Canadian extreme filmmaker of 25 years and paraglider pilot Peter Chrzanowski is running a mountain sport festival from Pemberton. Dates for the first event have been set, 21 – 29 May 2010, and it will be used to ”explore the possibilities for growing a festival from the ground up”. Peter says, “This year just expect beautiful scenery and a myriad of endless mountain sports and activities”.

Peter adds, “I was also hoping to provide a training venue for the prestigious 2011 Red Bull X-Alps and XAndes, and participating athletes have been contacted”.

On the competitive side of things, so far confirmed for 2010 are: the ‘Pemby Monkey Races’, a series of XC triangle tasks for paragliders; a 50 km bike race is planned for saturday 29 May. Organisers are also looking into ways of getting kite-skiers and speedriders up the Pemberton Icecaps and there may be a boat to tow gliders above the lake, which means the possibility of some acro flying. Media tandem flights will be run, courtesy of McKenzie Basin Paragliding.

A three-day mountain film festival and speaker series will run from 25 – 27 May, organised by the Pemberton community centre, and Peter’s first ever theatrical feature documentary, ‘Paracinderella’, will be premiered on the Sunday night.

The list of activities and sports to be showcased is still growing, so keep an eye on their website.

Accommodation-wise, Peter says, “Camping season is on and the bugs are not here yet, so hopefully they will stay away till June”. There is a choice of three campsites, the Pemberton Valley Lodge and a myriad of B&Bs scattered through the valley.

www.pembertongames.com

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The United States Hang Gliding and Paragliding Association (USHPA) has announced that its first annual National Hang Gliding & Paragliding Day will be held on Memorial Day, 29 May 2010.

They say the day will be a US-wide “myth-buster, membership drive and a great way to have fun while showing off our great sports of hang gliding and paragliding”.

So far, events scheduled for the weekend include AAA Sprints in Utah (PG/HG), 2010 Midwest HG Championships, and the Texas Shootout (HG) with many more hopefuly to appear in the coming weeks.

www.ushpa.aero

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A free 100-page travel guide and a packed issue make 129 one of the best Cross Country magazines ever

XC Trainer and TN Complete flight analysis software

All new Aircotec XC Trainers, paragliding and hang gliding flight instruments, now have a USB interface and are supplied with USB cables and TN Complete flight analysis software, making it much easier to upload, analyse and share your flights.

www.aircotec.com

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ITV parapentes new website

French paraglider manufacturer ITV have spent the long winter months improving and relaunching their website, www.itv-parapentes.com, which is available in English or French.

www.itv-parapentes.com

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Nova cross country paragliding meet takes place at Greifenburg, Austria, May 2010. Photo: Nova / Till Gottbrath

The Nova Pilots’ Team are once again having their annual cross country flying meet this May, offering ‘Tips and tricks for mile-munching’ to all pilots.

The venue is to be  Greifenburg / Emberger Alm (Austria), and the dates of 3 – 9 or 17 – 23 May have been reserved. (Dates and/or venue may change, depending on weather).

The idea is for Nova’s gang of ‘proven mile-munchers’ to share their knowledge and experience in a short morning briefing, which is free of charge and open to all pilots regardless of the brand of wing they fly. Wolfgang Bernhard, Hannes Kronberger, Christian Pichler, Mario Mayer and Pohl are amongst those imparting their knowledge this year.

Paragliding legend and Nova test pilot Toni Bender will be there with his ‘Toni-Mobil’, filled with Nova demo gliders and Raul Rodriguez acro wings for you to try.

www.nova-wings.com

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Independence Emotion Evo reversible paraglider harness

Independence have redesigned their paraglider harness range for 2010, with all models (the Fusion, Emotion, Evo, Spider and Gecko) having a stiffer back support of 3D-mesh padding and new snap-lock karabiners. They are also offered with an optional, weight-saving carbon seat plate.

The Emotion Evo reverse harness pictured above, now has a height-adjustable rucksack, tailoring it to the height of the pilot and improving on carrying comfort. The harness weighs 4.3 kg (including the new karabiners), and is designed for cross country flying, with a stirrup attachment point located for optimal aerodynamic pilot position, fully integrated inner reserve container / handle and a dual-chamber airbag.

www.independence-world.com

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The 16th annual Azores Paragliding Festival takes place on the island of Sao Miguel from 26 – 29 August 2010.

There are places for up to 150 pilots, and entries can be made using the online form on their website. Cross Country editor Ed Ewing has already secured his place!

A discounted pilot entry fee of 30 Euros applies until 30 June 2010, after which the cost rises to 40 Euros. This includes transport between the competition headquarters at Portas do Mar, and the flying sites, and a goody bag.

Accommodation in the sports centre can be booked from as little as 10 Euros per night for a shared room, or 25 for a double room with shower (reserved for couples).

If you’re planning on going (or even if you weren’t, you may be tempted now), take a look at pilot and instructor Paulo Luis’s São Miguel island paragliding guide.

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The Raven is Firebird’s new high-end EN B paraglider. Inspired by its namesake, the ‘master of thermal flight’, Firebird say the Raven “climbs high effortlessly, turning smoothly, biting into thermals and centering them with ease”. They add that it also has great passive safety.

The graphic on the Raven is striking – a brightly coloured raven shape on a black and grey glider – making the wing unmistakable in the air. Its grey leading edge is made from Firebird’s specially-developed zero-porosity material. The A risers are wider than the Bs, Cs and Ds, making them easily identifiable. There is a special ‘handle’ that is longer than the standard brake handle, which can be used to rest your arms on long glides or to give you more power for acro manoeuvres.

The YouTube video above, where the Draco Volans team introduce us to the Raven, proves what the company say about its ability to perform SAT, helico and wingover.

All sizes (covering 65 – 125 kg) are certified EN/ LTF B.

www.flyfirebird.com

Firebird Raven EN B paraglider

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Aeros SX Rescue parachute

Probably most famous for their hang gliders, Ukranian company Aeros actually make all things free-flight, from hang gliders to paragliders, kites and even sailplanes.

Their new pull-down apex style rescue parachute, the SX, has just passed EN and LTF tests in the L size. The reserve can take a maximum load of 115 kg and gives a descent rate of 5.5 m/s.

The SX is made from standard Gelvenor and has a packed weight of 1.7 kg.

www.aeros.com.ua

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