Out and return in Sweden. Photo: Fred Gustafsson
Martin Annsberg won Sweden’s first ever hike and fly competition, held at the end of April in Are. He spent 10 hours hiking and flying onboard his Mac Marvel and covered a total distance of around 40km.
He beat organiser Fred Gustafsson on his Little Cloud Mario23 into second place, while Norwegian Lars Gielten was third on his Advance Omega 8.
Fred, a regular photographer for Cross Country magazine, said, “The comp was nothing but a success. Twenty-eight happy pilots, boys and girls, hiked 900m up Åreskutan and flew from there.
“Some flew back most of the part and some hiked hard during the comp’s 10 hours of racing. Everyone had a great race!”
The competition was blessed with good weather. Pilots had to walk and fly as far as they could for 10 hours, with the winner who flew the furthest out-and-return winning. A minimum of 20% of the distance had to be flown for it to be validated.
“By the sounds of the competitors there will be more of this kind of comps in Sweden. Åre Out and Return will be back in 2013,” said Fred.
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