Stuart Holmes climbed and flew his speed flying paraglider from Ama Dablam – a 6,812 m jewel in the Himalayan crown. Ed Ewing spoke to him at his home in England about the flight.

Bob Drury looks at Bruce Goldsmith’s career in paraglider design, and speaks to the man himself and to Markus Villinger about Bruce’s move to Advance.

Czech hang glider pilot Radek Bares invites pilots to join the discussion of how hang gliding competitions can be improved.

Cross Country magazine is off to Lausanne to attend CIVL’s annual meeting, where they will be discussing the future of paraglider design, safety and other subjects of interest to all pilots. If you want to ask CIVL a question, post it below and we’ll do our best to get it to the right person

The governing body of competition paragliding, the Commission Internationale de Vol Libre, otherwise known as CIVL, meets next week to discuss, among other things, whether or not to allow carbon technology in paragliders in competition.

The debate has been a rough one so far. After winning the Paragliding World Cup Superfinal in September 2009 with its BBHPP, Ozone revealed their winning paraglider uses flexible carbon rods chordwise across the glider. The result is a wing that glides better than anything else.

The Paraglider Manufacturers Association (PMA), which represents 28 manufacturers (lots but not all of the industry), cried foul, and argued that the carbon rods meant the BBHPP was not a paraglider as we know it, but a different type of glider altogether. (more…)

Attila Bertok, hang glider pilot and 2007 World Champion. Photo: Ed Ewing

Attila Bertok was Hang Gliding World Champion from 2007 – 2009. Ed Ewing spoke to him

ATTILA BERTOK started flying in 1981 in Hungary. He was crowned the 16th World Champion after winning the World Hang Gliding Championships in Big Spring, Texas, USA in August 2007. (more…)

Hang gliding over Rio de Janeiro. Photo: Nader Couri

If you don’t know what hang gliding is, here’s an easy-read introduction to the sport of hang gliding…

Don’t tell me, I’ve seen this before. They’re like flying paperclips, right?
Not quite. Hang gliding is an air sport in which trained pilots fly a glider using only the wind and thermals to stay aloft. There is no motor involved, not even to get into the air. The glider is fully controllable – pilots can land where and when they want and travel big distances. The world distance record is over 700km. It’s the closest man has got to flying like a bird. (more…)

Michel Rudolf carried his lightweight paraglider up 8,000 m giant Manaslu and flew off the mountain. He talks to Ed Ewing…

Paragliding photographer Felix Wölk leaves the chilled-out lakeside retreat of Pokhara behind and gets too high, too fast in the big mountains of Nepal

Tumbled mid flight, Adam Parer found himself separated from his glider and in free fall cocooned in his hang gliding harness…

British female mountaineer and paraglider pilot, Squash Falconer, recently achievement a long-time ambition to climb and fly from the top of Mt Blanc, Europe’s highest peak.

Travelling from the UK to Chamonix by motorbike with the wing on her back, Squash realised her dream in September, with British ex-pat Annecy mountain guide Irwyn Jehu of Annecy Paraguides.

Cross Country magazine’s Ed Ewing gets the low-down.

Read more about Squash’s trip here.

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