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

 

 

 

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:02:02 — 71.0MB)

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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.

 

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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

 

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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

Episode 31- Russ Ogden, a Masters Class in Paragliding

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We’ve got a VERY special episode for you this Holiday Season. Ozone test pilot and world cup crusher Russ Ogden, one of the great living legends of paragliding and the inspiration for the Cloudbase Mayhem podcast and one of the most-mentioned pilots in the show gives us two solid hours that I am calling a Masters Class in paragliding. This is the most information dense episode to date that we’ve done and YOU NEED TO LISTEN TO THIS! There isn’t much we don’t cover here- being a test pilot; how wings are made, what wings are more difficult to make, reserves- square or round?; the “One Class” and the CCC class, comprehensive speed to fly strategies and how important are those instruments we love so much?; how to “sniff” out good lines; how to fly efficiently; the concept of discipline; what separates the elite pilots from the rest of the field; chasing world records; how to prepare for a competition; techniques to stop a frontal; the importance of SIV, the importance of stalls; why paragliding is still dangerous; getting through the intermediate syndrome; the Ozone ZENO; eliminating mistakes; dealing with fear; pod harness efficiency; seat board vs hammock harness; and MUCH, MUCH more!

I’d really love to hear your input on the podcast- what you love, what you want more or less of, who you would like to see on the show. Let’s have it! Leave a comment below and I’ll do anything I can to improve the show. Thanks so much for your donations and Happy Holidays!

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Show Notes:

  • Russ discusses his long history in the sport and what being a test pilot for Ozone is all about.
  • How are wings created? We delve into how a wing becomes reality.
  • What wings are more difficult to produce? You might be surprised.
  • CCC class vs Serial vs Open- what does the future hold?
  • The Texas world record encampment last year
  • What Russ works on in the “off” season
  • Speed to fly- an easy rule to follow, and how to fly fast
  • Sniffing out lifty lines- gliding, thermaling and more
  • How to fly efficiently- what separates the elite from the rest
  • How to prepare for a competition and should you?
  • Frontals
  • Reserves- rounds or squares? Fly with one or two? Weight range?
  • The importance of SIV, frontals and other safety issues
  • Why paragliding remains dangerous even as wings get so much better and safer
  • How to get through the “Intermediate Syndrome”
  • Bonus section: revisit the One Class, revisit the ZENO, reserves, learning wingovers and their importance, SIV, Seatboards, the Nova Phantom, Flapping to land, top landing, aspect and performance, how weight and size matter.
  • Mentioned in this episode: Ozone, Nova, Will Gadd, Cross Country Magazine, Isabella Messenger, Larry Tudor, Nate Scales, Nick Greece, Jocky Sanderson, Joe Krushe, Luc Armont, Andre Ferrera, Honorin Hamard, Cody Mittanck, Guy Anderson, Kelly Farina, Matt Beechinor, Bill Belcourt, Charles Cazaux, Mark Watts, Seiko, Dave Turner,  Pepe, Julien Wirtz, Xevi Bonnet, Cedar Wright

 

 

 

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 2:07:02 — 87.2MB)

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North of Known in Sidetracked Magazine

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Sidetracked Magazine covers the Alaska Expedition with Gavin McClurg and Dave Turner

 

As the familiar pips at the start of my Skype call fade, they are replaced by the cheery, gravelled voice of Gavin McClurg, energetic to the point of booming. The American is on good form, despite recovering from a dislocated shoulder. We dwell on the obvious irony that after surviving his most epic adventure yet – the one we are due to talk about – he injured himself in a relatively innocuous mountain-bike accident.

Gavin seems to have a different mindset to most of the population. He gets things done – whether it be kitesurfing miles off the coast of the Hebrides, downhill ski racing, or sailing around the globe. To achieve this, and maybe as the mountain-biking incident goes to prove, he seems to have a unique perception of risk. At a number of points during the interview, he is at pains to point out that he isn’t crazy. I fully believe him, but some may question the sanity of a man who willingly undertook something that no-one else thought possible, enduring near-starvation, bear encounters, extreme weather and total solitude in one of the remotest places on Earth…

Click here to read the rest of the story.

Episode 30- Michael “Micky” Sigel and building greatness

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Michael “Micky” Sigel began flying before most people learn how to drive a car. His early talent and passion got him on the Advance team when he was just sixteen years old. These days Micky makes a living as a test pilot for Gin Gliders and has been a dominant force in the Swiss League and the World Cup for nearly a decade. In this episode we catch up on what went down with the Gin factory last year in Northern Korea; what a test pilot actually does; how the Swiss League turns out so much incredible talent; the importance of mentors and how where you fly affects the pilot you can become; the local advantage and the traps of flying the unknown vs the known; what separates the best from the good; the importance of mental strength and believing in  yourself; the importance of a glider in a competition and the importance of choosing a glider that suits the task- and a LOT more. Enjoy!

A buck an episode, that’s all we ask.


Support me via Patreon

Subscribe to the Cloudbase Mayhem Podcast on Stitcher Radio, Google Play, Tune In, or ITunes!

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Show Notes:

  • Making a new Gin Glider
  • What happened with the Gin Factory in North Korea and how they have had to adjust
  • What is a test pilot really?
  • Swiss league- how do you build greatness and champions?
  • Micky’s favorite place to fly
  • The importance of mentors and how where you fly affects the pilot you become
  • How where you fly really affects the pilot you can become, and the downfalls of local knowledge
  • What separates the best from the good?
  • The importance of mental strength and believing in yourself
  • Choosing gliders to match the task and goal
  • The new CCC rules- will it help more manufacturers get into building comp wings?
  • Do companies have to build comp wings to better their lower level wings? IE is there a crossover?
  • Advice to lower hours pilots
  • Mentioned in this episode: Gin Gliders, Aaron Durogati, Will Gadd, Torsten Sigel, Chrigel and Michael Maurer, Steven Wyss, Peter Kleinman, Jan Sterren, Rafa Lukoz, Michael Witchi, Bill Belcourt, Matt Dadam, Nick Greece, Bruce Marks

 

 

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:01:43 — 42.4MB)

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Episode 29- Larry Tudor from Scary Origins to Radical Records

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Larry Tudor was known as the “Dark Prince” back in the day. We roll the clock way back to 1973 when Larry learned how to fly his first hanglider in the seated position (yep, pre-prone days) on a wing that got a worse glide ratio than today’s smallest speed wings. The stories in this episode are going to make your head spin. Remember when hangies flew the Owens every day in the summer? Guys tumbling out of the sky and not using reserves? Flying without instruments? Larry was the first person to fly over 200 miles (in 1983!) and was the first person to fly over 300 miles in 1990. His 308 mile record from Hobbs, New Mexico in 1994 wasn’t beaten for a decade. In the mid 80’s Larry was widely regarded as one of the best hang gliders in the world and this conversation covers a lot of awesome ground. Scary close calls, whorehouses, guns, cowboys, flying in tornados, trouble with the police, flying with air force bombers and early towing nightmares- this podcast is a glimpse into a crazy world of the pioneers who laid the ground in free flight. Larry left hang gliding in 1999 but has recently discovered paragliding with his daughter, making his career span over 40 years. Strap yourself in and prepare to smile and laugh, we had a lot of fun with this one.

A buck an episode, that’s all we ask.


Support me via Patreon

Subscribe to the Cloudbase Mayhem Podcast on Stitcher Radio, Google Play, Tune In, or ITunes!

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Show Notes:

  • The earliest gliders
  • The early legends and mentors
  • Discovering thermals and staying up
  • Scary beginnings
  • Early competitions, long before race to goal
  • Lucky vs good
  • Wing transformations and discovering cross country
  • CRAZY close calls
  • Figuring out how to thermal, discovering the Owens, chasing distance
  • Whorehouses, guns, cowboys, hurricanes, police, bombers, and towing nightmares
  • Flying 200+ miles for the first time, flying 300+ miles for the first time
  • Discovering Hobbs and other record sites
  • Flying for “smiles not miles”
  • Mentioned in this episode: Bill Frarey, Charlie Baughman (Hawkman), Gary Folkers, Mike Tingey, Pete Brock Brock Racing Enterprises  Corvette and Shelby Cobra, Jerry Katz ( History of hang gliding – Wikipedia ) 100 miles from Cerro Gordo (Scare your gourd off), Steve Moyes, Tom Kreyche, Mark Axen, Kevin Cristopherson ( http://kingfm.com/wyomings-world-record-hang-glider/ ), Christ Santacroce, Dinkub Jako, George Worthington, Don Partridge, Kari Castle, Ted Boyce, Manfred Ruhmer, Gary Osoba, Will Gadd, Antoine Girard, Wills Wing, Steve Pearson

 

Larry Tudor rediscovering flight after more than a decade.

Larry Tudor rediscovering flight after more than a decade.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:34:27 — 64.9MB)

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Behind the scenes- Preparing for the Red Bull X-Alps

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Gavin Mcclurg (USA2) and his support team of Ben Abruzzo and Bruce Marks celebrate at the final turnpoint in Monaco

Gavin Mcclurg (USA2) and his support team of Ben Abruzzo and Bruce Marks celebrate at the final turnpoint in Monaco

I always thought the Red Bull X-Alps would be a one and done event. Not knowing at all what I was getting into for our 2015 campaign not only was I nervous as hell for the 9 months leading up to the race (was I a good enough pilot? Would I be strong enough? Could my knees handle the pounding?), but the training involved, compliments of my brother-in-arms Ben Abruzzo (visit the snowgoat.com for more) was so hellish (and yet strangely incredibly fun) that I never imagined signing up for another go. But as I have written about before, the race was so absurdly fun (in a twisted sort of “fun” way) that we as a team were talking about doing it again long before it was even over. The only moment of any doubt of doing it again was on the evening I got into Monaco and several of us who had made it shared some really terrifically scary stories of near-misses that could have easily not turned out so well. Bruce even vocalized that “this race isn’t worth it- it’s not worth killing yourself.” But by the next morning, even though I could barely walk on feet that looked like they’d been pulverized with a hammer, we were already making plans for 2017. On day three of the race in the midst of an incredible deluge of wind and rain that was blowing trees over the road that had become a river I dove into our race van looking for sympathy and some dinner and Ben and Bruce served me a can of cat food on a nice white plate. I was told to “stop being a pu*%! and get going!” We never stopped laughing for 10 days and we all agreed it would be hard to have that much fun doing anything else, so as long as I was up for another year devoted to training, we were in.

 

This post is about some of the random but critical things that go into the lead-up to the event. Obviously you fly as much as you can and when you aren’t flying you’re pounding your body. I’m not going to talk about that aspect as that should be pretty obvious, and the physical training I do would be five blog posts just to touch the surface and probably of very little use for 99.9% of pilots so we’ll leave that a mystery. And lets face it, you would have to be pretty twisted to want to do it! What I thought might be interesting is all the side stuff that is so critical when it comes to having a successful campaign.

 

A little pre-race photo session

A little pre-race photo session

Wing. He (or she!) who flies the most in the Red Bull X-Alps wins. You can be the fastest and toughest on the ground but if you don’t kill it in the air, often times in terrible conditions, you don’t have a chance in the X-Alps. For the 2017 campaign I’ll be flying the brand new Niviuk Klimber P. At 3.36 kilos it’s the lightest certified EN D wing on the market. It’s the first 3 liner I’ve flown in over 5 years, which also makes it easier to launch and land than the competition wings I typically fly, which makes things a lot safer on the dicey days or when you’re really tired. I’m REALLY excited about this wing!

Feet. The Red Bull X-Alps has something like an 11% finish rate. A good many have to drop out because of foot issues every time. I bragged before the 2015 race that I had done so much walking on pavement (something like 2500 km) before the race that there was no WAY I was going to get blisters. By the end of day 2 my feet had gone to hell, and they got worse every day, to the point that I could barely walk every morning until they went numb. It was excruciating. There were multiple causes. At the start of the race Europe was experiencing I believe the hottest temperatures at that time of year in recorded history (I may be wrong on that, but that’s what I remember). Add to that very high humidity, and then getting lost with Aaron Durogati on day two which led to us scrambling up 1,000 meters of wet brush and our feet went to hell. The trick in the race is to keep your feet dry. The other trick is to anticipate that your body and feet are going to swell as the days go by due to the constant trauma and zero healing time. I had a dozen pairs of size 9 shoes, by day 3 they were all too small. Oops. This time around we’re taking a very close look at a lot of small things, but the most important is socks. The best I’ve found is Stance. They are the only socks Ben uses, and Ben is a pretty bad-ass runner.

Stance Socks

Stance Socks

Footwear. I’ll be using a combination of Salewa and Salomon shoes. Salewa makes an awesome trail running/ ascent shoe called the “lite train” which I’ve been loving. For the pavement pounding, Salomon has a great mix of very light running shoes and I’ve got pretty much every model they make.

Salewa's "Lite Train"

Salewa’s “Lite Train”

Navigation and Remote Communications. We really thought we had this nailed last time and invested a ton of time and energy into mapping (physical and electronic), apps, and communications. But once the race started even all our preparations fell short. You need a phone with a huge amount of storage so all the maps can be used offline because even in Europe there are a lot of places you end up with no data coverage. Then you need an awesome app that everyone on the team knows inside and out. So first up is using the tracking and texting features of the inReach for the entire team, and their Earthmate app, which has downloadable topo maps and shows your location without using the phone’s GPS (which saves battery). They can stay on exactly where I am using the MapShare feature, which is especially important when the Red Bull live tracking goes down when I’m not in cell coverage.

 

 

Flying over the Susitna Glacier on the last flight of the expedition

Flying over the Susitna Glacier on the last flight of the Alaska expedition- I was texting during the flight with the inReach, which connects via bluetooth!

 

This time around we’re also using Gaia GPS for our ground game, which I used on the Alaska Traverse and use every time I’m in the backcountry. Gaia’s excellent topographic maps now also include “snap to trail” features that come in really handy in Europe where there are trails everywhere. Immediately when I land Ben can identify the fastest way up to the closest launch, send me the route which I can enable in Gaia and I’m off, which saves precious brainpower and time.

Going deep? Get Gaia!

Going deep? Get Gaia!

 Tracking Training. I’ve got a new sponsor that I’m really, really psyched about. Garmin. I’ve been using their GPS devices on our boat for over a decade and have been a long-time fan and what has me really excited right now is their Fenix 3 HR watch. I’ve been a Suunto user and fan for a long time. But the Fenix 3 HR is a far-superior watch for tracking your training. This is a POWERFUL watch and activity tracker, and has a built in wrist heart rate monitor if you don’t want to use the chest monitor. It takes a bit to learn, but when paired with the Garmin Connect app and if you want to really get into the nitty-gritty of nutrition tracking you can add the My Fitness Pal app and presto- you’ve got a watch that tracks every step you take, every wink you sleep, and gives Ben a perfect way to track all of my progress and metrics.

Fenix 3 HR

Fenix 3 HR

Nutrition. The athletes in the X-Alps are getting more and more professional (and fast) with every installment. The course gets longer and harder every time, but the teams are adapting and still going faster. You need every possible edge you can get. We’ve hired on the team at GetWell3, headed up by Dr. Warren Willy, an Olympic and endurance athlete coach and author of many books based on eating for performance and eating “hormonally responsibly.” For much of the race your heart rate is above 135 bpm and often you are burning at “threshold” or anaerobic levels (well over 160). At these rates it is very, very difficult to process any whole foods. Typically this is where simple carbohydrates come in (think GU Energy– or sugar). I lived on GU’s “energy gels” the last time around, and I will again this time. When you need a shot of energy GU is perfect.

 

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But you also need whole food. It’s a long race, and sugar isn’t enough. Dr. Willy is creating very specific supplements designed around my stomach biome and a zillion blood tests to ensure when the going gets tough, I won’t bonk and I can keep the pace. For a small guy we proved the last time around that I’m pretty fast on the ground, but we hope to increase our speed and recovery by 5% using smart nutrition this time around.

 

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There are too many things that go into nutrition to include in this blog, but one thing I’m very excited about is a new protein supplement we are testing with that comes from crickets.  That’s right- bugs! Hopefully many of you saw the film “Before the Flood“, the National Geographic film with Leonardo Dicaprio about climate change. If you haven’t, please check it out. It’s pretty scary stuff, and if there’s one major take-away it’s that we’ve got to get off our global beef addiction. Crickets have twice the protein as beef, are more easily processed by the human body, have as much calcium as milk, more potassium than bananas, are totally sustainable to grow (and 12 times as fast as cows!), and is just a far-superior protein source for many reasons. Crik Nutrition is not one of my sponsors, but if you want to try their products you can use the discount code “cloudbase” and receive 15% off.

 

If you found some of this valuable, whether or not you have the X-Alps in your sights or another adventure race, or just find it useful for general training please leave a comment and I’ll follow up with more in the future. Fly far, fly safe and have fun!