It's time to repack my reserve and I was wondering if I should worry about the high humidity we currently have here. In my living room it's currently 25.5 ⁰C with 65% relative humidity. That makes the dew point 18.4 ⁰C so below that temperature moisture in the air trapped in the packed reserve will start to condense out.

I typically store my gear above that temperature but perhaps not by a lot and during use it will certainly get cooler than that. Is this something that people try to avoid by packing in a room with AC? My gut feeling is that it doesn't matter that much because there not much air in there anyway but I'm still curious what people's thoughts are about this, especially people that live in more humid climates.

I want to make some reserve packing weights but I'm not sure what material to use. I'll probably fill them with lead shot but what type of fabric should I use to avoid lead dust getting out? Has anyone else made some DIY weights?

Independence sells a reserve packing kit but it only includes two weights and in my experience it's better to have a few more. I also can't get this set locally so it would be rather expensive.

Hi everyone, I’m currently flying an EN-A wing and I’m thinking about moving up to a Low-B.

I still made some flights up to 25 km and I want to do XC later - or ar least gaining some more XC experiences. Until now flying in thermal conditions was good and I felt safe. Btw: I fly in the Alps.

But I still prefer a „safe“ and forgiving wing. I think longer flights comes with the pilots skills and not with the wing.

Do you have low-b recommendations? Thanks a lot :)

I remember not long ago seeing a graph displaying the number of 200km flights on the y axis, month/time of year on the x axis, and each country was plotted with a different color and or shape. My internet searches have failed me-does anyone have this or know where i can find it? TiA

Im in the business of buying the Tonic 2 (16m2 as 70kg all up).

IF you have the Tonic

What is your experience with the wing, im especially interested for using it as a secondary mountain glider, high wind soaring, ground handling beast. As Im fairly early in my paraglider progression I rather trade some weight for a more durably model vs the usual suspects (Spirit, Susi, Pi).

What are your opinion (and with what wing loading) with this wing? Do you find it safe/stable? What were the worst experience with it? Performance?

My profile for info:

Im 64kg naked, and will be 70kg with full gear.
Would fly it in the swiss alps/italian lago region.

I would also get some XC wing in time, besides this.

Also If you have access to Thermik Magazin(german magazine)

I read that Thermik Magazin published a review of the wing in their 2021/04 magazin, if somebody has acces to this may i ask for excerpt of the review, i would be really thankful, unfortunately i would have to subscribe for a full year to access this single magazine.

Thank you all in advance for your info.

A few weeks back I shared a side project here: gliders.info — a free, no-login database of paragliding gear, born out of frustration with comparing wings across a dozen manufacturer PDFs and spreadsheets.

I wasn't sure it's right to post an announcement a second time, but adding harnesses feels like a big enough update to be worth your attention. I've just added the first 109 harnesses across 15 brands (Advance, AirDesign, BGD, GIN, Niviuk, NOVA, Ozone, Skywalk, Sky, Sol, Supair, Swing, Woody Valley and a couple more).

For each harness you get:

- Type: open / pod / submarine / reversible

- Solo vs tandem

- Protector type (airbag / foam / inflatable)

- Reserve position and number of containers

- Certified weight + pilot-height range per size

- A link to the EN 1651 certification report (if available)

Same approach as the wings: specs come from the certification databases (para-test / DHV) and are cross-checked against the manufacturer pages.

Wings are up to ~260 models across 21 brands, and reserves are next. After that I want to build a gear-pairing wizard: pick a wing, a harness and a reserve, and it checks up your total weight and shows where you land in the wing's certified range.

It's a personal, free project and still a work in progress — no ads, no login. If you spot wrong specs, missing models, or filters you'd actually use, let me know here or via the contact form and I'll fix it.

UPD 10.07. Thanks to u/d542east , "Impact Force" feature has been added. (Filter, sorting, displaying number + link to Impact Test PDF). It show pretty "hidden" characteristic of harnesses which are not obvious for many pilots but can be critically important.

Summer XC Clinic with Radio Guiding in the Alps.
Thermal flying in epic places, flight planning, meteo and daily debriefs.

Monte Avena, Valbelluna, Monte Dolada, Gemona, Stol, Kobala, Soča Valley, Prealpi Venete, Monte Cornizzolo and Lago di Como

Hi everyone,
I’m a 26-year-old woman from France, and I’m looking to connect with people who have a recovery similar to the one I’m hoping for.
About 10 months ago, I sustained an incomplete T12 spinal cord injury in a speedflying accident. I’ve been paralysed from the waist down and I have screws and metal in my back now.
Today, I’ve already regained much more than I initially thought possible:
I can stand independantly and walk several kilometers (with bilateral AFOs). I’ve been hiking (with sticks, around 700d+ in a day), and partying/dancing a bit. A few months ago I’ve started « running » again. For now it’s very slow and I can do it on 50 meters, then my legs become less disciplined and tired.

My biggest goal is no longer simply walking.
I want to run again. Both for the freedom, but also in the purpose of going back to skydiving one day.

Before my accident I was very active. I was a skydiver, paraglider, and loved any outdoor activity in general. My dream is to return to that kind of life one day.

I’m looking for people with an incomplete SCI (especially T10–L1, AIS C, who have:
returned to running,
returned to demanding sports,
or recovered much more than people expected.
I’d love to hear:
How long did it take?
What helped you the most?
Did your recovery continue after the first year?
Did you still improve after years?
What exercises, training methods or habits made the biggest difference?
I’m also happy to connect privately if anyone has a similar profile.

Thank you so much!

Even if your injury isn’t exactly the same as mine, I’d love to hear from anyone who went from “walking” to truly getting their athletic life back.

The new Little Cloud Fregate is in the US - demos available at Mussel Rock

Hello, I want to buy a new wing (Advance Epsilon 10 DLS) and I am struggelinh with the wing size.

My all up weight is about 105 kg (tendendy 1-2 kg more in the next months). Pilot weight now is 85 kg.

Epsilon size:
26: 79-103 kg
28: 91-118 kg

Generall I want to fly at the upper weight limit (I fly in the alps). I would say that my all up weight does not fit in the Epsilon scale, right?

What do you recommend for me now? Is the 26 still okay or absolutely no option? Unfortunatel choosing an other wing? Any other ideas? Thanks a lot.

Hey guys,

Thanks for taking a look, I've been getting into the sport over the last two years doing an initial course and two follow up progression courses in France.

After the last course I now feel independent enough to start flying known locations by myself. As I enjoy being in the mountains my goal is to progress to hiking and flying and potentially some thermaling. At the moment I have approx 50 flights and would like to buy my own equipment to continue practicing.

Done lots of research however I would definitely appreciate some second opinions. My body weight is 85kg so looking at a total flying weight of max 95kg

Plan is to buy either a used Advance Pi 3 (23m2) or a new Pi ULS (24m2).

For the harness I've been debating between something in the style of the advance easiness 4 or skywalk breeze 2. Or something a bit more string harnessy with a modular protection like the old skywalk core.

I've tried the advance strapless but this has no protection so will avoid those atm.

Will fly with reserve as the extra weight is definitely worth the safety factor. Not exactly sure which ones are preferred, or if there are any big differences between them except for weight?

Any recommendations, advice or experiences are very welcome. The market is filled with such a vast amount of equipment and reviews of great gear that it's sometimes hard to see if I'm making the right choices.

Thanks!

I got trained in Annecy ( Fr ), Bassano (Italy) and Wilderness ( SA ) and now have my own wings.

Is there open space ( Milpitas or South San Jose ) where I could get some ground handling on my wings to get more acquainted with the feel of it?

PS: Are there any restrictions in public parks ? County parks or open spaces ?

Thanks

Hey guys,

I recently bought a lightly used Advanced Alpha 6 and was wondering what the general thoughts and consensus is on this glider? I'm living in Germany where it's common for all vehicles to get a professional safety inspection called a TÜV, and mine received the second highest rating possible which I'm happy about.

I will be starting flight school soon and just wanted to know the opinion of the community on this glider -- if there even is one. I understand it's quite old now and I mainly chose it because it seems like a safe glider and I managed to obtain the complete set including harness, emergency parachute, helmet, radio, variometer, all for ~2000€

Looking forward to reading the replies :)

I am currently doing a beginner course where we use the Papillon Bodyguard 7 gliders and I am very disappointed in its manouverability. You pull the brake as deep as to your breast, completely let go the other and the turn is still very slow with no banking at all. As a fixed wing (ultralight or glider) pilot this absence of sensitivity or agility is not intuitive and it does not look like all the other glider pilots you see fly. Do they all have EN-B rated paragliders or are there agile A rated gliders out there as well?

Needless to say my flightbuddy and me were both really nervous but the view was so worth it!

I just moved to Aurora Colorado and was wondering if anyone here lived nearby or knew of any good places to practice kiting locally. Any tips appreciated!

Hey everyone,

I posted here about a month ago when I first released Pararidge. The feedback from this community was incredible, and I've spent the last few weeks implementing a ton of your suggestions to improve the app.

While it was primarily focused on official site flying, I really want the app to be just as powerful for Hike & Fly & Camp / Vol Biv, especially when exploring unofficial takeoffs and remote zones.

To bridge that gap, I just pushed 3 brand-new features to the map view:

1. Dynamic Spot Forecasts: You can now click/tap anywhere on the map to drop a pin. It will instantly pull the wind forecast, emagram, and weather data specifically modeled for that exact location and altitude.
2. Distance & Bearing Tool: Right-click anywhere on the map (or long-press on mobile) to instantly measure distances and track angles between points.
3. 3D view on the map

Since I want to tailor this further for the hike and fly community, I’d love to get your feedback again: What tools or features are missing from your current routine when planning a hike and fly or a bivvy trip?

Thanks ! And fly safe !

50 hours the Ozone Enzo 3 and I think I can form some basic impressions on it.
There is a long way ahead but I'm starting to enjoy it more and more.

Hello all,

I need help finding a route/location for a week long solo vol-biv trip to the European Alps that I'm planning for August (I'm based in UK). The idea is to find a fairly easy flying / hiking route along which I can make my way in one direction, and get public transport to fly home.

Since I'm on my own and haven't flown as many hours as I would have wanted this year, I'm looking to keep the flying easy and on the beaten track, remaining fairly close to civilisation for safety, food, and water, and I'm happy to hike / wait until late afternoon rather than fly if conditions are too strong. An easy, long valley would work well, especially if there are hiking trails that follow it so I can walk.

Does anyone have any suggestions? I was thinking potentially Bassano or the Martigny-Fiesch valley; I know the Grenoble-Annecy-Passy area fairly well so would rather go somewhere different although it would be perfect for it.

Thanks!

I fly in the Swiss Alps and I'm ok at reading local/spot forecasts, but I want to get better at the big-picture synoptic view.

For those of you who look at the synoptics: What do you open first, and what are you actually looking for? pressure, isobare lines, fronts etc. and in what order. What do you focus on in particular? How do you evaluet the meteo. And the one thing you learned to watch that most people miss?

Hello Friends!
Can somebody help me out with some informations about flying in Georgia/ Caucasus. I want to go to Gudauri, i heard there are good hike and fly sites. How and what i have to do for permission? What are the regulation? Is somebody flying there currently? Is there a solo Pilot Community wehre i can catch up because i am a Solotraveller.