Why did you choose the X-Pyr?
Looks epic, long, tough, and spectacular! But also because I’ve never flown there and I’m excited to check it out!

What is your greatest sporting success?
Climbing Denali; flying 300 km in the US and 3rd place US XC league 2018; 3rd place Vercofly 2023.

When and why did you start paragliding?
I stated in 2013, because I was looking for a cheap way to fly. I held motor and sailplane pilot licences before, but that was not working well on a student budget!

After I started, I began to understand the true potential of paragliding!

What is your mountaineering experience?
I was a part-time ski instructor for 10 years, did lots of rock climbing in multiple periods since high school, and eventually started doing some alpine climbs in the Canadian Rockies and Europe. This culminated in a 3-week expedition with a group of friends where we climbed Denali (6200 m) in Alaska. I do some good backcountry skiing in the winter. And backpacking. And paragliding of course!

So I like most things you can do in the mountains I guess!

What are your best and worst sporting memories?
I must be forgetting about the terrifying and gruelling stuff because I keep coming back!

I have many great memories, but right now I think making goal at the Dolomiti Superfly was a very proud moment. The longer the mission, the more complicated the challenges, the longer the preparation, and the greater is the sense of accomplishment!

Have you flown in the Pyrenees before? Do you have a favourite area?
Nope! Looking forward to check it out!

Is there anything you like to see (or not) in the route?
I like high mountains, less the flats!

Apart from flying far and walking little, what will your strategy be during the race?
Not dying is a good place to start! But then I’d say persistence and decision making is critical.

Oh yes, and flying far, no walking 😉

What does your typical training week consist of?
I do 5 days a week, trail running as the core, hike & fly when I can. Long runs or long ski tours on the weekend.

I do as much flying training as I can. Race to goal comps, hike & fly competitions, training camp with the Swiss League…

What has been the hardest part of your race preparation so far?
Discipline to train after long days at work. As in, I have a full time job so I need to juggle with that!

What excites you most about participating in the X-Pyr?
Adventure! I’ve never flown there and been there only once for like 2 days, so I’m pumped to go check out a new piece of terrain!

What worries you the most about the event?
PG-18 conditions, especially the windy terrifying stuff when you can fly but don’t want to. Don’t like that!

How do you know your assistant?
I thought she looked cute and smart, so we started dating and now she’s my wife for >16 years 😉

What are your assistant’s main strengths?
She does ultramarathons so she knows that support & persistence is important! She has experience because we did the Dolomiti Superfly as a team in 2021. We came up with a team name: the Canadian Geese. We fly slow but somehow make it!

What advice would you ask of the race veterans?
Does it hurt?

Anything else you like to comment?
Since we moved to Switzerland, I started racing with the Swiss League. I was looking for challenges and some highly motivated folks to fly with. That’s how I started doing more competitions. We have events, trainings, SIV, and training partners that are highly skilled.