#220, Martin Scheel and 30 years of the Swiss League

Martin Scheel was one of the best climbers in the world when he discovered paragliding and the sky crack immediately became his new passion. His images and videos have entertained and awed for several decades across the free-flight spectrum. In the mid 90’s he helped create the Swiss League and has headed it up since. His collaborative efforts with generations of pilots have helped create some of the most successful pilots on Earth, including Chrigel Maurer, Stephan Morganthaler, Dominik Breitinger, Tim Bollinger, Nanda Walliser and many, many others over the past three decades. Martin organized the Superfinal in Disentis in 2022 and more recently the PWC in Grindelwald last week.

Read More...

Episode 102- Laurent Borella and the Vercofly

Laurent Borella began flying in 2001 and very quickly afterwards changed his entire life to accomodate more free flight into his world. Eleven years ago his passion for cross country and hike and fly lead him to create the VercoFly, an annual 4 day hike and fly race/adventure in the Wallis region of Switzerland that is simply brilliant. Using 8 mountain huts around Laurent’s home town of Vercorin the athletes hike and fly without a supporter and stay in the huts at night.

Read More...

Episode 30- Michael “Micky” Sigel and building greatness

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.

Read More...