The Paragliding Podcast, Episode 3: Cross Country Magazine's Winter Issue Deep Dive

In this episode, Cross Country Magazine editors Tarquin Cooper and Ed Ewing walk through the stories in Issue 263, offering a conversational tour of the sport's most compelling recent developments—from the rare meteorological conditions that enable paraglider pilots to ride mountain wave lift, to the explosive growth of Swiss hike-and-fly competitions, to a controversial penalty at a major competition in Colombia. The episode balances technical depth with human stories, capturing both the pioneering spirit of early paragliding filmmakers and the thoughtful efforts of women working to change the sport's culture around safety and progression.

0:00Wave Flying: The Holy Grail for Paraglider Pilots

Ed Ewing opens with the issue's centerpiece feature: Adi Geisegger's winter wave flying story from the Northern Alps. Wave lift is fundamentally different from the thermic lift most paraglider pilots know. In thermals, the air is bumpy, pilots must constantly search for the core of rising air, and the experience is active and turbulent. Wave lift, by contrast, is smooth, widespread, and almost magical—once you connect with it, you can fly for extended periods in what Ed calls "this magic air."

The catch is that wave conditions typically set up only when winds are strong—30 to 40 kilometers per hour—which is at the upper limit for paraglider pilots. Hang glider and sailplane pilots have long used wave lift, but for paraglider pilots, it remains elusive. The conditions are most likely in winter, when cold, stable air combines with strong winds in specific geographic settings. Adding thermals to the mix creates too much turbulence for paraglider wings.

Ed explains that the "bible" of wave flying is a book called *Soaring: Hengen Wave and Convergence Soaring* by G. Dale, a sailplane coach from the UK and New Zealand. For hill-launch paraglider pilots, the challenge is disconnecting from thermic or laminar air after launch and connecting with wave lift, which tends to be further out and higher. Adi Geisegger, a chief Red Bull Ex Alps photographer, is accustomed to flying in strong conditions and was able to document this rare experience with stunning photographs. The feature serves as both entertainment and education, demystifying a form of lift that most paraglider pilots only hear about.

4:25The Swiss Hike-and-Fly League: A Model of Organizational Success

Tarquin Cooper shifts to the Swiss Hike-and-Fly League, which has become a standout success story. The league ran 12 events in the past year—compared to just three in France. Tarquin spoke with Benny Hussen of the Swiss League to understand what they're doing right. Hike-and-fly has emerged as its own distinct discipline only in the last few years, building on the foundation of events like the Red Bull X-Alps but becoming more accessible.

Benny Hussen was clear that Swiss hike-and-fly is not the same as events like Paul Guschlbauer's "Wonderbird" series, which is designed for elite athletes. The Swiss League has secured funding channels and supports athletes and pilots across the country. The competitive results speak to the depth of talent: the league was won by Krieger Mara, with his brother Mishi taking third place, and Idris Birch from Wales finishing second. Birch has since relocated to Switzerland, suggesting the country's infrastructure is attracting international talent.

6:25Henry Hauck's Digitally Restored Archive: The Dangers of Early Paragliding Filmmaking

Tarquin interviewed veteran filmmaker Henry Hauck, who has digitally restored his archive of paragliding films from the 1980s and 1990s. Films like *Gegen Wind* (Crosswind), shot on the Zugspitze in Germany, are now available for download on his website for a small fee. The conversation reveals just how radically different filmmaking was before GoPros and Insta360 cameras.

Hauck describes strapping a 60-millimeter film camera with a heavy battery—weighing about nine kilograms total—onto his helmet to get point-of-view footage. The eyepiece was positioned over his right eye so he could see through the camera while flying, with the battery serving as a counterweight on the back of the helmet. He had only three flights of experience on the hill at the time. During the actual shoot, he could not turn his head to the right because of the camera's weight and bulk. The camera snagged on his harness lines, and he collided mid-air with the pilot he was trying to film, Sepp Krender. Hauck made an emergency landing on a ski slope far from the planned landing zone. Processing the film cost what would be €30,000 in today's money, requiring professional film developers.

Tarquin notes that Hauck's story is a reminder of how experimental and dangerous the sport was in its early decades. The episode underscores the debt modern pilots owe to these pioneers who took enormous risks with primitive equipment.

11:01Aconcagua Summit Flight and the Parakite Innovation

Ed Ewing reports on a successful hike-and-fly ascent of Aconcagua, South America's highest mountain at nearly 7,000 meters. A team of six climbers attempted the summit around December 17-18, with four pilots launching from the top on a near-perfect day. The guide was Pierre Carter, who is working on climbing and flying the highest mountain on each continent through his Paraglide Aconcagua project.

The most technically interesting detail involves pilot Marshall Mosher, who is prominent on Instagram. Instead of a conventional hike-and-fly wing, Mosher brought a 16-meter-square parakite—specifically, the brand-new Flare Bandit. This is not a normal choice for high-altitude hike-and-fly. Ed explains the logic: a parakite offers a huge speed range, allowing Mosher to launch in high wind, speed-fly down the glaciers almost like a speed wing, and still have enough glide to reach the road. The combination of high-altitude climbing with parakite flying appears to be a first, and Ed suggests Mosher will not be the last to try this approach. The speed and dynamic capability of parakites could allow pilots to access more summits more often, especially when clearing crevasses or navigating glacier terrain.

13:20Women in Speed Flying and Cultural Change

Tarquin covers two related features on women in speed flying. The first is an Instagram account called "Women of Speed Flying," set up by Julia Lieberman, which has created an informal community hub. Colleague Jack Sheard interviewed Lieberman about her story and the channel's purpose.

More substantively, Tarquin spoke with Rachelle McEwen, who works at Level Wings (the French company founded by Francois Bon) and is co-owner of Ski-and-Fly, where she helps organize events. McEwen also coaches cross-country pilots, including working with Ellie Egger. In her interview, McEwen identifies a problematic culture in paragliding: a "fear of missing out" that drives pilots—both men and women—to push bad conditions, progress to higher-performance wings too quickly, and try to one-up each other. This leads to injuries and fatalities.

McEwen's approach with Ski-and-Fly emphasizes safety and slow progression: "How do you really hone in all the basic skills to progress in a way that maybe doesn't feed your ego as much but gives you all the ground skills that later on maybe save your life?" She reports that in all-female groups, participants feel they can be themselves, ask any question without judgment, and fly at their current skill level without pressure. Interestingly, she and Ellie Egger have had male pilots specifically seek them out as instructors because they believed the women would "work harder to keep them safe" and communicate more effectively.

Tarquin admits his own speed flying experience is limited to a one-day taster a decade ago and what he sees on Instagram. He notes that his feed has been flooded with "worst of speed flying" content—videos of pilots doing barrel rolls in narrow slot canyons, which he finds unappealing and dangerous-looking.

18:44EN-A+ Wings: The New Standard for Comfort and Performance

Ed Ewing introduces the magazine's gear feature by science writer Bastienne Wentzel on EN-A+ wings. The "EN-A" classification is the beginner's wing—what students learn on in school. The "EN-A+" category represents a newer generation of wings that sit between pure beginner wings and the next step up (EN-B). The feature emerged from conversations at the Coupe Icare festival, where Ed noticed that nearly every manufacturer now offers an EN-A+ glider.

The motivation for this category comes partly from German flying culture, where pilots are expected to learn on an EN-A and stay on it for the first couple of years. Flying a two-line EN-C is considered a high mark reserved for expert pilots. The EN-A+ wings offer exceptional performance and comfort while maintaining maximum passive safety. Ed emphasizes that pilots can absolutely reach cloudbase, fly cross-country, and have real adventures on these wings.

The article includes interviews with two pilots who demonstrate the potential. Amiyah, an instructor in western Iran, famously flew 300 kilometers on an EN-A to show his students it could be done. Another pilot, Pepien from the Netherlands, had been flying for 30 years on EN-B and EN-C wings but began experiencing anxiety. He stepped down to an EN-A+ wing and reports being "never been happier." Ed himself has flown 100 kilometers on an EN-A in the flatlands of the UK, describing the experience as "remarkably comfortable"—you focus on reading clouds and ground sources while the glider takes care of itself. He also flew the Macpara Aravi EN-A+ in windy Alpine conditions and was impressed.

23:37101 Ways to Fly Better: A New Book from Cross Country Magazine

The episode announces the launch of *101 Ways to Fly Better*, a new book from Cross Country Magazine. This is an update and expansion of Bruce Goldsmith's *50 Ways to Fly Better*, published a decade ago and translated into eight languages. The new book incorporates input from Bruce Goldsmith, Theo Dublick, Greg Hammerton, and other top pilots.

The content ranges from fundamentals—how to choose a glider, what weight to fly, where to fly—to advanced topics like flying triangles in the Alps, big-distance flying, and speed-to-fly theory applied in real-world conditions. The book is available for pre-order and will ship in early March. A teaser appears in the current magazine issue.

25:24Competition Season Opens: SRS Colombia, Monaco Open, and a Controversial Penalty

The competition season has begun with several major events. The SRS (Sports Class Racing Series) kicked off in Colombia, the first of six events for the year. The Monaco Open, now in its 21st year, took place in Valle de Bravo, Mexico, attracting North American and Northern European pilots with six tasks in great weather. The Forbes Flatlands hand gliding competition in Australia also ran, with tasks up to 250 kilometers.

Cross Country Magazine awarded Brett Janaway its Pilot of the Year award for his decades of work organizing competitions and events since the 1990s, particularly for creating the SRS series, which has "put the fun back into competition flying."

A controversy emerged from the SRS Gin Edition in Colombia. On day one, organizers publicly penalized pilot Elisa Deutschmann. She had given the task information to her partner, who then flew the task ahead of her on a CCC wing (a higher-performance class than the EN-C wings used in SRS). She was accused of following him and was penalized by losing her lead-out points for that day. She accepted the penalty. Organizers also sent a letter to Cillian Halwegen accusing him of unsporting behavior for flying the task without a race entry.

Ed notes that having a faster pilot show the way—marking thermals and glide paths—removes the competitive challenge of leading, which requires making independent decisions. He acknowledges that similar practices have occurred in the past, even in the X-Alps, where factory pilots would fly ahead of a sponsored pilot. The SRS organizers wanted to make a statement that the competition is for sports-class pilots only. Ed reached out to both parties; Deutschmann explained she gave her partner the task but did not expect him to join the task, and she was not following him. She won the final day's task, providing a comeback story. Tarquin takes a lenient view, noting that pilots are on holiday and there is no significant prize money at stake.

27:24Valle de Bravo: A Love Story in Longform Journalism

The episode closes with a feature that Ed describes as "the antithesis to doom scrolling." Hanna Klingbeil Canale, a sophomore at Yale University, wrote a longform article originally published in *The Politic*, Yale's undergraduate journal of politics and culture. The piece examines how free flight has transformed the community of Valle de Bravo, Mexico, over 40 years.

Canale has family ties to the area—one of her uncles runs a tandem operation—and she interviewed school owners, the original pioneers who brought hang gliding and paragliding to the region, the kids who pack gliders, and the people who make a living selling beer, running bars, or preparing food during the flying season. Valle de Bravo is a lakeside retreat for middle-class and wealthy Mexico City residents, but the surrounding countryside is quite poor. The article builds a picture of how free flight has affected this rural community economically and culturally.

Ed praises the writing as "beautifully written, well researched" and predicts Canale will go far—possibly writing for the *New York Times* or *Washington Post*. The intro sets the tone: "When I set out to create this piece, I thought I would be writing about the development of air sports in a small region in the southern state of Mexico. Only after I started talking with the pilots and locals did I realize I was actually writing a love story."

Conclusion

This episode matters because it captures paragliding at a moment of maturation—the sport is simultaneously honoring its dangerous, experimental roots through figures like Henry Hauck, embracing technical innovation through parakites and EN-A+ wings, and grappling with cultural questions about competition ethics, safety culture, and community impact. The range of stories—from wave physics to community transformation in Mexico—reflects a sport that is both deeply technical and profoundly human. The listener comes away with a sense that paragliding is not just about flying, but about the people, places, and values that shape how and why we fly.

Key takeaways

• Wave lift offers smooth, sustained flight for paraglider pilots but requires strong winter winds (30-40 km/h) and specific conditions that are rare and technically demanding.
• The Swiss Hike-and-Fly League runs 12 events per year (vs. 3 in France) and has developed funding channels and athlete support systems that make it a model for other countries.
• Early paragliding filmmaker Henry Hauck strapped a 9 kg film camera to his helmet with only three flights of experience, collided mid-air with his subject, and survived—illustrating how experimental and dangerous the sport was in the 1980s and 1990s.
• Marshall Mosher successfully flew a 16-meter parakite from the summit of Aconcagua (nearly 7,000 meters), combining high-altitude climbing with speed-flying capability in what appears to be a first.
• Rachelle McEwen argues that the "fear of missing out" culture in paragliding drives unsafe decisions, and her all-female events create environments where pilots can progress incrementally without ego pressure.
• EN-A+ wings offer maximum passive safety with enough performance for 100-300 km cross-country flights, and pilots like Pepien have stepped down from higher-performance wings for anxiety relief and greater enjoyment.
• The SRS competition in Colombia penalized Elisa Deutschmann for sharing task information with a partner who flew ahead on a higher-performance wing, highlighting ongoing tensions around fair competition and the value of leading independently.