Podcast
The Cloudbase Mayhem podcast is where you will find fascinating and educational interviews with the best free-flight pilots in the world. If you fly a hanglider, paraglider, sailplane, wingsuit, or Hot Air balloon; if you fly acro or cross country, the Cloudbase Mayhem is where we glean how the great pilots of the world get there. Hosted by Red Bull X-Alps pilot, National Geographic Adventurer of the Year and former holder of the North American foot launch record, Gavin McClurg.
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#271 Why the Sports Racing Class (SRS) is taking the Paragliding world by storm with Brett Janaway
In this conversation Brett Janaway discusses the evolution of this exciting new take on paragliding competitions, the structure and scoring of the SRS, and the unique vibe that sets it apart from traditional events. Brett shares insights into the challenges and successes of organizing competitions, the importance of community, and the non-profit nature of the SRS, which aims to enhance the sport while providing a fun and competitive environment for pilots. We discuss the evolution of sports wings in paragliding, the impact of new safety regulations, and the balance between safety and competitiveness in the sport.
Read More...#270 From the Czech Mountains to Kenyan Volcanoes: Jakub Rott’s Flying Journey
Join us as Czech pilot and last year’s Czech hike and fly national champion Jakub Rott shares his journey through paragliding, speed flying, skydiving and hike and fly competitions across the globe. Discover insights on safety, training, and the joy of flying in diverse terrain, along with some fantastic tips for aspiring pilots.
Read More...#269 Navigating Doubts with Violeta Jimenez
Violeta Jiminez has become one of the most elite competition paragliders in the world in a relatively short period of time. Her first World Cup was only 5 years ago in Aksaray, Turkey flying a Zeno. Last year she was on the podium in the OVERALL, again in Turkey, this time in Çameli. But it’s been anything but easy. Violeta came to flying from a background in ballet and ultra running and as Will Gadd says, coming to flying from non-gravity sports can be not just challenging but risky. In the early years Violeta’s desire was well ahead of her skills and she had a number of incidents and accidents, and one particularly violent accident that required a long mental and physical rehab.
Read More...#268 Control Theory, Winning a PWC, and behind the scenes of X-Alps madness with Estefano Salgado
This episode features one of Valle De Bravo’s most loved and successful pilots, Estefano Salgado. Estefano is a world-class trained chef who supported the Fra 4 team of Tanguy Renoud-Goud in the 2025 Red Bull X-Alps, is one of (maybe the only?) North American pilots to win a World Cup in recent history, is an elite instructor/guide for ParaglidingGuides.com and is a wicked story-teller! In this episode Estefano discusses his experiences in competitive paragliding, putting control theory into use, team management, and the importance of training and mentorship in the sport.
Read More...#267 Bivvy and Adventure Flying by HANG GLIDER with Emi Carvalho
Portuguese pilot Emi Carvalho got into hang gliding over a decade ago. Now living in Switzerland Emi is fully bi-wingual, and has instructed both hang gliding and paragliding. His passion these days is bivvy flying and depending on the weather will pick the kit that fits the mission, but more often than not the kit that fits the bill to have more fun is a short-pack hang glider. It’s a bit heavier (similar to a light-weight paragliding tandem set up) and a bit more bulky, but you get to fly prone! In this fun talk Emi shares his expertise with short pack hang gliders, their development, and their application in adventure flying and bivvy trips.
Read More...#266 Serena Ronchi and the Comeback
In this moving conversation, Serena shares her inspiring journey of recovery after a life-changing paragliding accident and her incredible ascension once again to the top of XContest in the Sport class this year. She discusses the challenges she faced during rehabilitation, her mental battles with fear, and the strategies she employed to regain her confidence in flying. Throughout the discussion, she emphasizes the importance of addressing fear and finding joy in flying, while also contemplating the lessons learned from her accident.
Read More...#265 – 8 years of Tandem bivvy’s with Dad across the entire Alps to Solo big air adventures at 16 with Martin Rejmanek
Martin Rejmanek and his father Honza, a veteran 5-time Red Bull X-Alps competitor completed the full length of the 2003 Red Bull X-Alps course from the Dachstein to Monaco by tandem bivvy using only their wing and their feet this last year. Father and son completed the amazing journey in different segments over the course of eight summers, starting when Martin was just 8 years old. Martin is now seventeen and graduated to flying solo last year, taking on the full breadth of cross country flying, SIV training and becoming a completely independent pilot. He’s flown solo from Annecy to Chamonix over the Aravis chain. He’s flown at over 17,000 feet over Mt Whitney in the Sierras. Inspiring to say the least.
Read More...#264 – A Monster record downwind wave flight across the US with Gordon Boettger
Gordon Boettger discusses an extraordinary gliding adventure that took he and his copilot Bruce Campbell across the Rockies in mountain wave in an Arcus glider from Minden, Nevada to Dodge City, Kansas- 1112 miles on December 19th, 2025. Gordon shares his lifelong dream of soaring high (max altitude was near 28,000 feet!) and downwind in mountain wave and the technical aspects of his wild flight, including the use of night vision goggles (they took off at 0300) and the importance of very specific weather conditions to pull it off.
Read More...#263 Training, Wing testing, Hike and Fly Racing, Competitions, Acro, 2 Liners, Flow, Family and more with Michael Maurer
In this wide-ranging conversation with Advance test pilot and former Swiss Champion Michael Maurer we discuss various aspects of paragliding, including the challenges and dangers of being a test pilot, the influence of family on flying careers, the importance of competition, and the pursuit of flow in flying. We also touch on advancements in paragliding technology, the future of the sport in Switzerland and across the world, and the significance of training and preparation for competitions. Michael shares personal anecdotes about his experiences and reflections on his career, emphasizing the balance between risk and learning in the sport.
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