Competitions

This year's competition calendar is starting to get filled up and luckily it seems like that the scene is having a growing tendency again!

Till now 3 World Cups, 5 FAI Category 2 events and 2 freestyle competitions are confirmed which is a lot better then in the previous years! Furthermore 5 other events are still under planning. Thanks to the CAT2 events and the upcoming changes in the FAI rules this year many more new pilots will have the opportunity to show their skills, gain points and to enter the World Cup Series in the future.

1. Lorenz Horacio
2. Takats Pal
3. Pitocco Hernan
4. Planton Cyril
5. Rodriguez Felix
(....50 pilots in the list)

When we started briefing at 8.30PM on Thursday the question on everybody's mind was: „How cold is the lake really in November?“ And: „Are those dry suits really dry?“

But first things first: As reported earlier the Swiss Championships in August were not valid due to miserable weather conditions.
The announced replacement event in November had people wondering if Swiss pilots are crazy: Temperatures are freezing and snow is not uncommon here at this time. The regulations of the Swiss Paragliding Federation forced upon us a waiting period of two months to organize a new event and our determination to crown a Swiss Acro Champion in 2010 left us no other choice to do so.

All fears were unnecessary: Friday morning was sunny with 16°C. The water temperature was at 13°C: Some pilots even decide to fly without dry suits.

In the middle of September (11.-14.11.2010), at the end of the europe season 2010, the french and some international pilots came together for the French Championship and the FAI CAT 2 French Open acro competiton. The competition was held over the gorgeous Lac de Serre Ponçon (Haute-Alps, France), a really beautiful spot surrounded by interesting mountains for flying acro and XC.
For the French Open the pilots got towed up 500 meters over the lake with a funny but working winch system which made us laughing but also screaming. That was also a reason why we couldn‘t make to many runs while we had sunny days and too many competitors to tow.
Anyway, finally we did one complete tasks and a super final with the best 8 which was decided at the beginning of the competition by the judges François Bon (Headjudge), David Soujey and Iris Vogt.

Some of the pilots showed some incredible clean runs

The Swiss Championship in August was washed away by the rain and with only 1-1 valid tasks in solo and synchro it was not possible to celebrate 2010's champions.
Swiss Robair Paragliding School decided to save the Championship and to organize a second event in November! What? In freezing snowy November ?? Yes, because the swiss rules only allow the next event to take place 3 months after the last one. Anyway, Robair does everything to make the pilot's and the spectator's life easier and offers good music (helps to keep on moving), free dry suits for all participants, hot drinks and a heated tent!
The location is going to be Weesen at the Walensee with the take-off place Amden, called Durschlegi ("Antenna"). The altitude difference is only 600 meters, the event will take place just below and the mountain falls down with an almost vertical cliff into the lake, providing fair play for the pilots with a reliable ~500 meters of altitude in the acro box.

Dates 5-7. November or in case of bad weather 12-14. November.
Registration and futher infos (in German) at: http://www.coldwateracrosession.ch/

In September 2010 an old dream of the paramotor world came true! A completely new style of competition that brakes out from the rigid format of the old-school paramotor competitions. After years of trying to convince the FAI to mix up the boring tasks with such challenging games,