Cross Country & Competition

Cross Country Flying

Cross country paragliding is the equivalent to Columbus setting out to discover new worlds. At least that is what it feels like as you make the leap from familiar terrain. It is an exciting adventure to say the least.

The best way to pursue this extravagant discipline is to build a solid base of thermal understanding, have all of the proper gear, look to expand slowly, wait for the right weather day and pack a bit of extra faith.

What I enjoy about flying cross country is pushing my understanding of micro-weather, flying with friends, landing in unfamiliar places and the great adventure of getting back to the car. I love a long retrieve, it means I have gone a good distance.

The Complete Cross Country Kit

Bo's Longest Flight

Competition Flying

Competitions are great opportunities to grow as pilots. Imagine having 40-100 friends in the air with you marking lift and sink. Most of the time competitions are held outside of our home territory and it is so nice to have all of that information available. Some will show the best line down the course. These are the guys you want to follow. At the end of the day there will be but one winner, but any pilot that enjoyed their flight and landed safely should be very pleased. It is just a great time to share the air with your friends.

To maximize your value in competition, you will want to be intimately familiar with all of the rules and procedures to ensure that all of your flights count in your overall ranking. You will want to do all of your homework, so that you can fly confidently throughout the competition.

Cross Country & Competition Clinic

We will be covering a number of subjects including:
• Picking a route
• Identifying good LZs along the way
• Getting proper retrieves
• Understanding the GPS
   - Setting a route
   - Creating turnpoints
   - Making a proper track log
   - Marking hazards
• Understanding the Task Meeting
   - Start cylinders
   - Starting times
   - GAP scoring
   - Turn points
   - Making goal
• Competition strategies
   - When to launch
   - When to leave the starting cylinder
   - First time competitors
   - Those looking to compete at high levels

The Cross Country and Competition clinic is $175 and is a one day course. We will try to fly a GPS route weather permitting. We have a lot of ground school to cover.

2004 Rat Race

2004 Nationals, Salt Lake City, Utah