Author: X-Pyr

Enjoy a casual overview of the race route and get an insight into the challenges presented by the course. See the latest race updates on the X-PYR 2022: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLxfEDBaYDo5wbGl34Y2eaWVUT0WloOx01

We are 5 days away from the start of the race. Weather has definitely changed and we’ve switched to more operational tasks and, of course, physical fitness. The team is fully assembled, with Jesse heading up organization, Chris our pacer, mule, and expert generalist, and Ross with coordination and co-mule responsibilities. I’ve just received my new Bogdan Fly harness and am incredibly impressed. This harness is light and the stitching amazing. I was able to test it out and so far, excited sums it up. Now it’s time to plan the race based on some of these early forecast models with the team.

The first thing that comes to my mind about Pyrenees is dry and rough terrain, burned grass and spiky bushes, but that’s not all true! We’ve been quite surprised to all the green hills around Larun.

Both the coastal areas and the French side are actually quite humid and green! Does it mean easy?

Not really, those beautiful hills may look soft and cozy, but they are actually pretty windy and with low… or no cloud base each transition is a challenge.

That’ll be over 100km of very technical flying and A LOT of walking. Not to mention first 20km of asphalt 😃 Uhh…

Now just some rest days in the office and we’re back to Pyrenees on Friday!

Mikolaj

Finally time is running, but it feels good. The weather is hot, better go high by paraglider or mountaineering. Last sunday i was climbing the Piz Bernina 4048mM. The accent is so nice, the way down was hard in the wet snow. Luckily i climbed with my paraglider and the wind was ok… on 3700mM, so the flight to Pontresina was a pleasure!

Have say that before I came out one of the things that troubled me was the thought of the heat in the Pyrenees and really it couldn’t of been any hotter, a big heatwave right across the mountains has been a baptism of fire. Us English ain’t used to it! Haha

The last week or so has been a mix of H&F, H&R in France with a jump over to Formigal then Arbas, Biggore and Accous

Two days spent in Arbas helped me use the main takeoff and the higher ridge takeoff with very weak lift I managed to leave the valley and make a couple of small hops west passed Aspet to Estenos before turning back.
Keeping an eye on the forecast it looking that south into Spain would be better I drove over to Formigal unfortunately it changed over night and wind was incoming, I did get a quick flight in above the town to land by the van as I watch the wind front making its way up the lake. Still having all afternoon I headed up the col Pourtalet to see how my lung faired with the altitude. Living by the sea back in Cumbria it’s always in the back of your mind how I would feel running around at altitude 2.5hrs to Ibon de Anayet and back was a perfect test and I felt good! 

Next on to Biggore and the weather didn’t play ball first high cirrus clouds stopped the thermals and then from miles away a nimbus floated over and the day was done.

Accous next and the wind was set in so a long walk was planed up to 800 take off and carrying up to the higher peaks to really feel the wind. 7hrs out up and around Puc de Bergon & L ‘Embarrere to Col d’iseye with an hour run down at the end.

In all I think the French Pyrenees is going to be a tricky place to fly xc, very humid with low base and light thermals, what am I saying sounds lot like back home. Haha

Hello from Rob, Julia and Keith!

After a late entry into the race, we’ve been very busy trying to get up to speed, and with only minor hiccups along the way.

We’ve had an excellent time in the Pyrenees for the past few days: getting familiar with the route, enjoying the beautiful mountains and culture, and hanging out with our friends Logan, Reavis, Mike and Cedar. Julia has been hiking up to launches with Keith and I and then hiking down and kindly retrieving us when we land. So far we’ve been concentrating on the central X portion of the route, mostly because the area is so beautiful! 

We’ve concluded that flying the course is a dream and hiking it a nightmare, so we hope to do much more of the one than the other.

Cheers!

It’s been 40 degrees out here which means reaching huge heights enabling us to cross the main ridge of the Pyrenees with ease. The main pattern, morning is stable in France, very hot and little movement, then Bam! It’s on and we are flying as fast as we can going up 7+m/s smooth until the clouds turn dark and over develop. These hot morning hikes and some hot runs have helped us adapt. We are expecting a big shift in weather and will see how this changes our tapering this week

The first days in the Pyrenees are already behind us and the first turning points have been successfully explored.

The mountains welcome us with a lot of wind, but we were still able to squeeze in a reconnaissance flight yesterday.

Today it was time for turnpoint 3, Peña Montañesa! A lot of wind, so it was “Hike&Hike”… Let’s wait and see what the next days will bring.

7 days before the start of the race Nacho and I are in the Pyrenees to study in-situ all the route that this X-Pyr has reserved for competitors. It is true that we know some steps of this edition from having flown them on other occasions, but this time the central X has a part through the French Pyrenees somewhat tactical and depending on the weather can make the change of decisions is drastic.

We have been a few days and the weather has not been accurate to make some flights. Even so we have tested the TP7 (Corronco), making a climb on foot from the village of Barruera in the Val de Boi.

The weather is going to be difficult, so it’s time to do some walking to keep training the physical part, and of course, the acclimatization a week before the race in the high mountains.

Always enthusiastic about every corner and every valley of the Pyrenees.

The latest addition to our team is the Nova Artus light chair, after hanging it up for a few adjustments the final touch in the air.

It’s amazing how much Hike & Fly gear has evolved, from the “heavy” 12 kilos I started with in 2014 to just under 5.5 kilos that I’ll be carrying in this edition.

After 15 plus years as a professional climber for The North Face…7 years ago, I figured I’d dabble in a little paragliding, not because I always had dreams of flying, but because it seemed like a fast way down from big rock climbs.  Honestly, Cross Country paragliding seemed sort of silly and uninteresting. MEGA-WRONG!!!  Often my first impressions are not the best!!! FOR instance, I  remember thinking that the internet seemed like a pretty stupid idea when it first came out…turns out the internet has been some what sucessful… and it turns out that Cross Country paragliding is infinitely interesting … HA, my bad!  In fact, I think my Ozone Zeolite should come with a warning label that says, CAUTION VERY ADDICTIVE.  In my first week learning with Matt Henzi, and after catching my first thermal and having my first soaring flight, I started calling paragliding “Sky Crack,” because no matter how much I got, it wasn’t enough.  This may very well be my greatest contribution to paragliding, I coined the term “Sky Crack!” Heh. Just one more hit….There is a fine line between passion and addiction!  Sort of like there is a fine line between Bad Ass and Dumb Ass! 

THE FLEDGLINGS

Let’s call it an addictive passion! Whether an addict or a pious disciple…I went all in, and have had some of the most incredible adventures of my life in the air…. including, flying off the highest peak in Mexico in my first year of paragliding, (thanks to my Sensei Matt Henzi’s tutelage), setting local XC records at my home site, and pioneering new launches in Nevada with legends of the sport in the USA such as Bill Belcourt, Reavis Stuphin-Gray, Arash Farhang, and Cody Mittank.  I dabbled in Vol-Biv a couple years ago with another key mentor Mitch Riley, as well as f ellow USA competitor Logan Walters.  After our “LAX” winter solstice traverse of the L.A. basin, I thought that maybe I would actually enjoy the sufferfest that the X-Pyr promises.  The final straw was when I visited europe last year and did a couple comps in Targasonne, and Valle de Boi and realized that the Pyrenees are fucking incredible, and that signing up for the X-Pyr 2022 was a definite: HELL YES PLEASE!!!!  

So here I am… a small American fish teeing up with the Euro Big Dogs.  Trying to stack the odds in my favor, I’ve been here in The Pyrenees, pre-race for over a week now, previewing the course with my close friend, supporter and extremely talented pilot in his own right… Mike Lester…, and it’s honestly been some of the best mountain flying of my life.  We have been blessed with FANTASTIC conditions!  I’ve crossed the Pyrenees by air in orbit… over 4000 meters altitude, freezing my nuts off…several times this week!!! GORGEOUS, ASTOUNDING, EPIC!!!! At this point.. Even if I FLAIL in the race, the recon has been awesome enough that I will go home happy regardless of my performance in what is looking like a beast of a course (especially the X, and getting in and out of Accous.)  For me X-Pyr is less about the competition and more about the adventure of crossing one of the most beautiful and iconic mountain ranges in the world!  Regardless of the outcome I know that this is going to be an unforgettable life X-Pyrience…Heh Heh.  WOOHOOO!!!!!