 55km/h. He was flying with a team of six pilots – two beginners and three others who also had big flights of up to 405km.

“It was strong in the beginning, got lighter, and then when I crossed the river to Argentina I got

14 CROSS COunTRy | EDITIOn 140 SuRVEILLAnCE

[Surveillance]

‘it’s a world record site’Andre Wolf sets 495km South American record from a ‘new mecca’

Caçapava do Sul

Quixada

Andre Wolf gives the thumbs-up for the south of Brazil. Photo: Ed Ewing

30-degrees south means 11-hour flying days

restitution at the end of the day.” For the first 200km he had clouds and then it was blue for 300km. The wind was 18km/h.

He landed 20 minutes before sunset, after eking out his final glide as much as possible. not making a final 5km to crack 500km was “a bummer,” he said. “But it will give me an extra incentive to go again.”

After landing he drove the 140km back to Brazil where he checked into a hotel for the night before taking a commercial flight home the next day.

Comparing it with Quixada and Brazil’s northeast he said the site offered much nicer flying. The days are much longer – up to 11 hours flying time – and the route follows a road the whole way. The terrain is pampas grasslands and rolling hills. “you can land everywhere.”

“The only downside is it’s not as regular. In the north you go there and every day you can fly 300km. Here it’s completely different. you need to wait for a front to pass.” The third day after a front goes through the wind will be from “100/110 degrees” which is “perfect” he said. “you have to wait for this special day,” he said. The best time of year for prospective big distance hunters would be from 20 December to the end of

January he added. This would give you the longest days at the height of summer.

As news spread across Brazil of Andre’s record flight pilots flocked to the site. “Two days after my flight there were 30 paraglider pilots on launch,” Andre said. But it wasn’t to be – the conditions had changed. However, there’s always next year. “Imagine a day with 30km/h winds, clouds all the way and base at 2,500m! How good would it be?”

Video of the day is at goo.gl/mov0N

LOGBOOKGlider: Moyes Litespeed RS3.5Harness: RotorLaunch: Caçapava do Sul, 414mTake-off: 10.57amLanding: 8.28pmMax altitude: 2,100mMax/Min climb: 4.3m/s / -3.2m/sLinear distance: 494.6kmFood: Two powerbars and three gel packsIn-flight pees: Zero. “On the seventh hour I felt

really bad, and then after that I was OK. I landed and could wait.”

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fLY iN PEACE

Marvel

Fancy Christmas in Brazil? The 'new' site close to Andre's home. Photo: Alfio Vegni Jnr

Go west. For 500km. Photo: Alfio Vegni Jnr

40 Cross Country | Edition 140 | stuBAi

All photos: Charlie King, Marcus King and Anthony Green

41stuBAi | Edition 140 | Cross Country

Ahh…Austria on the first weekend in March. It must be the Stubai Cup Testival – that’s ‘testing festival’ to you and I. The annual kickstart to the paragliding season in Europe that shakes us all awake from our winter slumber.This year was the 21st Stubai Cup, and as usual it didn’t disappoint. The action takes place in the Subital Valley near Innsbruck, with two easy-access launches at 1,000m above the valley floor. The event gives manufacturers the chance to showcase their wares to an eager public. As well as the opportunity to look at, fondle and test new gear, there’s an accuracy competition (an evolution of what used to be a mid-winter glide competition), a whole load of air displays, and the chance to meet pilots from across Europe. A party on the Saturday night adds to the fun.So what went on this year? We round up the highlights for you.

Stubai Cup2012

44 Cross Country | Edition 140 | tHE ALPs

It's common for non-alpine pilots to be overwhelmed

45tHE ALPs | Edition 140 | Cross Country

From following the flow of the day to bridge theory, Kelly Farina unlocks the secrets of flying in the Alps. Photos: Greg Blondeau

Flying the AlpsAll photos: Flying among the alpine giants of the Bernese

Oberland, the Eiger, Moench and Jungfrau, Switzerland on 31 August 2011, a day when cloudbase reached 4,500m.

EYES ONLY

SECRET REPORT52 Cross Country | Edition 140 | suPErFinAL

El SuperfinalNew wings, blue skies, strong climbs and motivated pilots. Photographers Nick Greece and Nicole Holmes were on hand to capture the action at the Paragliding World Cup Superfinal

Valley of the Brave. Photo: Nick GreecePhoto: NH

That's how to do it. Photo: NH 'Ouch!' on Task 4. Photo: NH

EYES ONLY

SECRET REPORT53suPErFinAL | Edition 140 | Cross Country

THE ACTION24 JANuARY 2012One hundred and twenty pilots converged on Valle de Bravo, Mexico for the Paragliding World Cup Superfinal. Ahead of them, nine tasks over two weeks of racing on new EN D competition wings.

25 JANuARY Swiss pilot Hans Bollinger won the first task with women’s champion Petra Slivova first woman in goal. The task was a 61.5km race-to-goal via six turnpoints and it saw an impressive 95 pilots in goal. Hans’s winning time was 1:41:54.

26 JANuARYTask two was a 91.7km race-to-goal task in strong and challenging conditions. Ninety-five made goal. Venezuelan Juan Carlos Becerra Gonzalez got there first in 2:27:31, sneaking to first place overall ahead of task one’s winner Hans Bollinger. Eventual winner Peter Neuenschwander arrived three minutes later. Seiko Fukuoka-Naville was the first woman in.

27 JANuARYMore strong conditions in a 103.2km race to goal. The day was jointly won by France’s Luc Armant and Italy’s Luca Donini. Luc made goal in 2:47:50 – he was 20 seconds ahead of Luca, but lead-out points made them equal. Petra Slivova and Seiko were first and second women.

Thinking time. Photo: NG

Photo: NH Photo: NH Hello cloud. Up close on a free-flying day. Photo: NH

On track on Task 8, a 120km race. Photo: NG

58 Cross Country | Edition 140 | nEPAL

A stack of vultures showed us the climb

59nEPAL | Edition 140 | Cross Country

Babu’s PlaceMarcus King heads to Nepal to fly Babu Sunuwar’s home site

Exploring the uncrowded skies a few hours southwest of Pokhara. Main image: Babu Sunuwar; all others: Marcus King

64 Cross Country | Edition 140 | ProFiLE

“”

This year I have a triangle in mind. It’s a big one – 320km

65ProFiLE | Edition 140 | Cross Country

G erald Ameseder won just about every online XC contest going last year. He topped the XContest.org table and the

FAI World XC Online contest (WXC) with six triangles of 200km or more. His biggest flight was a 264km FAI triangle flown on 25 May 2011. He launched from Antholtz in Italy before most pilots had sipped their first cappuccino of the morning and landed eight-and-a-half hours later with 347km on his tracklog. One of his stated aims this year is to fly a 300km FAI triangle. If he does he’ll be the first to do it on a paraglider. A native German speaker we interviewed him by email.

Gerald, congratulations on winning the XContest last year. Let’s start at the beginning – when and where did you learn to fly?I started in 2003 in Lower Austria with my brother at the flying school Ötscherland.

And what was it like? Describe your progression…Two months before I had made a parachute jump and after that I was fully infected with this new feeling of flying. I started to think about making the parachute licence but it was very complicated – you need always an aeroplane and it’s a lot of work to go up. So I changed and with my brother we made the paragliding licence together.

When did you first go XC? Do you remember the flight?It was 2005 at the Austrian Paragliding Championship in Zell am See. We had a task of around 90km and I made the goal with a time of five hours. A very long time in the air but I loved it!

From there you seem to have got into competition quite quickly…My first comp was at Hohe Wand in Lower Austria. It was a small comp. I don’t remember the result, I only remember that we had to wait a long time to be allowed to start because of the wind. I did not understand it – I wanted to fly. We had two tasks. The first day was cancelled because of the wind and the second was OK. I flew on the first day with my acro wing after we had to wait on the take-off for some hours, so I was very impatient.

And did you get the competition bug straight away?No, of course not. It was not my goal to be on the top – I only wanted to fly as long as I could.

Were you competitive in other sports before you started flying?Running, mountain biking and mountaineering.

And did that help with your transition into flying?I like to make long runs – like marathons. Long sport things have up and downs like long XC flights, but XC paragliding is the only sport I know where you have to concentrate for such a long time.

Tell me about your competition career highlights? What are they?In the first three years of flying comps I was very interested. The highlights were flights in South America and after that some comps in the Alps. But comp by comp, in the Alps, I had a lot of waiting time and I got frustrated. So my motivation for XC got stronger and stronger.

I remember at a comp in Italy – I think it was 2007 – we had the Raimung Wieser Cup and there were no tasks the first day because of the wind. But it was flyable for acro of course. We waited the whole day from 11am at the take-off and there were no tasks.

I knew the next day was going to be a good one for XC, so that morning I went home, took all things for XC and drove to Emberger Alm. I flew on this day a 243km triangle.

This was the day when my mind started to think in XC. I read books, flew as often as I could in strong conditions, against the wind, with wind and always at full speed. I changed my equipment and made flights of more than 10 hours. The whole year was now all about XC flying. Maps, books, special equipment, weather know-how and more.

Flying acro was also important – just for fun and for my safety. It meant in strong conditions I had no problems with extreme manoeuvres. I remember that after some hours in my harness I wouldn’t even look up at my wing when I had an asymmetric or a frontal collapse – I looked at my GPS to know my average speed.

And what (briefly) do you think of the whole open class glider ban?I fly for UP and in the last years I’ve had a lot of wings – all of those wings were open class gliders. I love flying such wings and for me these wings are not the problem. The problem is the pilots in competitions. They want to close the difference between the top pilots so they try to have the best wings possible.

In competition if you want to be on top it’s necessary to fly fast, very fast – and pilots forget to do their homework, to know all about manoeuvres, to fly the glider and learn about it how it reacts before flying full speed.

Gerald Ameseder won the XContest 2011 with six 200km triangles and likes nothing better than flying solo for 10 hours through big Alpine air while chewing rocks (we only made one of those bits up). By Ed Ewing

TerminatorDas

Gerald Amesder at the Red Bull Dolomitenmann. Photo: Martin Lugger

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