Episode 37- The Groundhandling Podcast

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Ground handling is the cornerstone of being a good, safe pilot. But of all the most important foundational building blocks you can practice it is often the most neglected. For many pilots “groundhandling” is pulling the wing up and getting off the hill. This is only the first step. Many of our listeners have asked for a specific ground handling episode and now here it is! Nik Hawks, former Navy dude who passes his time climbing Mt Whitney in sandals and running mellow events like the Leadville 100 and sailing from California to the Caribbean on a J22 contacted me after seeing the Rockies Traverse a year ago inspired him to learn how to fly. He’s thrown himself into the game with both feet and taken on the practice of ground handling seriously. But as a new pilot, he quickly became confused with the mixed information regarding ground handling. In this episode we turn the tables around and Nik takes my seat as the interviewer and we dig into the art form. We also talk about SIV and other methods that greatly increase our risk to safety margin.

Nik hosts his own adventure podcast called PaleoTreats and he and his wife make paleo based edibles that are TO DIE FOR. They are going to be a big part of my nutritional fuel and ammunition for the X-Alps. Nik had me on his show a few months ago, it’s a really fun listen and if you’ve ever wanted to know about some of the wacky shit I’ve participated in over the years and what led me down this cloudbase mayhem road, have a listen. Make sure to check out the show notes below for the links to some of the films and otherwise we mention in the show. And PLEASE check out Nik’s site, he’s an inspiring dude putting out awesome content and his company, Paleo Treats is something really special. Enjoy!

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Ground Handling Exercises with flyincanarias.com from Christian Fernandez on Vimeo.

 

Another really good one on flapping and groundhandling (you might recognize the voice over!):

 

Show Notes:

  • What does “good” ground handling mean?  Is some “dragging” inevitable? Is there some kind of progression beyond “stable over head, then helico”?  What’s in the middle of that?
  • Would you say that treating GH as almost a necessary evil to flying progression does disservice to all pilots?  If so, why do you think that it’s viewed as just a “stepping stone” rather than a fundamental?  I think this is a key point, as when I see expert pilots take off they don’t seem to want to ground handle a bunch first, its almost as if they’re too cool or that GH is for beginners.
  • What is (or should be) your ratio of ground handling to flying when you first start, say for your first 50 hours?  51-100, 101-500, 500+
  • I hear a lot of “go slow when you’re learning” from all the pros on the podcast, how does GH fit into that?
  • There’s a huge eagerness to get in the air and fly, but it seems like a bloody dangerous sport to be eager for.  Why do you think so many people ignore getting good at GH?
  • Is there any value in buying a separate GH wing that is smaller/faster/more maneuverable?

More flying related questions.  Some of these might sound stupid or too basic or easily Google-able, but I’m guessing for your brand-new-to-flying audience (like me) they might address the “There are no stupid questions” idea along with the mess of sorting out the *right* Google answer.  🙂

  • where are the breakdowns for hours flown = expertise in your mind?  I hear you say 50 hour and 500 hour pilot a bunch to refer to rank beginners on up to intermediate, are there any further break downs of that?
  • thoughts on really working to fly without instruments for as long as possible in order to develop that feel for the wing, for thermals, etc?
  • what does the “perfect” progression look like beyond the first flight school?  I get the P1-Pwhatever, but if you wanted to build a truly excellent pilot, I’ve been thinking about the following:

Flight school 

GH::flight ratio of 5::1 for the first 20 hours, 

an “intro” SIV (which may be different than a more advanced SIV?)   

another 30 hours of 5::1 flight/kite

then the 2nd SIV 

then an hour or two of basic acro

and then start to push into XC with a solid understanding of the wing, dynamics, recoveries, and reserve throws under your belt.

  • Over and over on your podcast I’ve heard that the mistakes come from not just pilot error, but easily preventable pilot error.  Is there a way to build a better system of teaching & learning to address that?  Maybe a mantra for flying?  
  • How have you not had any big accidents yet?  You’re flying big lines on an advanced wing.  What are your methods/rhythms/mantras during flight prep, takeoff, flight, pre-landing, landing?
  • What’s the difference between a 2 liner and a 3 liner?
  • What I’m hearing on “when to move up a wing” is basically “never” after an advanced EN-B wing for the “regular” pilot.  Why do so many people ignore that?
  • Paragliding in general seems like such a “feel” sport, but the attraction (at least for me) is that it’s a very technical sport in the sense of technique completely trumps fitness and strength.  Can we talk about how you learn the technique of something when it’s almost all “feel”?

  

Here’s my list of what I’m working on, lately I’ve been putting in about an hour a day, 5-7 days a week:

-Build a wall

-Prep for forward (layout, lines check, riser routing, CLEAN launch with kite absolutely straight over head)

-Prep for reverse (same as above)

-Cobra launch

-Spin L & R 180°

-Spin L & R 360°

-Holding position (standing still and keeping wing overhead)

-Moving left, right, forward, and backward under control

-Climbing, both objects and hills (I used my truck until I cracked the windshield.)  🙂

-Launch from rosette

-Kiting facing forward w/ kite forward

-Kiting facing forward w/ kite reversed

-Kiting facing backward w/kite forward

-Kiting facing backward w/kite reversed

-Collapses of one side, fly the other in control, inflate at will, facing both forward & reverse

-Big ears, forward & reverse

-Stall & recover, forward & reverse

-Flapping

-Kiss the ground with a wingtip, side to side, under control

-Kiss the ground then collapse the ground wingtip with A, then reinflate

-Frontal symmetrical collapse

-Helico via running start, up to 5’ high, hard on brake on one side, full weight on other, hard on opposite B (just saw this, haven’t tried it yet)

-Cravattes

All of those (of course) depend on how much wind you have at your practice site.  No wind means lots of forwards.  🙂

 

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UK Film Tour and Master Classes with Gavin announced!

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Cross Country Magazine is hosting three film tour dates in the UK in April (5th, 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th) and two masters classes at Jocky Sanderson’s Flight Park in the Lakes District (8th and 9th) where we will have a full day of instruction, flying, talking about the X-Alps, expedition packing, vol-biv, equipment and a lot more and then a film screening of North of Known. Here are links to all the details:

April 5th, Fly Sussex.

April 6th, Bristol.

April 7th, Keswick.

April 8th, SOLD OUT.

April 9th, Jocky Sanderson Flight Park

For more details:  http://www.xcmag.com/2017/02/gavin-mcclurgs-big-weekend-uk-tour-april-2017/

Hope to see you all there!

Episode 36- Nick Neynens and the art of Vol Biv

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Nick celebrates finishing the X-Alps

Nick Neynens began paragliding a decade ago after his love of the mountains drew him to the sport. In 2015 he capped off a passionate and steep trajectory of flying a lot of vol-biv around the world with a 10th place finish in the Red Bull X-Alps. He famously did a lot of the race in sandals and shunned any kind of formal physical training before the race. By flying incredibly creative lines, staying positive, and having a ton of fun Nick charged from the back of the pack after a tough first day to making goal in Monaco. In this episode we explore the world of vol-biv, talk about Nick’s experience in the X-Berg and X-Pyr races and of course his X-Alps experience. Nick recently became a full-time meteorologist and we talk about how his weather knowledge has helped his own flying, including recently breaking the open distance record in New Zealand. I invite you to check out Nick’s flying blog, ShareMyJoys– it’s filled with fantastic reports of flying in the high mountains of the world and his own very unique take on this incredible sport we all love. His approach to flying and training isn’t traditional, but it clearly works and his positive and fun attitude is contagious in the best of ways. He also gives some great trips if you’re keen on heading out on your first vol-biv trip. You’re going to enjoy this one.

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Show Notes:

  • Nick talks about how he got into vol-biv and some of his expeditions around the world.
  • Training for the X-Alps- an unorthodox approach.
  • Why New Zealand is one of his favorite places to fly.
  • Wing choice- choose your weapon
  • Ground handling- we revisit this most essential skill
  • How Nick’s meteorology background is impacting his flying
  • Where to begin flying vol-biv and tips for people doing it for the first time
  • Injuries- how to avoid them.
  • X-Alps- justifying the risk
  • Should you fly with a vario? Instruments discussion and how they can get in the way.
  • The importance of being in a good headspace- can you find it?
  • What separates the elite from the rest? Why are some people so much better? The importance of reflection for progression.
  • Nick’s most memorable flight.
  • Mentioned in this episode: Cross Country Magazine, Hugh Miller, Ed Ewing, Tom Lines, Louis Tapper, X-Berg, X-Pyr, Ferdinand Van Shelven, Chrigel

 

Nick sending in New Zealand

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Episode 35- Christina Kolb and becoming a complete pilot

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Christina throwing down!

Christina Kolb is the current female world acro champion and one of the few women in the world who has perfected the Infinite tumble. In Annecy this year she won the female class and was 18th overall- an incredible achievement. In this episode we visit and revisit the cause of many accidents and how preventable they are, how to learn acro, the importance of SIV and ground handling, why altitude is more important in many cases than water, best and worst advice, how to reduce stress on launch, and a lot of advice for beginners and how to avoid the “lemming affect.” We revisit some common themes of the Cloudbase Mayhem in this episode but getting it from a female perspective sheds new and important light on the mantras that always need to be revisited. Enjoy!

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Show Notes:

  • Christina talks about some of the accidents she was witness to recently in Chile and how they could have been avoided
  • How and where and WHY to learn acro
  • Safety and more safety
  • SIV- why do it?
  • The worst advice Christina has ever received and why
  • The importance of ground handling
  • How to reduce stress on launch
  • Advice for beginners- the lemming affect and how to avoid it
  • Mentioned in this episode: Cody Mittanck, Jocky Sanderson, Mads Syndergaard, Tom Payne, Chrigel Maurer, VIMMFF

 

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Save the Date! North of Known coming to a Theatre near You!

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Gavin McClurg flying past Denali during the Alaska paragliding traverse. Alaska Range, Alaska. Photo: Jody MacDonald

 

Film Synopsis: “North Of Known”, a Red Bull Media House Film documents professional paragliders and Red Bull X-Alps competitors Gavin McClurg and Dave Turner attempting a full, unsupported traverse of the Alaska Range by foot and paraglider, across North Americas highest mountains. The team faces endless extreme weather, starvation, grizzly bears, uncrossable rivers and countless glaciers in one of the worlds most remote and inhospitable mountain ranges. After 37 days 2015 National Geographic “Adventurer of the Year” Gavin McClurg completes the expedition solo and becomes the first person to traverse the Alaska Range by paraglider, fulfilling a dream he’d been chasing for six years.

I’m taking North of Known on a short film tour starting February 18th. Here are the tour dates and venues and links to the event pages on Facebook, which have the links to buy tickets in advance. I’ll give a little fun backstory to the film before we start (film length is 52 minutes), then a Q and A afterwards. The film premiered at the Banff Mountain Film Festival in November and just recently won “Best Documentary” at FLIC in Montana. I hope you’ll join me, I promise these will be fun evenings and I promise- the film and footage will blow you away! A portion of the proceeds at all of the events will benefit the Foundation for Free Flight. We expect all venues to sell out, so make sure to get tickets in advance.

Vancouver Mountain Film Festival (VIMFF) Saturday, February 18th. This is the final night of the week-long festival and we’ve got the prime slot. Tickets can be purchased here. I’ll be introducing the film and tell a little backstory of how it all went down. Here is the VIMFF trailer, a LOT of these shots are taken from North of Known:

 

 

North Bend Theatre (Seattle and Issaquah, WA zone), Sunday, February 19th at 6:30 PM. Tickets are $15 in advance, $18 at the door. Click here to purchase tickets, and here to view the Facebook Event page. Directions to the theatre.

Velo Cult Bike Shop (Portland, OR), Monday February 20th, 6:30 PM. Tickets $15 at the door.

Hollinshead Barn (Bend, OR), Tuesday February 21st, 6:30 PM. Tickets $12 in advance, $15 at the door.

Knight Management Center (Palo Alto, CA), Wednesday February 22nd, 7:00 PM. Tickets $10 at the door. Directions to the theatre on the Stanford Campus.

San Luis Obisbo, CA. Thursday February 23rd, 7:00 PM. Venue TBA.

The Sandbox (Santa Barbara, CA), Friday February 24th, 7:00 PM. Tickets $15 in advance, $18 at the door. Ticket purchase link coming soon. Directions to the Sandbox.

San Diego, CA., Saturday February 25th, 7:00 PM. Venue TBA.

San Bernardino, CA, Sunday February 26th, 7:00 PM. Andy Jackson Airpark. Tickets $15 at the door, after a fun day of flying! See here for event details.

Episode 34- Tom Payne and Insights into our world

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Tom Payne having an epic high day at 4500M over the Bernese Oberland in the Alps

 

Tom Payne competed in the 2009 X-Alps and was Jon Chambers supporter in 2011 and 2013 and edited Jon Chambers book “hanging in there” which documents Jon’s X-Alps campaigns. But the X-Alps is just a blip in Tom’s long, passionate, decade’s long career in paragliding. He’s been a major player in the comp scene and is well known across Europe for flying big, creative triangles. He created a tool many pilots use, XCPlanner (and if you don’t, you SHOULD!) which led to him getting a job at Google. In this episode we dig into Tom’s analytical mind and his unique view into flying that every pilot can learn from. We talk about his rather brutal 2009 X-Alps campaign; what the end of the Open class meant for his career and the sport; how the place you choose to live impacts your progression; how to approach training and how you can learn the most from the bad days; the dangers of chasing numbers (we discuss the potential evils of something like XContest); how to break the 100 km barrier (hint hint- planning!); how Tom’s support of Jon Chambers helped get him into 4th position in 2013 and how conflict resolution is one of the big keys to doing well; why Chrigel dominates; the importance of SIV; maintaining passion after you’ve ticked all the boxes; safety; and a LOT more. Please enjoy this wonderful episode with Tom Payne, we cover a lot of ground.

 

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Show Notes:

  • Tom talks about single surface wings and his recent flights with the new Niviuk P Tandem- a 3.1 kg wing
  • Tom talks about a cascade that should have ended in death. We talk reserves and probabilities.
  • What ending the Open class meant for Tom’s career and the sport and how it decimated the competition scene
  • The new CCC class- does it solve anything?
  • How Tom got into flying and his immediate obsession with the X-Alps.
  • Want to get good? Live in the right place- close to reliable flying.
  • How to approach training- be KEEN, be HUNGRY, live in the right place.
  • Tom talks about his 2009 X-Alps campaign and where it went wrong.
  • How to train for the X-Alps
  • XContest. Is it all good? The dangers of chasing numbers
  • Flying is a technical sport, so who does it appeal to and why?
  • How to break the 100 KM barrier. Hint- planning!
  • Supporting Jon Chambers in 2013- and helping him get to 4th position. An inside view into the X-Alps.
  • How SIV saved Tom’s life and why it’s so important, and what it really teaches us.
  • How to maintain your passion for flying after you’ve ticked all the boxes
  • Safety- what Tom’s learned after a couple decades of flying. Number one rule- make the right decision whether or not to take off.
  • Risk homeostasis theory and how we should be thinking about it when it comes to flying
  • Mental preparation for the X-Alps and just flying
  • Mentioned in this episode: Cody Mittanck, Bruce Marks, Jon Chambers, Chrigel Maurer, Ed Ewing, Alex Hofer, Ben Abruzzo, Hugh Miller, Toby Colombe, FlyEO, Russ Ogden, Dave Turner

 

 

 

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Episode 33- Hugh Miller and Flying Psychology, X-Alps, Chrigel Secrets and MORE

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Hugh Miller flying the flats of the UK

Hugh Miller began flying at the age of 15 and has been a household name in the sport since taking over Cross Country Magazine back in the 90’s at the age of 21. He does most of the EN C and D wing testing for the magazine today and just last year won the UK League in a career that spans decades. This talk could have gone on for hours. We cover a huge range of topics that are pertinent and valuable for any pilot at any level- exposure to risk in competitions; how to improve regardless of your level; tactics for flatland flying; the importance of flying intuitively and following a “hunch”; when to move up to a higher class wing (and when not to); developing unconscious feel; developing a mental picture of the sky; the importance of preparation and goal setting; is paragliding getting bigger/ safer/ younger/ more accessible?; the power of psychology in paragliding and breaking the negative cycle; the importance of holding back to get better results; Chrigel’s magic and what the rest of us can learn; X-Alps- what’s awesome, what makes him nervous and should we be combining aviation and sport and a LOT more. Listen to this one when you aren’t distracted and listen to it more than once- there’s a lot here. Enjoy!

 

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Show Notes:

  • Hugh recounts learning full stalls and spins before pilots used reserves
  • High discusses the value and the dangers of competition flying
  • Flatland tactics and strategies
  • Wing choice- 2 liner or 3 liner?
  • When you should and shouldn’t move up on a wing and why
  • Flying intuitively and unconscious decision making
  • The importance of following a hunch and how to develop unconscious flying
  • The power of adventure in the sport
  • Paragliding psychology – breaking the negative cycle
  • The importance of holding back- advice for the new and intermediate pilot
  • What we should be doing flying at trim in rough air
  • X-Alps- what separates the top guys from the rest?
  • Chrigel’s magic and what we can learn from his execution
  • The 3 modes of flying- thermalling, planning, gliding- how to stay focused
  • Mentioned in this episode: Cross Country Magazine, Niviuk, King 7, Dave Turner, Jocky Sanderson, Paul Gushlbauer, Bruce Marks, Jerome Maupoint, Barney Woodhead, Headspace, Nate Scales, Intermountain Wide Open, Guy Anderson, Kelly Farina, Matt Beechinor, Mark Watts, Chrigel Maurer, Russ Ogden, Ed Ewing, Will Gadd, Tom Payne, Honza, Jon Chambers, Kirsty Cameron, X-Contest, Nick Greece

 

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Countdown to the The Red Bull X-Alps, Training Anyone?

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Walking on pavement is requisite, but it’s only a small piece of the training puzzle

I’ve been getting a lot of questions about what the physical training looks like for what is known as the “toughest adventure race on Earth”, the Red Bull X-Alps. As it says on the X-Alps website:  It’s a bold claim – but one it surely deserves. It’s difficult to think of another race that demands such a high level of fitness and technical skill – or lasts so long. The combination of trekking and paragliding is one of the most exciting hybrids to emerge from the ongoing convergence of mountain sports.

The rules are simple. Athletes must race across the Alps, by foot or paraglider via set Turnpoints, usually a straight-line distance of over 1,000km. Over the years, the race has attracted and tested to the limit some of the world’s top adventurers. It demands not only expert paragliding skill but extreme endurance. Some athletes will hike over 100km and 1000’s of meters in altitude in a day.

So how do you prep for such a sufferfest? I have the same team going into the 2017 race as I did in 2015, Ben Abruzzo and Bruce Marks. Ben (the SnowGoat.com) handles all my physical training and runs my ground game during the race (Bruce Marks runs my air game). Every week he writes exactly what I’m supposed to do in a google docs sheet. My job is to do the work. His motto is “do more, talk less.” Every step I take and every heart beat is recorded with my Garmin Fenix watch and HR monitor, which is automatically uploaded to the Garmin Connect interface, which Ben monitors. In general each month is divided into three weeks of increasing intensity and then a “deload” week which allows the body to recover and heal. To be sure a “deload” week is still very intense, especially compared what most people are probably used to, but is considerably below the load of the previous three weeks.

1 of 9 stations that I call “my hell workout”

The serious training began October 1st, which gives us 9 months to fully prepare. At the beginning of every week I get an update from Ben on what the week will look like. This week here’s what Ben had to say (edited as he likes to call me nasty names!):

Next week is up. Was going to start an intensive 4-5 week interval phase but backed it off slightly to compensate for the fast (I’m doing a 72 hour fast as I write this compliments of Tim Ferriss’ recommendations is “Tools of Titans“- testing some Ketogenic diet methods).  At the tail end of the week is a bigger day on Durance (3,000 vertical foot mountain behind my house that is my go-to training hill for vertical).  Expect to start seeing those at least weekly and soon enough 2 times per week.  Next 4-5 weeks generally will be 2ish interval workouts preferably done on snow, 1 interval workout in the gym, 2 strength workouts, 1 shorter aerobic workout and 1 long ass day on skis.  In a few of those weeks I’ll cycle in the 2 long days and cut one of the interval workouts.  This is the intensity phase so make sure you apply proper gut busting effort. The work you have been doing in the gym is going to pay dividends and will be worth it.  

Every month gets harder than the last by a pretty considerable load until about the middle of June, when the taper starts before the race, which begins July 2nd. To hear more about all of this and Ben’s theories on why he makes me do what I do and when listen to this podcast, which we recorded after the race. In the 2015 race I did 12 1/2 marathons in 10 days and 4 hours  and climbed the height of Everest 5 times. These are pretty ludicrous numbers and depending on the flying weather, about what we can all expect.

Row row row. And then row some more.

Many people have asked “why a trainer?” It would be easy to think you can prepare for a race like the X-Alps on your own, and in fact most of the athletes do. The problem with doing it on your own is you don’t have any accountability. If you’re like me you will train too much/ do the wrong things and have a high risk of injury. Or you train too little/ do the wrong things and you won’t be ready. There are actually too many reasons to list, but take a look at this week I just had a couple paragraphs down. Don’t just glance at it- read it and it will become obvious. The X-Alps gets faster and faster every edition. The athletes and the teams are getting more and more professional. But in my opinion at least half of the field that will be on the starting line July 2nd will not be properly prepared. They might be able to run absurd distances, but the pack weight and vertical demands will eventually take their toll. The race has an 11% finish rate for a reason. The trick is to prepare correctly. The race is not an ultrathon, or even a series of ultras. If you go out and run absurd distances on a weekly basis and expect that to do the trick the race will break you. Jon Chambers’ book “Hanging in There” and his supporter Tom Payne (who raced in 2009) both document in the book how they screwed this up and how it hurt them in the race.

Every workout I do is preceded by a Romwod routine, which is typically 20-40 minutes. This is a paid subscription that basically takes you through a few very long hold stretches that helps athletes boost performance and optimize range of motion. We do it so I become more unbreakable. And then every workout is followed with a 10-15 minute mobilization session (5th column in the graph below) built from the teachings and practices of Kelly Starrett’s book “the Supple Leopard.” Mobilization greatly speeds recovery and keeps my tendons and ligaments be more supple- again to help make me more unbreakable, and better able to handle the next days workout. At least 4 days a week I do an immediate hot/cold regimen after the mobility session also taken from Tim Ferriss’ “Tools of Titans” (p. 43) to boost my immune system and increase the lactic acid dump. This is approximately 20 minutes in the sauna, followed by a 5-10 minute cold shower (or this time of year just standing outside until I’m shaking) and repeat at least twice.

Here was a recent week of training. Second column is the main workout, third column is additional, 5th column is that days mobility session and finally my comments on how it went. This week was about 16 hours of training (does not include romwod or mobilization). This will increase to 35-40 hours by April and May and early June.

Week of 2 Jan heavy dose of intervals this week…make each one count, work on good head space and not bitching out when it hurts
1/2/2017 Gym:Warmup 4 rounds of 2:00 ski erg + 8 back extensions + 8 DB high pulls then 5×10 goblet squat HEAVY, Then T Bar Row 5×8 as heavy as you can then 5×5 DB Clean and Press HEAVY, then Every Minute on the Minute for 30 minutes: Even Minutes: 14 DB Clean And Press with 30-40lb DB, ODD minutes: 20 box step up and overs 24 inch box posterior chain smash and floss 1 in each side, then calf smash and stretch 1 min each, then T spine smash and keg stretch on foam roller as needed Did mix of row and ski erg for warm up. Can do both pretty close to before shoulder fuck up in terms of pace. Goblets w 53 kb. Heavy as they have at zenergy. Should I use db? But that’s about all r arm can handle getting up. Proper sweat for this one!
1/3/2017 Interval Spin bike: warmup 10 min easy then 6×3:00 all outs with 3:00 rest between…you should wantto puke or die by the end of each Afterewards some strength mainteneace: 5×10 each leg bulgairan split squat with heavy DB, then 3×30 calf raises holding weight, then 5×8 Sb bench Press, then 5×8 DB flys, finish up with 5 rounds of 1:00 wall sit + max time leg lever hold with 8-10lb ball pec smash 1 min each, tricep smash 1 min each, psoas smash 1 min each then pigen stretch 1 min each then quad smash 2 min each then posterior chain smash and floss 2 min each Nice one. Shoulder feels shit today, but liking the sauna sessions for soreness.
1/4/2017 Aerobic: 30-40 min spin bike right into 18km pavement walk Compex Recovery Calves Then Gentle Hip Distraction 1 min each Then super frog 2 min Then posterior chain smash and floss 1 min each Nice ski tour w Nate in Hailey, puking here again. Then later 2 hrs fast on treadmill as roads too gnarly. Sauna day 3 in a row.
1/5/2017 Mid Week Fuck You #3: warmup with 7 min of get ups…no weight just get up and down off the floor any way you want, then 5 sets of 100m farmers carry HEAVY (start and end each 100m with 12 Arnold press with less heavy DB) rest 1:00 between, then 3x max time hang off one hand on a pullup bar resting 2:00 between Then 10 rounds of leg Blaster + 2:00 all out stair climber, rest 1:00 between Note: Leg blaster is: 10 lunge each leg, 10 air squat, 20 jumping lunge, 20 jumping squat. compex quad recovery then HAM x 3 Then suprapatella smash 1 min eah then couch stretch 1 min each then smash upper back and shoulders as possible Went well. Really long romwod today, which was good, stiff as fuck. Couldn’t hang on one arm even for a second after farmers carries, no grip strength. Did assisted pull ups instead. That stair/ leg blast was no joke
1/6/2017 Rest
1/7/2017 6000 vertical feet…either baldy plus stair climber or baldy x2 All at 145BPM Note”: “Baldy” is my local ski mountain, 3,000 vertical to the top 2 min voodoo knee floss each leg, then flexion knee gaping 1 min each then suprapaella smash 1 min each then quad smash 1 min each then couch stretch 2 min each…really sit in the stretch Fucking awesome. First day I felt like I did in the race, just charging and kind of out of mind. Did two full laps on Durance, on second lap hooked up w some friends as storm came in, did a final little quick skin to hit one more little pow run. God this place rocks. Hr was pretty red line. Used the red cream b4 start. Sauna and hot tub/ cold after
1/8/2017 Baldy skin- for the length of the skin do this: 10 min easy warmup then as many sets as possible of 7 min 30/30s with 3 min rest between abductor smash 1 min each then IT band smash 1 min each then T spine smash in each the single leg etension 1 min each, then plantar fascia smash 1 min each That wasn’t easy. Damn. Legs turned to mush near the top. Forgot to charge watch so only got the first 40 mins. Then later in the day: 18 km on treadmill as didn’t want to try that while fasting. Used white and red cream.

So that’s a look at a week. And now it’s time to get back to the gym. The race is less than six months away, things are getting serious!

To read more about my nutrition plan (things like Cricket Protein!), using magnesium creams for BIG days, eating hormonally “correct” and a lot more, see my recent article here.

Episode 32- Joanna Di Grígoli and 400 KM Sending

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On the 25th of November 2016 Joanna Di Grígoli beat her own personal best by 240 km and landed than 2 km away from beating the longest women’s footlaunch in history flying just over 400 km in Quixada, Brazil. But this talk is a lot more than chasing records. The flight in Brazil in the topping on the cake. Joanna grew up in Caracas, Venezuela and hasn’t been able to ignore the flying dream since she was a child. Her drive and stubborness to pursue her passion has at times caused some problems (like when she sold her violin to attend a comp!) and in this talk she takes us to at times some dark and very personal places (surviving a terrible crash at the Superfinal, losing her husband to flight, recovering from eternal fear), but the journey, like a great flight pays off in spades and is one you will not soon forget. You’ve seen her work in the Spanish version of Cross Country Magazine and if you’ve gone to a competition in the last ten years you’ve probably been bewitched by her smile. I hope you enjoy this fantastic journey of dedication and redemption.

 

A buck an episode, that’s all we ask.


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Show Notes:

  • Joanna takes us up through her long competition history
  • Chasing records in Brazil
  • What proper “flapping to land” is all about
  • the magic of paragliding and the paragliding community
  • Selling musical instruments to pursue her dream
  • Finding big sponsors, losing big sponsors, and sticking with it
  • Discovery success, and battling failure
  • Joanna loses her husband to flying…
  • The terrible accidents in 2011 and flying dangerous wings
  • Recovering from a broken world
  • Surviving a terrifying crash at the Superfinal
  • Doing an infinite tumble- by mistake!
  • Overcoming fear
  • Feeling vulnerable
  • Flying 400 km in Brazil
  • The adventure of getting home
  • Maintaining perspective
  • Mentioned in this episode: Rafael Saladini, Brett Zanglein, Sebastien Ospina, Cross Country Magazine, Isabella Messenger, Klaudia Bulgakow, Gin, Raul Penso, Carlos Cordido, Niviuk, Seiko Fukuoka, Petra Slívová, Gin

 

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:36:16 — 66.1MB)

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Unscrambling Insurance- Are you covered?

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When the shit hits the fan- are you covered?- Photo Rob Curran

NOTE TO ALL: This article has been MODIFIED as of January 28, 2026. MORE MAJOR CHANGES! PLEASE READ IN FULL. If you just want to get what you need, skip to here. This matrix lays it all out visually.

DISCLAIMER: I am writing this in an attempt to help our pilot community make sure they are covered both at home and abroad if they have an accident while flying (paragliding, speed flying, hangliding, or skydiving, wingsuit or basejump). I AM NOT AN EXPERT and these are only opinions based on my research. PLEASE do your own research and make sure what I’m recommending covers you. This is a subject that causes a lot of confusion and my hope is that this article will help you navigate these tricky waters. The recommendations I have made below are made to cover ANYONE, who resides ANYWHERE and is flying ANYWHERE- but please- DO YOUR RESEARCH! The costs of this coverage is a few bucks a day. An evacuation and repatriation to your home can easily soar into the 6 figures. Many injuries in free flight are spinal- just stabilizing a spinal injury even in 3rd world countries can quickly go well over $100,000 USD. Please don’t put this on your family or friends, and don’t be the fool who thinks “it’s not going to happen to me”- GET COVERED!

NONE of the recommendations below are a substitute for good health insurance. These are adjuncts designed to cover you when normal insurance doesn’t (eg when you travel). Make sure your own health insurance covers “high risk” sports like Paragliding and Hanggliding (see the NEW restrictions below if you get your health insurance through the ACA exchange)! This article does not attempt to cover this topic.

First it is VERY VERY IMPORTANT to understand the difference in kinds of coverage. Some cover medical, others cover search, others rescue/ repatriation. Some are specific to travel, some are domestic. If you fly here’s what you most likely need:

  1. Coverage for search AND rescue/repatriation (not the same) if you hit your SOS on your InReach or SPOT (and more and more these days- using SAT coverage with your iPhone). More on this below.
  2. Coverage for helicopter transport. Domestic IS DIFFERENT than INTERNATIONAL! More on this below.
  3. Travel/Medical insurance and Search AND Rescue for when you are traveling. More on this below.

TRAVEL ABROAD:

Very few health insurance companies cover repatriation (ie you get hurt in a foreign country and want to get to a hospital on your own home turf) if you are injured. More concerning, most will definitely not cover you if you are hurt participating in human flight activities. There are now four options for international travel and “extreme sports” that I know of that work for anyone going anywhere (with some restrictions- it depends on where you call home, and where you are going- MAKE SURE TO READ THE FINE PRINT!) The one I have dealt with the most is the IMG Signature Travel Medical Insurance (DO NOT GET THE IMG PATRIOT- get the Signature, which that link takes you to), “SafeTrecker” covers HG and PG and covers amateur “competitions”, and World Nomads under their “Explorers” plan (also covers amateur “competitions”, but note I have recently heard complaints about them refusing to cover in-country hospital bills and instead force you to repatriate before getting any care- an obvious problem if you’ve had a back injury for example!), and finally Travelex with the “Ultimate” editions to cover extreme sports.

Benefits for IMG Signature travel insurance for NON-COMPETITION Travel (if you get hurt competing- use your own judgement, but just say you got hurt flying, there’s no need for details) has great coverage for a very fair price (this is my preferred choice as I know of many pilots who have used this coverage with success):

  • Trip cost up to $100,000 per person – Trip cancellation protection
  • Up to 150% of trip cost insured – Trip Interruption protection
  • $100,000 – Emergency Medical Insurance (sufficient for most major injuries)
  • $1,000 – Emergency Dental Insurance
  • $100,000 – Common Carrier Accidental Death & Dismemberment
  • $2,500 / $500 – Lost or Stolen Luggage / Baggage Delay
  • $2,000 – Sports Equipment Rental
  • Up to 75% Cancel for Any Reason (if purchased within 20 days from initial trip payment)
  • Up to 75% Interrupt for Any Reason

NOW importantly- these travel health insurance options DO NOT COVER SEARCH AND RESCUE and THEY DO NOT COVER REPATRIATION– they only cover in-country medical and travel.  UPDATE: Both World Nomads and SafeTrecker now offer a combined package, but I have not gone over them carefully enough to make a recommendation. YOU NEED EVACUATION/ REPATRIATION insurance! If you are injured and need to get home to have a surgery or get home to be with your loved ones for your recovery, Global Rescue is your best choice (NONE of the GARMIN (formerly GEOS) coverages other than their High Risk Benefit [see below] is available after the Garmin buyout in Jan 21′), and there is no longer the 100 mile restriction- it works ANYWHERE. Global Rescue has a $500,000 cap and they cover EVERYWHERE but the Antarctic and Arctic (Pakistan, India, etc. are covered). Either of these options cover evacuation AND medjet assist (ie professional medical support during transport) and are very reasonable ($329 a year, or you can just get your trip covered as a one-off). Global Rescue requires two-way communication with either the covered person, or with someone who is with the injured person (another reason to get an InReach!). Global Rescue is NOT Search and NOT rescue. Search and Rescue happens locally (ie sheriff, local SAR teams, our community, etc.). Once a victim is found and brought to a hospital that’s when Global Rescue kicks in. They are medical repatriation. PLEASE READ THIS DOCUMENTATION to understand what they are and are not. If you’re in a jam- PRESS YOUR SOS regardless! 

VERY IMPORTANT: If you have an accident and need medical assistance immediately, get help through conventional channels first- ie call 911 in the US/North American, 112 in the EU, 999 in the UK, etc. THEN CALL or otherwise communicate with your provider as soon as possible. Please understand: INSURANCE COMPANIES WILL NOT PAY FOR MEDICAL AFTER THE FACT, and they will not pay for transport or medical that they have not authorized inside their network, but if a victim needs immediate medical attention, DO NOT WORRY ABOUT INSURANCE- get the victim to a hospital first and deal with insurance and payments as soon as you can. Leave your insurance details with your family at home, and make sure everyone in your group has the details as well. Try to transport to a larger hospital whenever possible and collect detailed receipts if paying up front by cash or credit card (but know that it’s unlikely to get reimbursed if you don’t get authorization up front). If the injury does not need immediate attention, contact your insurance company immediately, and let them handle all transport, medical and repatriation. Again, please read this document.

READ THIS!:

Summary- Get the GARMIN SAR HIGH RISK PLAN in case you hit your SOS. Get Global Rescue for repatriation. Get IMG SIGNATURE for non-comp medical (which is also standard travel insurance) OR World Nomads, DogTag Extreme, or Travelex. Or do like I do- IMG Signature and Global Rescue and don’t say anything more than “I got hurt flying.”

And then:

IF YOU PRESS YOUR SOS on your SPOT or InReach:

#1 thing to know about pressing your SOS: When you press your SOS on your InReach (SPOT is no longer in the IERCC system and is using their own so yet another reason to switch to InReach!) the IERCC (formerly GEOS, now Garmin) will be notified and will activate search and rescue through their many SAR partners regardless of where you are. So don’t hesitate- if you need help PRESS YOUR SOS! This is important- if you need SEARCH, this is BY FAR AND AWAY your best option- HIT THE SOS! If you have cell also call 911 or the appropriate emergency number in the country you are in, but HIT THE SOS!

#2 thing to know about pressing your SOS (if you are using InReach!): the IERCC will activate a search and rescue and get you to a hospital  REGARDLESS OF THE coverage you have. BUT- their standard SAR 100 plans DO NOT COVER PG OR HG! So- you could be in for a very large bill. GARMIN offers the “High Risk Benefit” for $299 a year, which covers most “extreme sports”, including HG AND PG. GET THIS! If you do not need to hit your SOS (ie no search is needed) but need MEDICAL repatriation from a foreign hospital to your home hospital contact Global Rescue or whomever you have for repatriation insurance by phone or email. Again- you need both- the High Risk Benefit through GARMIN in case you have to use your SOS, and Global Rescue or similar (Medivac, MedJet, etc.) for repatriation (and you’ll need IMG Signature or similar if you need medical attention in a foreign country unless your own health insurance covers you out of country, which most do not). IMPORTANT: if you have the Garmin High Risk benefit coverage, they will do a search and rescue even if you DO NOT hit your SOS (ie pilot is unresponsive, but a friend hits it, or contacts the IERCC by phone to initiate a search).

#3 thing to know about pressing your SOS: If you hit your SOS there is no “search” required, it will send your exact location, but only the IERCC will be notified. You can however add information to your emergency notes that might help your providers to be contacted:

In any doubt? HIT YOUR SOS!

FLYING DOMESTICALLY:

#1- Have good health insurance with NO free flight restrictions! Beyond the scope of this article. Do your homework. Now that Global Rescue works anywhere and they have removed the 100 mile rule- get their yearly coverage so you at least have repatriation covered.

Fun fact: Unlike nationwide packages provided through employers from major carriers like Blue Cross, United Health, Cigna, Kaiser – ACA plans from the same national carriers are offered for in-state scenarios only. The ACA contracted networks and health care costs are completely different from private insurance coverage. The implication is that whatever metal tier you choose, Bronze, Silver, Gold – the ACA plans only provide stated coverages within in-state networks. (note: Gold tends to be most comprehensive for complicated lengthy recovery).
There is a misperception that ACA derived plans cover out-of-state events. They don’t. What is covered, by federal law, with or without insurance, is whatever it took to save your life, wherever you are inside the US. Saving your life means “stabilized”. From that moment on however, an out-of-state patient is an out-of-network patient and mostly not covered. The cash meter is then on for all the care, and the stay being provided in that out-of-state facility. And worse yet, ACA plans will not get you home. (note: Some hotel and airline bookings will offer transport home coverage for health emergencies).
For those of us that are on an ACA plan in the US, it’s essential that we have Global Rescue too. Global Rescue can help bridge this out-of-state coverage gap, and get us home to an in-state, in-network care facility. Global Rescue can coordinate and get that transportation arranged in about 72 hours so notifying them once you can is important.
Global Rescue doesn’t have to be just for international travel. That transport can really help those relying on ACA coverage provided at home, in-state.

One of our fellow pilots Bill Beninati works for Intermountain Life Flight and wanted me to make sure you all knew the following (most places have private or state helicopter rescue services, and membership in these are often very cheap. This is really just a show of good faith and highly recommended to become a member (ie Lifeflight, MedJet, etc.):

The most important message I put out to our UHGPGA members about Intermountain Life Flight is that we do search and rescue as a community service when we are requested by a county sheriff. These are the officials responsible for search and rescue in Utah. For example, we could conduct a helicopter search and a technical rescue – but there is no charge to the casualty from the point of rescue to the “trailhead”. In this context trailhead has an insurance definition but it amounts to about the same thing as what you view as the trailhead.  At the trailhead our role changes from rescue to medical transport.  At this point a conscious casualty can refuse care, go to care in their buddy’s car, take a ground ambulance, or go with us for a charge that is generally covered by medical insurance if they have this coverage, and directly billed to them if they don’t. For Intermountain Life Flight financial assistance is potentially available to those who truly can’t pay for medical transport, and we are part of a healthcare system that provides close to $300,000,000 in charity care every year. If the injured pilot is in critical condition obviously cost is not a consideration.  

I’d love to hear what you think of this and if you have any questions, comments or concerns please put them in the comments below and I’ll do my best to keep this article updated. Be safe everyone and see you soon at cloudbase!

Still confused? Here’s a flowchart to help you decide:

Free+Flight+Insurance+Decision+Tree