Flying the tiger line in Brazil. Photo: Felix Wolk
We’re 25-years-old this issue – grown up enough to know better, young enough to still have fun.
Started in 1988 by Sherry Thevenot, an artist who married into the hang gliding scene, the magazine grew quickly and has gone from strength to strength.
Along the way it’s had a ringside seat at many of our sport’s greatest moments: from world championships to record breaking flights to sunset soaring on the beach.
To mark this ripe old age we’ve pulled together some of the highlights from the sport’s – and magazine’s – history.
From the first steps off a training hill to navigating through 8,000m mountains on a wing and a prayer, we’ve packed it all into this extra special issue.
It starts with the cover: somehow we’ve managed to fit every single previous cover onto this special issue six-page fold-out cover. And then we’ve edged it all in silver!
Inside we kick cans down memory lane, laugh at what we used to wear and spend a moment hearing from our elders and betters.
The full special anniversary issue includes:
A note from your flight director
Kaz de Lisse wrote these words way back in 1973 – no-one’s ever said it better
Coupe Icare at 40
We round-up the best photographs from this year’s mega free flight festival in France
XContest winners
We celebrate them
Batu Dua Paragliding Open
Petra Slivova rocks up in West Java
Snapshot in Nepal
Jeff Shapiro flies a hangy – yes a hangy – Lakeside in Pokhara
Mads’ World
Mads Syndergaard feels lost in limbo
Naked Pilot Jonny Carr
‘Hang gliding cost me my second marriage.’ Nuff said
Who’s Packing your Glider?
Christina Ammon meets Parsu Sigdel – a glider packer in Nepal
Bruce Goldsmith’s Icaristics
Bruce revisits his philosophy of ‘low and slow’
Honza Rejmanek’s Meteorology
The Red Bull X-Alps pilot discusses high pressure thermals
Featherlight harnesses
It weighs less than a can of Coke and you can go XC in it. We round up ultra-lightweight harnesses
XCFiles
Navigating airspace: stick the map to your wall and tune in
The Wonder Years
We never looked better, fitter or sexier than in the old days. It’s time for a fluoro revival
Flatline
Felix Wolk tells us how to fly far in Quixada, Brazil
Six degrees of separation
Josh Meyers gets a shock – and relives it so we can learn
Il Bambino
Nicola Donini is the new Italian XC and Acro champ (and he’s 17)
Hawaii-Five-Oh
Ant Green goes ridge racing in the US’s 50th state
Destination: Erzincan, Turkey
Snapshot of the latest World Cup hotspot
Advance Epsilon 7
We test fly the new EN B baby from Advance
Skywalk Chili 3
We do the same to the spicy Chili 3 EN B
Lightweight instruments
We check out the Ascent H1 and the Syride Sys’GPS
Final Glide
Cross Country founder Sherry Thevenot gets the last word. We love you Sherry.
All this plus news, photography and a chance to win a free paraglider simply by being subscriber. Bonza!
