Winning worldwide FAI XC Contest!

I was superhappy when I learnt today that I won the international women´s hang gliding cross country FAI championships! 

Really great pilots with me in all the different hang gliding and paragliding categories, big congrats to all of them! Still not an easy year for traveling internationally, flying and possibly retrieving long ways! I have thoroughly exploited every minute I could spend in the air during the few weeks that I had to play around this year! And I´m already dreaming of more adventures to come!

Thanks for the loyalty and support of my sponsors Red Bull, Moyes and Woody Valley! 

Find the rankings and more information on the FAI CIVL page, or just click on the picture!

Wingmen above Landshut

  

It was great to follow a part of this clip in the making - look at the unreal stunts that my brothers in crime Miles Daisher (US), Marco Waltenspiel (AT), Marco Fürst (AT) and Max Manow (DE) painted into the sky above the beautiful Bavarian city of Landshut!

German Open Awards

It´s been some busy days after the German Open, so I just get to post and write now. Congratulations to Alex Ploner for winning the international German Open at Kandel overall, and also to Dirk Ripkens who won international and also national title as the new German Champion in rigid class. I am happy that I was able to update my German Champion women´s title as well!

The organizer and the volunteers did a great job setting up the biggest competition "after covid times" has seen yet! 

Big thanks also to the artist of the beautiful wooden trophies, Martin Schmidt, and to the local mayor of Gutach and his wife, Christine and Sebastian Rötzer, for looking after us with great local products like black forest cherry cake and the very famous "cherry water", a schnaps made from the tasty local cherries! My dad loves everthing I brought home for him, that way, even if my parents can´t travel anymore, they can at least participate sharing the goodies!

 

After 3 tasks - Ploner in the lead

Results Class 1 Results Rigid Wings DHV Page

Despite very low base, a strong wind and a poor forecast, it paid out to stay positive yesterday. We managed to take off safely into a small 45km task. Nobody made goal, Primoz won the day with 23km distance. 

After a great take off and a very slow start, I was stoked that I managed to fly the 5th furthest distance, despite my weight disadvantage and the excruciating headwind towards the first turnpoint. Slowly things start looking a bit brighter, after I had made two major mistakes in the first two tasks. 

On the second day, I managed to get to goal at a time which would have put me into 12th or 13th place of the day, had I not put in the wrong turn point radius of the very last point and flown 8 kms more than I needed to, including two large valley crossings in quite some wind... whatever, I was happy about a nice landing in turbulent conditions at goal, and promised not to ever do that mistake again! I was happy anyway to celebrate with my friends at goal. 

There is a nice large tent in the landing area where people can buy food and drinks, and due to the great media work - TV has reported every day on the German Open - we had a lot of spectators at goal every day too! Now we just need one last, nice task today with lots of pilots in goal and a great party tonight. 

Awards are tomorrow.

German Open at Kandel

 

From May 24 to May 29, we are flying the international German Open at Kandel in the famous and beautiful Black Forest in the southwest of Germany. 81 pilots from 13 different countries are here to compete. 

You find more photos and a German report on the DHV page, and also a link to the results of class 1 and class 5!

You can even follow us on the live tracking!

Free Flying: Aerial Athletes Camp in Argentina!

 

Winter and covid time has been way too long for my traveller´s heart, so when I got a short notice invitation to join the Red Bull aerial athletes performance camp at Andy Hediger´s AeroAtelier in La Cumbre, Argentina, I was on my way in no time! Since Guido told me about that magical place about a 9 hour drive inland from Buenos Aires, I had always wanted to visit our great visionary friend and his crew. Now was my chance to meet with some of the finest international air athletes one could dream of!

And as Andy said - this is about sharing our experience, and the chance to look into the other air sports and learn to fly all different sorts of wings! I was totally inspired by everybody´s skill and modesty. None of us needed to post any achievements, cause we all are top in our tiny niche, but curious beginners and happy to learn from each other. Skydiving, Wings Suit flying, Basejumping, Paragliding acro and de-bagging, hang gliding, Extra300 aerobatics, Alpha training flights, helicopter flights, plus yoga or circuit training lessons in the morning. In great, warm summer weather, with the most warmhearted crew you can imagine, looking after all of us like we were family! 

It was a physical and mental reset for me, something I had been looking for without knowing it. Being free again, traveling with friends to places I´ve never seen before, being able to fly, learn, play, instruct others, share incredible moments, imagine new projects, party, just be me. 

Then my personal highlight - I summoned the condors, and they happily flew with me in many thermals at Cuchi Corral!!! The biggest wing span of a bird I every flew with, yet so relaxed, peaceful and graceful! 

Sorry that I didn´t have time yet to put this whole air adventure into words and pics, I´ve been busy to fit it in between work flights, but I promise I will write a nice article in German and English for the magazines for you!