The Red Bull X-Alps will be remembered as the toughest paragliding competition of 2003. It may well go down as the toughest ever. Kaspar Henny was the first to land in Monaco and win the competition, but all those who entered were champions – first to be selected, and second to have had the guts to take part.

Few pilots dispute that Alex Hofer, the 2002 PWC Champion, is the best competition pilot in the world, and few were surprised by his win at this year’s World Championships. Ian Blackmore went to watch the action unfold in stable, difficult conditions at Montelegre, Portugal.

Carol Binder gets the low-down from the contenders at the 14th Hang Gliding Worlds on what it was like racing into the world’s most spectacular goalfield – Esplanada, in the middle of Brazil’s capital, Brasilia.

Paragliding aerobatics is rapidly becoming an international sensation, with more and more events and displays occurring worldwide. Jerome Maupoint reports on two of the latest events, Vertigo and Acrolac. Translation by Sherry Thevenot.

Stephen Winkworth remembers the CAP 1111 – the great trans-Alpine flight of the poet-vagabond of vol-bivouac, Didier Favre

In June 1993 Didier Favre sets off from Sospel near Monaco for the vol-bivouac journey that was to end on September 2 in Jesenice, Slovenia. The start is inauspicious.

Take two of my favourite sports, paragliding and kite surfing, put me on a beach with Fabrice Tripier Mandancin, the European free style snow kite champion, and you can be sure something silly will happen. By Matt Taggart.

More than 200 years after the first ascent of Mont Blanc by Balmat and Paccard and 25 years after the birth of paragliding, the first paraglider has landed on top of Europe’s highest peak. This would be an historic event in itself but in total seven pilots accomplished this challenge after taking off from Chamonix, Samoëns and Megève. David Casartelli was one of them and tells their story.