A team of Canadian mountaineers have their sights set on summitting Cerro Aconcagua (6,962m) in the Argentinian Andes. Five of them will then paraglide off, in aid of prostate cancer research. The group of men, all in their late forties or fifties, will embark on the fourteen day trek to the Stone Sentinel on 20 [...]

The winner of Nova’s Media Contest 2009 was announced at the Free Flight festival, Tegelberg, last weekend. Australian Kym Fielke’s image of a paraglider soaring cliffs in Myponga, South Australia, was voted the best of 474 photos that were submitted, winning him a Nova wing of his choice. In second place was Michi Feldmann’s depiction [...]

SPOT The SPOT handheld GPS tracking device has been approved for European use and is back in XCshop at the reduced price of €149.95. It works where mobile phones won’t, logging your location and sending it by email or text to a designated recipient or to the emergency services. It can also  be used to [...]

This video shows paragliding guru Mike Kung’s tips on how to control a paraglider on the ground using the C and D riser method. For more Mike Kung tips and techniques from the comfort of your armchair, his DVD, Playground, is available now at XCshop.com

Dates for this season’s New Zealand Paragliding Open have been announced. Round One will be held over eight days between 2- 9 January 2010 in Nelson, South Island: “The undisputed sun capital of New Zealand” according to organisers. Pilots can expect good flying in the mountainous Alpine terrain.

The Canungra Classic, northern Australia’s premier hang gliding and paragliding competition kicks off this weekend. The week-long competition (3 Oct – 10 Oct) promises great flying through the “picturesque hinterland of south east Queensland”. The unique flying terrain sees pilots launch from take-offs within sight of Australia’s famous Gold Coast before flying through mountains and [...]

If you haven’t seen YouTube Brazil’s latest hit, brace yourself. The paragliding action is minimal but spectacular. Titled Biafra e o Parapente the action takes place on a sea wall on a short stretch of Brazil’s verdant coastline. The Brazilian singer Biafra is singing a light little number (coincidentally, the lyrics are about flying) in [...]

A pilot-organised competition is set to replace the traditional state-sponsored Pre-Paragliding World Cup competition in Bir, north India, this year. The Himalayan Open will run 4 – 9 November, and will replace the cancelled Pre-PWC which was scheduled for 20 – 25 October.

Paragliding festival Free Flight Tegelberg, Germany’s answer to the French Coupe Icare, celebrates its tenth successful year this weekend. The three-day event starts Friday 2 October and features paragliding, hang gliding and paramotoring. Like France’s St Hilaire, Free Flight Tegelberg is designed to bring the northern summer flying season to a close. Films, parties, and [...]

More from hang gliding star Jonny Durand who has been receiving plenty of attention from the Australian media this week following his recent Morning Glory flights

Berkhard Martens and his wife Renate Brümmer, better-known as Nina, each flew their paragliders to new German records in August 2009.