Episode 98- Learning it all from an XC Master, Alex Robe

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Alex Robe goes BIG

This is the most information-dense podcast than possibly any previous show we’ve ever done. Alex Robé and one of his main flying partners Primoz Susa are nearly always the two guys right at the top of XContest on the big days. Alex won the XContest in 2015 and 2017 and is currently in 3rd this season (his lowest value flight is over a 260KM FAI, and the two pilots ahead of him both went to Brazil last fall!). But Alex is extremely limited with his time and how much he can fly. In a typical year he’ll only fly 10-15 times! So for those of you who are restricted with time, prepare to be inspired! In this episode we cover a huge range of topics from a true master of flying huge distance. We discuss risk management; performance vs passive safety when it comes to wing choice; the keys to flying fast; how to identify the big days (and more importantly- choosing the right launch and the right route); ability, attitude and approach; 2 liners vs 3 liners and misconceptions; weather resources and forecasting; how to become a great pilot by flying huge hours on the big days rather than battling fear on the dicey days; how to build endurance for long flights; the recipe for flying big; the importance of post-flight analysis and a LOT, lot more. Get your pen and paper out folks, this one is packed!

Here are the weather resources Alex uses to identify the best days you hear about in the show (click to download):

Weather Decision Recipe by Lex Robé

Alex’s blog is truly amazing- check it out!

  • Paragliding Blog: http://lex.xalps.com

    • Many flight stories with loads of pictures and always all Lessons Learned at the end
    • Downloadable Lessons Learned compendium as a Google Spreadsheet; filterable by takeoff, season & conditions
    • Videos, built with a lot of passion
  • Participation as supporter in the very first Red Bull XAlps http://xalps.com/2003 – totally incredible, how everything evolved. They were walking with wired GPS-Antennas on their helmet back then!
  • Video Channel: https://vimeo.com/lexrobe – with the latest season trailer, that will give you goose-bumps 😉
  • On Alex’ facebook page https://www.facebook.com/lexrobe he always posts publicaly when he thinks there is a good day ahead and he plans to go flying. Follow him!

Here is the video of Alex’s 306km FAI-Triangle https://vimeo.com/254135867

 

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Show Notes:

  • 2 vs 3 liners and passive safety vs performance
  • Picking the big day and picking the right launch on that day
  • Reducing risk dramatically by only flying the really good days
  • Becoming a great pilot by flying huge hours on big days rather than flying dicey days and getting scared
  • The “recipe” for long distance and the importance of learning the weather and being fit
  • The importance of post-flight analysis
  • Preparation pre-flight
  • How to pick out the good lines
  • What gear and why
  • The importance of sharing information and sharing your thoughts on where and when to fly so good pilots show up
  • The Engineering connection and flying
  • What are the motivation, knowledge and XContest factors to going big
  • The importance of goals, and how to fly efficiently
  • Risk Management and dealing with uncertainty

 

Mentioned in this episode:

Matt Wilkes, XContest, XCSkies, MeteoParapente, MeteoBlue, Ayvri, XCMag, Hugh Miller, Ed Ewing, Verbier Summits, InReach, Garmin, Primoz Susa, Ozone Paragliders, Niviuk, Flow XC Racer, XCSKies, Windy, MeteoParapente, Meteoblue, Naviter, Flow Paragliders, Nick Neynens

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Transcript

Episode 98- Learning it all from an XC Master, Alex Robe

00:00:14 - 00:05:17

Hi there everybody welcome to episode ninety eight of the cloud base may him we are almost two hundred and what that it means. I am hard at work. This is great actually after the house to be able to relax and just right and work on this book this kind of a tools of titans about about the mayhem we put all the best of the best together in a book that cross country is publishing working closely with ed and hugh on that very exciting. We hope to have have that kind of in draft format and ready to go by this fall and published early in the year so stay tuned for that. Certainly this conversation and you're about to hear is going to have a lot. It is an awesome conversation before we get to talk with alex roby at a couple of things of housekeeping. We had a pretty tragic accident that ended as bad as it could really at horseshoe bend flight park up we should go. I don't know all the details not gonna get into that here but a few people that were on scene at that accident didn't have asked me to just remind you the community that medical training specifically wilderness first response training is really key he to what we do. It's a ninety day course it's expensive and there's only a few of a year so you know it's something you really have to invest in but i can speak from experience. It is absolutely awesome and it's great to have c._p._r. First aid but really what we do is is remote . An access often to first response care is hours and hours away if possibly days if you're flying cross country in places like beer in all over the world for that matter so this is something that we need to really take on his community. We've talked about it quite a bit on the show. There's actually a whole show on it with. Matt wilkes podcast a good friend of mine. Who's an e._r. Doc in scotland and now an instructor rivai. He's got some great thoughts on what what happens and how you should respond to various kinds of trauma often trauma obviously with with free flight and his final so we need to know how to stabilize you need. We know how to medicate. We need to know how to comfort are victims we we need no get out and i have often talked about the importance of having garmon in reach vice or at least a spot but a way to communicate with the outside world and when you don't have cell service so that's step one step to pursue certainly wilderness first response training so this is a great reminder of the tragedy comes good things and so the good thing here is that is a reminder to go out and get this training and help our community be safer and that's often what this podcast is all about okay alex roby. If you are like me in the next contest junkie you probably check it out. Resi on days where you can't fly and and on the big days and hammer type days in europe. You're going to see one name over and over and over again often right at the very top and that's alex roby. That's my guest today. I've been wanting to talk to him for years and actually got the opportunity to fly with them about a week ago at an thoughts on a big day. It was terrific to see him in his buddies. In action more them will be on future shows as well including primo susa from slovenia. Who's another guy you often see at the very top there and we talk about a lot of amazing. Just great stuff in this in this show. Alex is very good about sharing his thoughts. He writes a blog about every flight takes he takes pictures and videos and kind of stills all down into a great learning opportunities -tunities. He gives talks quite frequently. He's also guy. That's very restricted with this time. He has family and job commitments that keep him out of the sky so his approach to risk is basically only fly the really really really good days so . This is crazy but he's i think his worst flight of his five best. This year's like a two sixty something f._a. Is got a couple of two ninety. Something f._b._i.'s is in a given year. He'll fly ten fifteen flights a year. he won a contest in twenty fifteen won it again in two thousand seventeen. He insists he's very much a recreational pilot still divergant waking overs and stuff but this guy that clearly knows how to crush and he really knows how to stay in the sky for ten more hours on these on these big days that he picks so we talk about what aspects have to come together for that that kind of success he puts his weather knowledge right at the top of that and being able to pick out these good days and so we talk about all the resources to use these are all in the show notes definitely definitely want you guys to check that out does matter just flying in austria where he is or anywhere in the world and be totally relevant.


00:05:18 - 00:10:06

He's a great approach to risk so we talk about risk management. We talk about the number one mistake that he sees that leads to accidents this. This was a new one. I hadn't heard this one before needs to talk a lot about how to fly fast obviously got to fly fast to go to cover huge amount of distance and we talked about the importance of analyzing your flight. Mike post flight. He does a lot of analysts analysis after its flights by looking at the track logs and creating avery files with various different pilots that are in the air talk about the importance of bringing together really good group so you've got other rape people to fly within the skies of being very public about hey. I think this this is gonna be the place to go. Please come join me anyway. We talk about a lot. It's all super valuable. Get out your pen and paper. prepare see much this in a book look so without further delay. Please enjoy this great talk by incredible pilot and just great all around dude. I really enjoyed this one altro fifty alex terrific to have you on the show. We just had a great little talk in the in the pre talk there before we started recording. I'll bring some of that back in fantastic fly with you at a place that bruce marks will miss him. You know my my supporter in the first couple of races and he was my flying pal for years and years and years ankles was always on our list at never really worked out every time we came into your zone. It was it would always o._d. Or rain or something would something would blow up the dolemite so finally got to have a shot at it. didn't work out for me personally at the actually in digging into their the dolemite's but it it for you guys in that was that was a fun day so thanks for sharing that beautiful triangle final with me. Let's let's start it off there. You're more than welcome governor. I'm really glad to have that in the show. I'm a big admirers of the whole this mayhem gnawed outputs and inputs. I get from there so really happy to be here now. Awesome hey i before we get into how you just crush x. Contest and your your job and some of the things we were just talking about there before we started at love free to just tell the audience your youth dream at night of flying. What's what's the what's the one flight for you that still to this day really stands out. That'll help us understand your history. That moore's will usually a when. I sleep right now. It is just a typically one of the latest flights ahead but this is why i do all my blogging to keep them henry's alive up to pass the the flights who especially the beginnings and maybe what this really standing out as the most impressive flat in the beginning was my first term onyx lights on my home site it. I live in australia in syria and we have a little hill. It's just one hundred meters above my hometown. It's barely giving you thermals but the first time when i was able to climb from there and especially really gaining height up to two thousand meters anthon meeting an eagle that was totally aw overwhelming so i was passionate about before but this is what really dan crash made me sell my motorcycle and everything totaling talkline and what year was that there was actually two thousand one okay although i started a little bit earlier but these you these days they were really glorious. All we were having. I was having a friend who had already a paraglider. It was a very very old one wasn't aol dot com mc z. bill around eight or ninety or something like this was actually a shoot but that did not keep keep us from trying to fly we took off you know from-from rather steep steep grassy hills and trying to to fly down but those were the lead rides and technically completely not there just trying to take off and ceding too early into this what was kind of called the hardness actually it was just the seat play in all these bad things happening you know us sitting down too early and you you're sitting on the grass again and and having a sled right down in the fresh fresh cow dung grassy hill you get all the khaldoun between election meanwhile you let biting down so all these these these bad things into the beginning when you know anything but but those were actually funny parts and luckily i never hurt my whole paragliding life.


00:10:06 - 00:15:09

I have to meet and also these early days yup. They were pretty pretty rough but i'm usually luckily i think hurt myself now. These things also tried to inch. There was also pretty bad. We just took a rope. What we've seen in the videos you know that was the time prior to youtube and so on but got our hands on some videos we saw people pulling other gliders up with people kind of a winch sing and we did that also in the fields and of course we did not know anything about it than my. My friend was driving the car and she just drove against the wind. It was of course then the ground effect with either. No either file kicked in and soon as a good lifted a couple of meters. The wind was too strong wrong. I felt so such a high pressure. The rope of course was torn mc. Lyda will turn and went down wind comedy united on knows sixty or seventy seventeen cannot the beginnings yup beginnings. I avenue athlete compared appeared to link going through college. You know it's just amazing that we make it up for some some don't but at least some of us do but okay well. I'm gonna air mark your your approach to risk. I think it's quite not totally unique but it's it's. It's really something we need to talk about. save that for a little bit later but first tell me about your blog you you wanted me to it recently. You give a lot of talks and your your blog. Has you know it's it's massive. I went through earlier today and it's germans. I wasn't able to enjoy it like i should but tell me about the blog. What is it. What are you trying to accomplish. Their first of all the bronx started out this just keeping my memories you know i was from the beginning. I was taking taking pictures and i love just keep emory's fresh because i assume found out the yet they those memories they vanish easily and i wanna keep the things lapse. Oh always tried to do pretty close to the time when the big got standing flats happen to do some blog entries to keep those memories fresh because then you can put your emotions in and they're also always a lot of pictures to remind me of the feelings i had ed in the past and from that idea the started out in the year one thousand nine hundred ninety nine since then. I'm blogging about paragliding things and this came up with the years and more -struction of course with the possibilities and my ability is two blocks they became kind of yeah cross country. I don't want to call it bibles but some kind of references. If you wanna learn to fly especially place and you are able to understand german somehow you can go to that blog and by reading a couple of those adventures are just flipping the pictures and descriptions of what i see and what my decisions where and why did that take them. You really can learn a lot. It has always edits and a lessons learned companion of all flights actually also the flights we did together and i think it was already the fifteenth of seventeen time time moby. I've been to kentucky. There is still a i don't know five or six new lessons learned and when you look at it that's up over time. I'm so if mehta freely available lessons learned companion of all my flights they are organized by by site by weather by by the by the conditions. We had an all these things so it wasn't an unstable day or or a stable day in all these things so easily can figure out by just looking at it for half an hour and you go to use it to you and you're already kind of prepared so this is the this is the main purpose because i'm totally convinced that that everybody should have free access to to know everything was just it's like you do on. This is why admire cloud-based mayhem show so much. It helped me so much throughout my my whole becoming a better pilot that this is my a little contribution really to tell the people what i know because i still do a lot of mistakes unfortunately not life risking mistakes. They are more or or less technical. Luckily just technical but still the the are not necessary to be done so this is why to try to to give that knowledge away to everything and spread the word on to get a lot of positive feedbacks from the pilots so hey this is what i aim for.


00:15:10 - 00:20:00

Yes well off will include all of that of course in the show notes because that's just an amazing kind of bible of flying in appreciate shoot that you're you're doing that. We need you know as much of that. Kind of thing is possible and we were before we started talking for started recording. Bring saying how much i appreciate you coming up to me before the flight at anthony's and just giving me some really key local beta. Hey be careful about this. Get high before we go there. you know these things that i often don't get much these days. People say let's gabonese next ups pilot has to know anything and and but that was that was super helpful it was it was great. I still kinda tried to do my own. Thing is i do and and got slammed at the end but it was that was that was fun and it was it was good knowledge to have you said something kind of blew me away obsolete before we started recording this. You know that you kind of consider yourself still very recreational creation pilot. You know you don't even know how to do proper wing overs which i don't believe for a second but believe me. It's a shame it's a shame will how do you how do you know how do you win x. contest you want it in two thousand fifteen you want twenty. Seventeen is sit. I'm an extra x. Contest junkie when i sit at home and sun valley we get very few you know when it's good in valleys. It's among one of the best places is to fly in the world but unfortunately it happens very rarely so there's a lot of nights where i have to get on x. Contest and go oh my god. Those guys cracked another two ninety an anthem tolls. This april is just like pure torture for me watching you guys and three days in a row of huge flights you know when i look at those next contest. Look at these huge flights. You're almost always at the top ear in the right place and you have you have the top speed. The average speed in three or flying very fast wing. That's that's certainly part of it but it's also you know you're flying with a lot of really good pilots a really good place place . I'm not trying to do. I know that this is hard to answer as a humble person which you are but how does that work you know how. How do you fly fast. How do you pick these exceptional days. It's pretty unspectacular because it just improves from you to give you have to imagine me starting out on on a very easy glider. I was just flying five years down from my home hill and i was happy with and i just figured out i don't want to go into detail about how my whole progression man but just focus on the under cross those country perspective i just figured out a with my with my child but my limited spare time it has to be the the right place and the right conditions otherwise you will maybe fly like a hero and you will you will not make big distance and somehow i was always fascinated by that ed. How far can you can you push today so a key total flying far then was than just to figure out the really kind of make sure almost almost what is the best option available in my area. I live in the eastern alps. I'm just i just want to limit myself to just tore four hour driving from from hometown so that's kind of limits to the so the south tyrol tirol area where it wants to go and over the time a really went into that deep analysis of weather forecasts lack of the forecasting systems they they really have improved and when you have a lucas days that you consider as good and the you are in the air you get a good feeling with websites with a sites you can trust for what because not i don't have a single whether source of to make my flying decisions it is it is a couple couple obama and all of them have their advantages and some things where they are pre little bit too conservative or too aggressive in judgment or just wrong because they don't consider special of weather with the happenings of the echoing that echoing on so really focused on finding finding the right day. This is key also full risk management. I'm not i'm not a pilot who just focused on passive safety and and the rest will happen by itself itself. I was always focused on being kind of a self responsible person. I also then started for for example.


00:20:00 - 00:25:09

That's maybe a started out on a beach with rick lighter. You know it's like an it's like ian d c._c._c. Glider the very first bladder slider yeah. I'm not kidding. It was at the three. It was a goal design contest forty two. It has very short line nine. Soy was very agile and this is how i learned my paragliding of course because it was cheap but still baby from the beginning on taking responsibility and i kind of make you feel a little bit uncomfortable but pushing that especially in the spokane area but pushing that whole passive safety thing so much because it takes away that the feeling that people are responsible for themselves just hey. I want to show a wing takes. Care of me have a totally different fendt approach. I'm rather have a wing that allows me a lot of things to control and i don't want to control their way to the wing and hope that it reacts nicely. Let me ask you wanna cut in here but i ask you something. Bill belcourt told me i was really second guessing seeing my decision for my wing choice in the last x twenty seventeen and i really wanted to fly hotter wing than i was planning on with my sponsor and he said gavin ninety five percent of the time you need performance five percent of the time you need safety and i've been reticent to say later on the podcast because i don't want to you know i want this. It's important to put out the right message to all of our listeners and you know. I think that some amount of passive safety depending on your skill level of course is really important but that really gelled with me and i have said many many many times i personally if you have the hours and you have the skill level and you've done the s._i._v. and you know in. You're tuned up me personally. I'm a lot safer on a pretty hot too liner than i would be on a. B. because where i fly and where i go and where i take glider and i want the performance i want the bar definitely had totally seconded and wherever echo i tell to people when they feel not comfortable and they are just is following this a. b. c. kind of progression type but i see a fly a lot of them and of pretty fast in the long though those pilots and they get so much more collapses and it's not just a thing because of pilots just because the principle tipple of three liners is just different and they are just more prone to collapsed but the it's hard to get that attitude going so before the the whole abilities combat what you have mentioned before. I think i have it is the attitude. What type of pilots are you you. What approach do you have to piloting and to really take responsibility and initiative to fly wing. This is the beginning of of everything i and i think from there you can derive then you'll progression of course you have to to to progress from technical things and to to to know all that stuff but basically i don't. I'm not happy with that. That's to linus still are considered as a some kind of all of this hot chip's tips my opinion they give you so much more control that i will be frightened to fly on in an vitual conditions and especially windy conditions and with with three liner that is maybe lower classified just because of those like you said before five percent passive safety. Would you agree agree. Would you agree. I i just wanna make sure we're clear in our in our messaging here because i totally agree. Would you agree with that you. You said you have this this much. Greater feel on two liner. Absolutely there's no doubt about that. You know were flying the bees all day long we can feel everything we feel in the the era starting to get a little bit weird but i would. I would add that you you just you definitely need the skills to fly that kind of glider and that that does take a lot of hours. Yeah i mean i wouldn't i don't want people to hear this and just jumped to two hundred without a doubt the like you said without the knowledge about the history without the ability ability to fly that wing when i my my good metaphor is is kayaking you know you should really kayak classify river until you're nailing every eddie just without thinking about it at class four so in other words you know if you're flying enzo in your hammering that thing when you're ready for an enzo but if you're flying enzo and your tepid and you're scared and you're not sure how to use the bees and you're not sure how to use the bar yeah you need to be on zeno.


00:25:10 - 00:30:18

Would you get up. Okay definitely a just want to admit everything. It's just not the feeling you have one on two liner. It is controlled abilities. I'd miss on the other three line constructions. You can't just not control especially. If you wanna fly fast a wing like you can on a tunein. It's just based on the principle of design and actually i was. I was paving my way of when i won two thousand fifteen x contest. It was an a mentor six but i felt much more uncomfortable especially on high speeds than on zeno on my first flight on zeno. I knew hate this. This is he's just it just felt so safe council nice and it felt just like much more in control in a biggest speed range and like you said especially when you have a lot of headwinds to battle against the two lanes just penetrate so well you can stay on bar and just control everything with a piece you won the ex contestant distant twenty fifteen on a mentor nope on a meant sorry mantra i was wrong on metre seeks six okay ozone. We'll still be wing still phenomenal holy gal okay nablus was also funny because because those were the days where the alpine flights they were not superseded by the by the brazilian flights you have to do these days share and especially with those meant traffic's triangle around two hundred fifty two hundred sixty kilometers was still worth something so can you do do those things nicely on those old indy wings. They were nice but it's just not comparable at all to the modern to lands. So when did you when did you. When did you make the jump. Actually i had a peak three before and it was really the bullet pufus wing i ever had the twelve the first to experience and really happy billion full bar especially on calms today to occasionally i really wasn't happy and also regarding samling it was just for me was not easy to keep it really especially in week conditions and in a family average so then i went to this this mantra six was a really a good clamber but are kind of miss than the speed bar bulletproof feeling that i am that ahead on this this p. three and that totally then came back on on the zeno and that was flying zeno now for two years and actually this year when i try to flow xy racer that lost a little bit more to to handle a little bit a hall to handle and a little bit more workload than zeno but it was also climbing very yeah well and then i thought to myself when anyway have to deal with that warwick closed why don't fly an enzo everybody and ends with three specially ashley everybody. I talked to said hey it's too well behaved glider. It's just nice you can can fly even in the nasty conditions and it won't a be back to you and then i tried it and it got a very old lady with two two over two hundred fifty plus hours on it but still still a i'm so happy with it because it's just always have always everywhere a little bit the edge with family nicer when we met in on the next day we have been through to my whole flew the first time in his ilan and that that were predicted strong westerly northwesterly winds and they were actually really avair especially further up in the north and we got. We got beaten the whole time. I'm nasty league conditions so really with strong wind. Lee wins with twenty five kilometers plants on site so it was really really tough to do. Hey in the glider don't lie to you. It was open all the time of course you have a lot of work to do but i just ducked myself out together with squeamish so we shall have fly off this year and hey we ripped ourselves out and glider over so well behaved. It was really amazing. Gene hall in piloting level hall narrow the gap is i expected much more hardship nece when piloting those nasty conditions but actually even there when you when you of course work what has to be done with glider they totally louis not waiting to be be met to you throw you off now they they they they they just generate lift from all kinds of you're just constantly coming out it speed and you feel confident and now they're they're just c._c.


00:30:18 - 00:35:01

Gliders these days are amazing surges beautiful wings lay. I got you on a sidetrack there. Bring bring me back to how you're identifying these days and again folks were will have all all these resources that alex is going to talk about what he uses to kind of identify. These banger hammer talk days in the in the show notes. It's but take us back to where you were you. Were talking about where you how do you identify these days and show up an an tolls on the on the good one. I have a pretty pretty simple approach that has developed over the years what the due to identify great days first of all i don't give a i don't ever suppose that i don't give a shit about predictions longer than than seven days ahead. I don't even look at weather forecasts it for a longer time. things getting trusting for me especially five two days ahead and they're really want to point out the perfect service. We have in the alps here. That's called soaring meteo dot c. h. Maybe anyway familiar with that already from the yeah exactly yeah hey and it gives you. You know it's cheap fast model. It's maybe not very precise but it gives you a very fast look. At the day's quality i think one week go ahead and they have a nice easy coloring scheme. Maybe it takes a still some hours to get into the holiday. How they judge the paragliding lighting quality of those days pay. You have a good initial idea. Hey could be a nice day ahead or not and then of of course with an ever-expanding abilities of windy. You get a lot of those of various other media models. You can't compare with enter inter than i really start to look at what what kind of air masses coming and especially. What kind of cloud cover can we expect there. That's really where the standout. I also love the meteo grams of meteo blue. They also very nice because you see the cloud base base will be hall of the clouds can come is there precipitation to expect and these other things i have a roughly have on the radar for the for the five days of days and then but it really stops to look good ben the comes the especially for my area the australian bit your gene students has really nice cloudy overcast forecast and the raincoat forecast that's pretty pretty accurate and what's also important aspect is when we have especially suddenly conditions you wanna make sure you have the fast asked forecast in mind because sometimes those nikiel models they don't get the daas gift of dust from sahara when suddenly wins and they can make take this. I completely overcast in debt in some of those other models. They just don't consider them so that there is a greek site. It's called skied on. Maybe really put it down in the show noughts known yeah that at that because you know the semel index will beginning ice on the wings are nice on there. Hey how where is that overcast in coming from and this dampening so much of the solar energy that we've had already some huge ago a couple of days where we restored on those on the mountains and just did not know what happens since what what's going on and the condensation you know but what you have with a very fine dust that totally the makes the sky overcast and takes away the the thermal energy also something i always check. You know it's it's. It's very fast. Is it good is it bad is it but with an orderly the winds we've had this year throughout the season they're never any issues but still something just make sure because this also can influence research that i make a decision to go flying or not and then on days ahead one day you had a just look at the the the orders the thermal off very well judged by these you'll get the cloud-based get a good idea how high the cloud base can be and if there is a development and you can see about all three levels of very nicely yup organ of course until the end.


00:35:01 - 00:40:04

It's called windy and i want to point out that mitchell park opponent is something that i really use. If it's a humid day flow local prediction of thunderstorms so in a way you have a hike human human thing you know it's kind of a lucky game where may be on the storms will happen or not of course there's a tendency where they are more often but i really started to trust into meteo. Powerpoint appalled both those those rather precise locations or areas over the thunderstorms within really and in years tale. You're still totally willing to fly on those days. It's more just a you know you. You'll try to pick a triangle that can work around something like that or is that she's not gay. I'm not going exactly this is for example where did knocked the append second day to allow i on flight because saw the development happening. Also coupla france were still going for that day to anto tennessee told them hey guys today was the day tomorrow is gonna be development and this is why i said okay. It's just pointless to fly around found a couple of hours and then just being disappointed that than the only element happens so we went up to the northern slug what model you know in the in the states we use xy skies lot which is kinda like media blue or pair of pants in the in the past it has been very inaccurate in europe because they're in europe. He only had jeff s but now he has the s. w. f. e. c. m. w. f. and the icon model. Which models are you really putting more weight in in these days of a totally forgot mansion exc- skies look there from the beginning and still use it and especially when you look at the blog entries these these other screen shots. I take and it's really a basis for decision because i like the low wind. They always forecast because always get the other win forecasts. You may be would not go fly. The always say nasty something in the beans of the roads families so so i still with old chief has model i still laugh the skies first of all. It costs almost nothing for what you get you get. The wins wins in a very nice nah. I think three hundred meter level leah and they they are everage and this is what i'm anyway mostly interested in what is the average because i know whenever there is there is a spine the distant blown over from the bank will be some conditions there in anything anything but still getting an idea of the old whirlwind employed develops xy sky is totally one of the main especially when it comes to wink decisions while the main resources use interesting alex how much how much of your success do you credit to learning being the weather sixty percent. I'd say really decimated definite because it's it's just just imagine you're on the wrong hill on the perfect day. You don't get those hours and the first ingredient used to be on the right mountain on the rights takeoff because from there. You can make sure that you have a lot of hours. You can learn from just imagine you take off and you have to you you. You're forced to land after one hour two hours. You let those eight hours of experience that you still could fly from the from another nice month um so this is totally totally. Key to to flank big is just the weather and of course for the safety . I cannot point it out more. I would not dare to fly those hoffman's from it with my abilities of flying. If conditions are just just wildlife like you guys do it could never imagine to find myself a partner in the contest so in the hopes in two thousand and three in the very first edition as a supporter of alvin austrian team member but still might be tease although even yell most eighteen years later they are far from being there to feel able to to cope with with all these these conditions because i shit pat's fell can't do. I'm not willing because it's just too well. Wait a while and this is an important point because one of the a lot of the feedback.


00:40:04 - 00:45:07

I get from listeners like hey you know i really dig. You know that you're talking to these people career goal but i can't be kriegel. I can't emulate griego. I'll never be kriegel. I can't get three hundred hours a year. You know i actually really like when you talk to you know the the weekend warriors that people that are that are getting after it as much as they can considering life job kids. You know all the things that most people have to consider you know. I'm not putting you on the weekend warrior category. We chased it hard in the middle of the week recently but you are pretty constrained talk about your job talk about how you've approached flying when you can't you you. You've got to be really choosy. Absolute immelt up was forced to kind of an all inclusive contract. This means whatever you do you cannot get any any second of leisure time edit so this is the main reason why i also got really picky about win to to take off the -cation as you've mentioned before orcas. I have a family after take care of want to balance that out all very nicely so i've just limited resources in days. This means typically ten days per yael flying because sweeping makes his many spent that wisely and not those constraints. They force you to to also be picky about those days because why not already take a day off. I want to really make sure that the max out l._p. Stays in the flying experiences there. Are you doing anything in particular when you when you only have you know the those days you're you're getting so you know a lot of hours because you're having eight nine ten eleven our flights but with these long gaps what are you doing. We know the night before three days before the day of you know just to make sure i often just. I don't feel very tuned up when i fly like that. You know if i haven't flown in a couple of weeks then you know the first hour a nervous and i'm thinking more about my where my reserve handle is and undid classically because it's me i'll have forgotten something i p two or whatever something kind of critical at you even reminded me that day at on what's which i really appreciate it like a man prepare for a ten hour flight. We want to be in the air a long time and that really helps but what what what can you relate to those who are in your situation because i i find it. I find it hard to tune up when there's big breaks. Maybe avenue you go flying on the wrong beza because normally when i am i'm seeing a good thing common. The that's the point we have the total passion overwhelmed nisar gets gets in a a an especially when we hike up those those mountains this is the passion kicks in and when you have a nice day to fly typically when you start so early for cost country flag like like like you have to if you wanna go far the conditions anyway start out so smoothly you know and you have the time to make yourself comfortable and typically if you know your gear kind of well and you have a couple of ready head on it usually the first mild hours or one and a half hours. They're really to to get yourself comfortable suitable because typically when you start early conditions are week. You have to make something you have to be sensitive. How much are you pull and there. There is enough time to get myself comfortable. Even if there is a gap of one month that is totally usual only my fly because like like we have had it this year that was always one month gap between the big flights and assess before if i don't if it cannot do big eyed awesome. I don't have time to to to to just make make smaller ones so this is totally enough to get myself comfortable and to to brilliant yup. Get myself into tune to fly pick. How do you one of the one of the questions. I get all the time in emails from listeners. Is they go. Hey you know i can make three hours or i can make it five hours but i just you know i kind of bonker. I lose lose it or a lose focus. how you know. How do i get over. The hump in my answers is always been you know you we forget is his pilots that this is you know you need to physically train and you know because i train the excerpts and that kind of thing i i don't you know i'll all suffer from a lack of focus at some point in the flight after rain back in that's usually just water food but but i i often say listen.


00:45:07 - 00:50:02

It's physical training but are you doing anything in particular or special to prepare beyond the mental side and it's really mostly mental isn't it but to for for these long flights because you know when i look at your top five flights this year. They're they're monsters now huge. How did just bang them out. I'm going to embarrassing. What are your top five flights right now. The pub flat tire flats right. Now is think three two hundred ninety whatever just not not three hundred this year and i think it is the weakest one is to like he's talking f._a. Is there of course so yeah okay so your weakest one sixty whether it's a lot of listeners in u._s. Beating their vis against the war right now we just don't have apple terrain to do that. We can we can elaborate on that how this work does have told you at the beginning just developed over the years and that can give you a nice recipe paul how to get there. How how it just must have had like that. Yes before you do ya answer the question and we'll go to the first question ashton of course everything comes again from a set goal. You know i'm a totally mental person an engineer and i am totally. The goal oriented this means. What do i want to happen. I want to make sure that if you have two days after each other i wanna be able to hike up the content that is almost two hours with a twenty five thirty kilo backpack. I wanna fly each day twelve hours. May wanna make the make sure that i don't get myself into risk because i'm tired or something like this so this is the final and scenario that i wanna half happening so from that i derive what do i have to do to achieve that so i go into the gym mm-hmm two or three times a week. Usually listening to your podcasts actually get all the mental side in parallel the the full overdose of knowledge you know and and doing awesome physical training although i do not make your hard work just make a kind of a kind of core body strengthening. That's what you actually really need to go. There don't do endurance training so begum lucky me. I'm not a smoker so so and have a good good base fifty physiology and don't have to carry extra weight because i'm rather slim person anyway but still i wanna make sure you're that especially the areas you need and the core the core muscles are strong that you don't get social does because you're pushing the bar lot. You're carrying heavy equipment. Always resting on your shoulders. You wanna make sure that you don't have shoulder problems. You also want to make sure you have enough. pol arms look at those be handles that you currently actually from a ten or eleven hours flight. I'm whatever maybe not when but i'm not i'm not on the beasts but actually always on collide. I'm on the bees wings. Something typically may not always necessary but it just makes me feel oh comfortable win ago foo bar so i just wanna make sure that those things those muscle groups doing flying. They don't get sore on a let's say twenty hours flying and four hours hiking event so this from the from the physical physical physical side what i do them with really helps me. I also get dolphin to hear often from my wife that i'm not normal okay so none of our normal. Maybe like my way israeli okay. I'm typically almost because because i'm a i'm kind of a nerd when it comes to to analysis and finding things out you also mentioned you're kind of an ex contest eddie. I also also especially my preparation starts after matt. My may have after the flights. I've gone not so much before the flights happening. It's always kind of looking looking what has happened there. When i was flying on a distance where some other pilots have been and maybe have they have some some areas where they were inviting nice alliance or climbing better or even thermal trigger points so this is something i really dig into because i love it so much chennault the whole analysis thing maybe for other people though that just won't go fly and this might sound dry stuff but especially with avery system. You have really nice lady animations.


00:50:02 - 00:55:23

you have with a knobby tires you software. You have the options to get yourself. Some some way. Points is there and where the federal triggers are and all these things. I love to do in advance to develop a good feeling. Also what i do is a write myself. South for each takeoff spot a rat myself down kind of a a guide this means i've take screen shots and it's also also one of the reasons i do so many photos doing flying and a lot of videos to to really see where the clouds have been whether triggers were her. What were the conditions like always write those things down and then coming back to what you said before this stand the preparation asian. I do especially on a on a triangle. Even if i was flying they're already ten times. Hey i flip over those pages half aggregates it over the years with all the knowledge and just make sure hey i don't waste time but flying around because i really want to be be efficient coupling . I love efficiency and enjoy it actually so much in k. Watch us or if the sky there almost no thermal laying it really makes me makes me happy and this also helps then lots get exhausted coming back to those having the two days ability to fly their unique just also mental recreational things and this is then a gambler passionate about the whole moment kicks seen so much because hey when you are there at three thousand eight hundred four thousand plus meters and your family and just thinking hey where to go there you look at the landscape in is just so overwhelming each time this is what what relief leafs my stress van also completely okay and when you are established in a thermal hateful me that's just relaxing. There is not any festive thing gene anymore because everything is set and even if the next decision where to go is said hey just circle there for a couple of minutes and the totally gets myself down with with a stress level again that i'm really prepared to for the next may be challenging pasha com across when you're when when you're analyzing these tracks and you sent me those create avery files you kind of put it together in two shots which i have done quite extensively the last couple of accidents you know you always get the track logs afterwards in his just fascinating. It's great to watch is he. Go on that's. That's a place where i spent way too much time. You know compared to agree or something else. But how do you are you. Are you also looking at skyways or you. Building all this knowledge from your own flights in people you've flown with because i also know that skyways can be a little bit too much. Driveways is totally irrelevant okay because it covers just all tricks. It's not selective. I just want always pick out the good lines. Don't get distracted by by anybody. Else's flights lights. You know recreational flights so skyways for me is not a to another tool. I look at it at all. It is just always picking up really the nice days because any we expect that that go there flying on a similarly i stay. Maybe a different season or maybe a different time in year but still similar yeah and then i just pick out those those really good days like a- a slippery premier flight from zillow tara i never was there a take the triangles the big one from by tom and really try to figure them out and holiday. The conditions were those days and then tend to see how he took his clydes and all these things so. I have a totally our emphasis on the flights so even the average ones okay so when you into the zillur tall the day after we flew aunt dolls. Did you have kind of waypoints in from thomas flights you know already in your flight computer cuter okay well. Let's he went. Whatever you know two ninety m gonna kind of emulate basically that or do you leave it pretty open so you can kind of fly. The sky note would not go there the first time and put a technical okay put on even trigger points. Actually it keeps me just a feeling of safety inflight. I i never i never look at them but it gives me a good feeling that in case i would need it. I have it but as a side effect of the whole preparation thing you really you really intensify the flight experienced before by looking those does avery animations and having to see you software attend. I'm really able to to get myself a good imagination of of how it would be which lines work which lines maybe not or just float been flown before serandon stick on the on the elaborated route so if i don't get washed down any li a really tried to stick those lines the whether which days have been flown on tell me about two things your gear what what do you find and why and then on those big flights.


00:55:24 - 01:00:24

Do you have any kind of check in moments for water for food food for presence of mind. you know any any kind of tell tales that you know like ravis my support an ex apps cbs. He has this great one where you know if he gets to launch and three things you know he before he launches he's forgotten or missed. Three things and these are not major things. These could be like you know your string on your phone or whatever like little things. That's just a like a call to attention attention for him. Oh i might be tired. I might not have had enough coffee. The like this is a heads up. Maybe this isn't my day. Do you have any kind of so too many questions but folks here gear and why and then do you have any kind of what's in your what's in your flight deck. Okay starting out with a gear. Yeah i read now feel comfortable with my x ray dude seven harness and wing bias i i upgraded this year from zeno that flown to use before to an end so three and i'm really really happy and really surprised what those onis got out there for for us pilots to to enjoy it's just for me really comfortable in especially after the cenotaph flight. It was really a lot of beating. We have taken their . I'm really confident that i can pilot although no experience big time with with s._i._v.'s or or any other things regarding preparation gratien from the before way before wait a minute what what instruments to what do you. What do you have on your flight deck. I recently bought a brand new tracer k with a flyer and i really love it because it has almo- almost no no celek in in feedback but i've flown once with just that little thing and i was totally not able to to to get established. If i'm right now in in a good thermal or not so i i do need a second burial to sweat fly with an audi four. This is also for education purposes and figuring it out having the the exc- trista in silent mode or an quiet mode beside my ear and having the ability in front those two area toned they give me the perfect abilities to really read the skies much veterans thermal more efficiently see you've left. This is interesting. I actually fly the accede tracer unless calm and then i'll add my my flight sixty third thirty on the noticed because i ve always loved that one but what i had to do with the xy tracer was dampen it so it was more like an average or rather than the immediate but you've left yours me because i had the same thing the first time and it was immediate. I couldn't find a chorus in my life as well but but once i dampened it and it's really kinda emulates. I just took me awhile actually got it from from a world cup pilot. He gave me his configuration settings than now i just i just use it and i love it but you're using it really out of the box so it's just sort of the tome honar koteles customized customized myself every there is no gap between a rising erin seeking air so i always get the feedback there and the thing is i. I left it with almost zero dampening effect to really organize somos. At least i think i have a much much better understanding when you when you actually see my my videos that always do i put out my email channel. You can then you're. You're the difference and the this is just a huge different when you are already in sinking air told by the exc- tracer your ebitda still of course tells you hey you have to instill quite casually it's just not that so i find it you have to get used to it and it took me when one wanna two flights to really to win a combined those mentally those two types of inflammation but it really helps me to clamp better on tour interesting cool. Okay so okay of against keep going with your what's in your bag and then of course also based. I thought your accommodations i gotta delorme in reach the old one just in case and recently as i'm also an edit competition tissue flyer in my area and competition leaked australian competition league has said that you have to have a fly mask the tracker the love that advice because it's really easy to handle you just switch it on you.


01:00:24 - 01:05:12

Put it in the back side of your gear and you land you turn it off and the haven't even the trek looks to get uploaded immediately to all your ex contests exceed thought the t._v. And all those online contests you want to have and especially the fratto they really can enjoy your flying in three d. Hey man. I love the three d. environment there. The coverage registers just really cool so i really say hey it's just a perfect piece of kit and totally gets completed lead by a point ago a competent plus various because i just love its readability i still look at it for comcast fast and for speed because the reliability at least with my and my sunglasses off the audi and the cockpit the angle that the the x. rated seven gives you. It's just not perfect. I hardly can read it so i'm still with old standard competent plus screen. A rare loved at . It's clearing readability and that's pretty much my flight ticket. Don't do anything with tablets yet because of the same readability issue okay and how much you drink in how much eaten would he would have on board for that kind of thing it's because usually some kind of muesli bars that i eat throughout the whole day and a half a backpack with with the electrolyte drinking i figured out if you're just drinking water just you just peed out without giving you the necessary minerals so i have avenue execute enriched water and typically drink two liters and i'm totally not one of those people being able to fly. I take distance without without peeing a lot yeah. It's just not possible for me. It's especially in the beginning the first first couple of hours and it still helps mitch us to drink a lot more because i don't have to think about that just works fine with x. Ep great great love it. Where was the second part had for okay. Yes so in preparation. I'm i'm sure all of my old friends. I'm the type of guy takes the longest time i have a lot of itchy and pity here and there to get us elsewhere ultimatum not the type of guy who reaches a mountains and ten fifty minutes later. He's able. I'm totally not so my preparation actually before takeoff starts starts with a decision by hike up the mountain because i know it takes time for me. You know there is a tape here and there is a radio connect their fire than they have to connect the c. p. than have to make sure that the lines they are not somewhat noted and all these things and the key is just to have time and even if maybe pre moshe or some other guys they have already taken off at ease alleged stressful because the seed. It's working. They climbing out there. Okay say hey whatever i do. I take rather five times five minutes boy before takeoff just to make sure that everything is perfect and everything is in its place then i figured out in their hey forgot to close my af airing okay or i forgot to attach my ex ep really correctly. Oh these type of things are to to close the buckles so no matter which stressful situation there is an thermal activity has already kicked in. I always take my time there because i know usually i can catch up somehow when they when they are gone. Okay okay yup. It is like this but actually i start really early and unknowable. Take long and knowledge again is key so i tried to just you just be right like we have met on the unt-until was way up there. Before you end a got up off the bat just a half an hour one dollar trillion william just to have a really relaxed and really easy walk up to know hey. I'm there at maybe even before eight the amateur takeoffs aikoff so really half my time can have nice chat there and can eat enough and and do all not toilet in all these things too just to rene than yeah be ready and gritty pee myself if i forgot anything really it's just for those just fly typically less than ten times a year.


01:05:12 - 01:10:11

Okay i could really not. I was really mad at them. Fuck up something on those days. Hold on a second. You're going out. Maybe ten days a year. You serious ten days a year for flying. If you take away that the competition flying aman i also took which is competition flying minutes really good days yet. This is where i just two tasks this year but actually yup betsy and even under those the first wins on x. contest this was a year told you with a tandem flights i did with my family and the whole exceed flights. It's just heads a sixteen flights the whole year. Both fights are long slide so i have our in his sixteen flights hundred sixty hours that is fantastic. Okay tell me more at you preparation. You called that recipe to tell me about your recipe. I have a especially for for preparation at home. What i have is kind of a checklist again. I really don't want that feeling that i forgot something so part of the recipe before flight. Is it just to to have kind of checklists not to forget anything not to forget my bananas or forget yes something annex ep or or something like this so this is what's what's kind of the recipe from from a technical side and otherwise the re priestley's more more focus is really to together good people around you so one part of the recipes hey to tell the guys that i've fly together with which have assuming a level hey guys what do you think about the next as we should go. Do you have time in all these things so part of the recipes also together other people to fly with. It's because it's more fun and it's just so much more efficient so this throughout the last years what has developed because in myanmar myanmar former paraglider club were also hit kook is funny guys but they just totally not into flying big distances and even if they were they were not under the similar wing not having seeming possibilities and options so i was always flying at the end if i was flying alone throughout the last i use this just really has has improved because of my whole flying has improved because we are gathering with similar pilots with similar skills else. I love yeah. I mean then you've got mentors and you've got you got all those targets in the air learn from it. I mean that's why cops are so valuable. Just you learn so much more when there's other people around you absolutely absolutely alex year your wife life. Let's get back to what she said that you're you're kind of an unusual person. what do you mean by that. And what are your. What does she mean by that in. What are your kind of. Let's talk more about in how you built up this success in these huge flight. I'm a total paragliding nerd. Just just loved the possibility we have their you know to fly completely silent through food natural resources some totally addicted to the to the principle of to fly with a paraglider some totally inert on that what does that mean being a nerd on it. I suck up everything adding that is kind of a resource of paragliding. Okay so for example. If somebody writes boop flying rix for glory or like like maxime put up this brand new book i just read them all and i just went when eminem toilet the nothing to do because it's almost time bad weather just get myself into a head space of a flying in thinking and training the yep possibilities so this is what i mean with with with being just a nerd is just just suck up everything. I'm interested in everything thing. That's related to to flying especially how i can myself improve to two to fly better because i love just it's just part of me. second thing is i also love the panorama so you can see to a lot of videos else. Especially the mris rep ups they are they are highly recognized. The in at least in the german spoken zine where i make a wrap up of the best moments of all my flights of the last year and i just there you can also see the passion panorama and i even if i love deflate fast enough to five patients.


01:10:11 - 01:15:03

I always take my time hate to take out. If it's a great moment take out the camera and then i even speak to the camera to keep those moments ally our too difficult decision how feed right now and it just makes it so so vivid and that's giving me a really a a a possibility to to see those up to to get those memories fresh back again. The last thing i came up with is just a to surround myself of course with the right people. Don't want those people around you. Do you think it's a nice they will do. You really want to four hours ahmen. Everything is such an effort. Hey for me. It's totally no no discussion because how's it just so rewarding because if you have a nice flight for ten hours adventure you you land there. You're you're still stoke for the next two or three days. When i was both cycling i also enjoyed the feeling just lasted a couple of years when you add a nice flight. You know you look for the next two or three days because you're still so flashed with. All the thing in saint cynthia that happened point is also. Maybe the curiosity a half l._s. Wanna see what what's what's going on out toronto. If it's possible to go there and if it's possible to maybe take this route so the curiosity something that also contribute a lot of my motivation to a up and also that things are complicated. I don't get a . discouraged things are complicated. Actually i love it. No it's all those kinds of metro riddles. You have there when you go and fly and it's just always the riddler kind of against hanson and with nature. How far can i go. That's really something i love. Optimizing that aspect is really something that i really awesome the ability to to to to also identify the great days. I think that's what really makes them to x. Contest final overall scoring good to always be on the right spot. Is something that that swisher just keep likely recep before you know the mental training and having those the wish that i am able to fly to two consecutive days hanging eleven hours. It's just something some some desire for me to really fly. The longest was possible. I really want to be the last to land. If i'm fast enough be the i want to take off so that stretch to be yup really to to talk to squeeze out every minute and then as a result you typically get long distances alex. What what is it about. Engineers ears that make asked this question before you listen to the podcast asked this but i consistently run into engineers engineers who are pilots and they tend to be really good pilots. What is it about your profession. That is such a good mix with pear lying. I think engineers are just some kind of always interested interested in things in in analytical in an elliptical way and they used to getting the questions. Why is that our. How far can i go or what can i do. All these things are typically for an engineer because you are confronted with these types of challenges all the time so you have problem and it's up to to solve it and that's actually what you do. When you fly caused crime to you have to conditions you cannot see anything. You can't just guess all the time. You sometimes get yourself into nasty places. Nobody's there to help you out. It's totally up to you and engineers a typically rather used to that that they can do it on their own. When you're used to work in teams people maybe in social stuff you can share the responsibility or you can delegate something to to to anybody but actually on the flight that it's just always you alone. You have to do everything you're responsible for everything so this is why when you're totally used to it in it's second nature for you. It's much easier for you to become a good country. Flyer allies alex. You said that you know maybe sixty percent of your success.


01:15:03 - 01:20:04

You put down to all the time you've spent on learning these weather models being able to identify the the best days that also reduces lots of risk which reduces a lot of your anxiety in the air and you know you're flying these really you know we call them hammer todd days as but how much would you put on just the motivation of x. contest whether that's either to win it or unless you've done twice which is amazing or to just push in three hundred f._a._a. I envelope and beyond and how much would you put two local will knowledge not your your time is limited you to kind of this area of austrian role in ceuta role. you know like really you said you'd flown grant at antle what seventeen or eighteen times like really getting no place so it's it's i would say it's fifty fifty of course to see what's possible or what others have really accomplished is really inspiring going for me and so i want to see how they how they do it. What do they do so the whole learning aspect especially the resource is just the best best thing i think that happened to the sport at all and then of course like i told you before make my write ups i make my blog entries and all these things so really learning the from that from your own experiences in you can't compare what others have done and and you win you merge those two areas of knowledge that really helps them that efficiency can kick him because the first time when you may be all flying with locally unexperienced people to you are just not efficient you take maybe a climb because you just don't know that the big bomber is out there to due to climb there. You are just as efficient of course of course this is also one of the very simple goals ahead each year just to fly. I better than the year before and this is actually what what made me then also coming out on. Top of the ex-communist was just a natural evolution. We're just trying to make less mistakes than the last time make from maybe eighty eighty mistakes just seventy anymore coming down to making at least not the same mistakes again and then some holly narrow stalin this is why also was giving you those advices because those are the typical begin advices when you afresh to the triangle. It's very easy triangle but you have two to three. Maybe nasty places. If you know these hey you would just have a great flight and this is just a really that what makes a really big. Distances actually have seen it. It's our which did not know that then the last last lag on the main alpine ridge would be said so easy we saw maybe pretty nasty but then in the aftermath we found out team man we could have easily done the term point down on the main alpine ridge and would've surf the skies still thomas would have had on the time. They're the two hundred seventeen closed f._a. Triangle what you just don't know this the first time and just because other people also see the guys who have flown at their even volatile volatile. was a very excellent pilot. He doesn't fly to be handed to kilometers there. When he's the first time you have to work it out for yourself. You can make great a preparation there but still it's just up to you to do it and repeat it and and analyze it and then you get better and better and push the marcal five percent more if today's allows of course each time and that makes city actually even more fun because you can go maybe lower because you know it still works and don't have to waste your time there and all this so you get just from flying it again and again alex you you mentioned risk. Management is a big part of your own approach to you paragliding and also understand. This is a big part of your talks. Tell me about risk management. Risk management is really. Maybe the cool part of the toxic gift because we know all the area we even i have it's still there are some areas where i get a little bit. Scared heard where i'm really nervous about conditions can handle them and behind it all these most of the time. It's just a kind of an uncertainty. I would call it. You know maybe it's a new terrain i-in or it is a new wind situation. Everything is not so easy eighty to handle anymore and this is where i wanna give everybody the advice.


01:20:04 - 01:25:11

Hey take yourself some some systematic. I mean at least that's that's mikey not how how i approach so also i helped get the radio of next year have a very very simple approach that to i always keep a the beauty and the beauty of the moments. Hey what what i do there. The tweed helps me to reduce juice. The the level of stress that i have and the second very important thing just made conditions really turn bad overlooked. Look something in the forecast so it's very important to fight focus of the gulf isn't just sheep area currently in or is that they turn in bed because if it's shitty area i can say hey okay. This is just happening for limited. Amount of time are will work maceo fall. It's it's nasty but i i can do it so that really that you don't say hey okay. throw my nerves and i kept lands would really have to assess the situation. You're currently currently is going to be everywhere like this or is it a is it better looking and what also helps to reduce oh stresses maybe some to to connect yourself via radio with with like minded fans. You don't want to have those those kind of you. Call it in your blocks. The ground sack crowd. I love that name for it to really say hey. How how do you feel of what is this your thermal and really surround yourself also on the radio because maybe it is just that doesn't feel well and that also can can help you to overcome these these kind of feelings a somewhat of then typically do when i have a lot of stress i've i reduced my my speed a little bit. Okay so back off the bar little bit and you have to really try to dissect the fear that you f- because of risk you currently facing or is it just some mental thing the diet that you don't just feel capable off to hand right now because then again i can win find out that is just few era of some breathing technique that works pretty well so takes awesome just eat breath and that really gets a head space when it comes to the facts that really the air is okay. Okay that is not risk. I am hi okay. Thermals artists organized this term land but actually there is no risk because i have one thousand five hundred meet the ground clearance. Maybe it's it's gotta be gotta be better again. I really liked nicknamed and he is a good one for this. He always thinks to himself. You know what would this look like from the ground. You know like if you're if you're just on the ground and there's a glider fifteen hundred meters over doesn't look that radical you know wash even if even if you're doing acura it doesn't look that radical and then the other one. Is you know just imagine what it's like with your very off. You know if you or just turn turn it off for a little bit and suddenly things don't get don't sound that wound up when you're very not screeching out you know it's kinda like it's not that bad yeah yeah actually yeah perfect that totally second and for the for the risk management actually it's always important to to not get your mind. Get control over your your feelings because you have to always but i keep all the speeches in detail. Taylor is the swiss cheese model. You know that you really the has to happen really a lot in all sports in order that that something goes wrong you have the wind and weather aspect you have the material aspects of your abilities and you have your mindful current state of mind and even if that all does not really work you you still have luck so. It's always a lot of things that really have to happen that you have really a problem. That usually helps to to to reduce the risk to what it is lot. Love it alex alex. Do you ever with your kind of analytical engineering mind and all the preparation you do and the the studying studying and post analysis flights. You sound like you're always ready if you if you found that when you show up at a site you know you just you don't have it never never not not a single time. I can remember maybe i lost. My brain took took to hide that out somehow but actually never because as i said it is always the most important thing to go flying on nice state yeah then.


01:25:11 - 01:30:03

You don't have those frustrating moments. If you go rally flying like me maybe once or twice a month throughout the season that is sexually anyway just four or five months for me when you just go flying on nice days you don't have those frustrating moments because competitions are always nice and the level of skill i have is totally sufficient for today so what could make that state bed it could just be mina aw or short term things just knowing that then totally never get into that kind of head space but i talk myself down or a sale forced to land is always when i when i'm forced to land it's always because i misjudged some some situation berno thermals moore anymore but the did not give up because of anxiety or being scared or something like this never ever. I think that's super-critical super-critical man one of the greatest things you said i crystal flying unless this is a simple recipe minimum now that that's so smart in there's like you said there's no reason to be scared. Then there's also no reason to have an accident and you're flying in good weather correct. They always wind. Always you know even if if it's almost are weak or whatever may be strong it is most of it. It's always always the wind and it was long as you have that in mind. You're always wanna save side. I'm totally convinced of that. I'm living proof. I have never ever heard allston paragliding sitting on trees two times already. An lavaka got hurt their those will it was once i would attend the gym. I was making my ten certificates and it was just a uh amazing. It was one of my last flights did with another paragliding pilot to get matana license and we will flying there and it was was a spot in the invest on australian baggage nevis typically in the afternoon hours kicks the northerly wind and we were flying them with family and out with nothing. I lost the whole tandem wing undefeated. Luckily above treeline the but then just shortly after we were sitting on that very and hugging hugging the tree branches up to default on we looked at each jobbins said hey man how could that have. Luckily completely uninjured but you know it's always a little bit that into last question i'm tempted ended ended on that but we we touched on this before we before. We opened the show. We were just chatting and i wanted to ask you because you. You've been at this game quite a long time. What's the number one thing you see that leads people to getting hurt you know we we've both seen way eight to many accidents. We talked about it a little bit in if you could remove something what would it be missing to the type of person. I you are if you are. Maybe a little bit scared person or a person who wants to give away responsibility. You have acknowledge that because you are in in a team of people or some environmental view of social environment view is expecting something of you. if it's not you than don't do that. There are so many ways you can enjoy flying but if it's not really in your blood auden. Did you do it for somebody else. So maybe some recognition there is a really a risk that affecting risk ask. You really put yourself in danger. If you really feel comfortable and you enjoy everything you will be a good and safe pilot good advice. I haven't heard that one yet. Were were what episode ninety eight here that that gets to go in the book. Alex fantastic alex likes this really makes me wanna fly with you more and cast out yes. Yes yes yes no. I've got a few more weeks. I hope we will get some more bayer days year. I will make myself available of course that was just a hoot oblast. It was very special to be able to fly that special triangle with you. Guys really made me miss my e box. I'll tell you that i mean the i would have liked my fast lighter but yeah this was really really special to talk to.


01:30:03 - 01:32:56

You and i feel like it great education for me and of course everybody else will thank you. Thank you for your time and thanks for sharing our knowledge. I we will put up all that great information. You have on your blog in all the weather sites in the show notes and dan. I really encourage all of you listening to go check out what alex has done a terrific compendium of incredible resource source there so check it out but thanks alex was a real pleasure thanksgiving. If you find the cloud base may valuable you can support it in a lot of different ways. You can give us a rating on itunes or stitcher. However you get your podcast that goes a long way to help. Spread the word you can blog about it on your own website or shared on social media. You can talk about it on the way up to launch with your pilot friends. I know a lot of interesting conversations have happened that way and of course course you can support us financially. This show does take a lot of time a lot of editing lot of storage and music all kinds of behind the scenes cost so if you can support us financially financially all we've ever asked for a show and you can do that through a one time donation through paypal or you can set up a service that charges you for each show that comes there's out. We put a new show out every two weeks so for example. If you did a buck show and every two weeks it'd be about twenty five dollars a year so way cheaper than a magazine subscription and it makes aches all of this possible. I do not want to fund this show with advertising sponsors. We get asked about that pretty frequently but i a whole bunch of different reasons which i've said many times on the show i don't want to do that and i don't like to have that stuff at the front of the show and also want you to know that these are authentic conversations with real people and these are just our opinions but our opinions these are not being skewed by sponsors advertising dollars. I think that's a pretty toxic business model so i hope you dig that. You can support us. If you go to cloud automates ma'am dot com you can find the place to support you can do it through patriot dot com for slash cloud-based mayhem. If you wanna recurring subscription you can also do that directly through the website. We've we've tried to make it really easy and that will give you access to all the bonus material video cast. We do an extra little nuggets that we find in conversations that don't make it into the main show but we feel like you should hear. We don't put any of that behind a paywall. You can't afford to support us than just let me know and i'll set you up with an account now. Of course that'll be lifetime and hopefully you're being in a position some day to be able to support us but you'll find that on the website all of you who have supported wanted us or even joined our newsletter or bought cloud-based mayhem merchandise t shirts or hats or anything. You should be all set up. You should have an account. You should be able to access all that bonus material now. Thank you so much for listening. I really appreciate your support. Seon the next show thank you.



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