{"id":79406,"date":"2026-06-08T09:39:15","date_gmt":"2026-06-08T09:39:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/79406\/"},"modified":"2026-06-08T09:39:15","modified_gmt":"2026-06-08T09:39:15","slug":"cross-country-issue-266-july-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/79406\/","title":{"rendered":"Cross Country Issue 266: July 2026"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Cross<\/p>\n

Subscribe Now<\/a><\/p>\n

The Alps can be everything to every pilot. From morning hike-and-fly to SIV or acro runs to thermalling lessons to first XC to flying 200km to breaking world records. They can inspire, intimidate, frighten, challenge and reward, at whatever level you\u2019re at.<\/p>\n

We\u2019ve dedicated this issue to The Alps \u2013 that 1,200km arc of mountains that curves through the centre of Europe from Monaco to Slovenia. For many they are the spiritual home of free flight \u2013 the place where hang gliding reached the masses and where pilots first ran off hills with ram-air parachutes nearly 50 years ago. They offer \u201caccessible adventure\u201d \u2013 where else can you thermal above the glaciers at lunchtime before landing to paddle in an Alpine lake or eat apple strudel in a village caf\u00e9 hours or even minutes later.\u00a0<\/p>\n

They also offer a lifetime of learning: the meteorology is complex, the valley systems never-ending, and the secret spots, house thermals and XC tricks enough to last a lifetime. Many pilots fly nowhere else, while for others they act as a beacon, encouraging pilots to return year after year, to fly better, discover more.<\/p>\n

In an attempt to provide inspiration we have cherry-picked our stories. Tim Rochas explains how to hike-and-fly the biggest of them all, Mont Blanc at 4,808m. Tom Payne gives us some great ideas for exploring the Alps and having fun without being tied to counting kilometres.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Hans Petit, just 18, reveals how he set a new Junior FAI triangle world record from the famous Col de l\u2019Izoard in France. Swiss solo eagle Luca Godenzi shares his love of his home patch in the Bernina Range \u2013 top-landing peaks and combining climbing, skiing and flying in a never-ending game of efficiency and beauty. Romano Salis shares some of his images from those adventures too; I know none of us have time to pause these days, but take a moment and look at what they are doing, where they are flying. This is pure adventure on the roof of Europe.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Elsewhere we dive into what the Alps actually are and why they work so well, with our \u201cBeginner\u2019s Guide to the Alps\u201d. If you want to soar the north face of the Eiger like photographer Tobias Dimmler, then you have to start somewhere.<\/p>\n

Finally, it is worth noting that you don\u2019t need a pro-level wing to make these adventures happen. As Bastienne Wentzel observes in her Insight article into the \u201cmid-B\u201d class, Chrigel Maurer and Peter von K\u00e4nel used mid-B wings in their project to climb and fly all 82 4,000m peaks in the Alps two years ago. Our flying equipment performs as well as the pilot who uses it: no excuses.<\/p>\n

I hope it all inspires and informs. Enjoy the issue!<\/p>\n

Ed Ewing, editor<\/p>\n

Features<\/p>\n

\"Alps<\/a>
\n
The Alps 101<\/p>\n

The Alps offer unbeatable flying in incredible destinations \u2013 we show you where to start<\/p>\n

Read now<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Mont<\/a>
\nMont Blanc 4,808m<\/p>\n

\u201cWe could not have wished for better conditions.\u201d Tim Rochas and friends bag the big one<\/p>\n

Read now<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Alternative<\/a>
\nThe Alternative Alps \u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not all about kilometres.\u201d Tom Payne\u2019s guide to simply having fun in the mountains<\/p>\n

Read now<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Piz<\/a>
\n\u2018It Speaks in Silence\u2019<\/p>\n

Secret spots and sacred moments. Luca Godenzi and Romano Salis explore Switzerland\u2019s Bernina Range<\/p>\n

Read now<\/a><\/p>\n

In the Core: People, news and insight<\/p>\n

\"PWC<\/a>
\nPWC Superfinal<\/p>\n

Jack Sheard talks to Andy Tallia and Constance Mettetal \u2013 the new Paragliding World Cup Superfinal Champions<\/p>\n

Read now<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Hans<\/a>
\nOn launch with: Hans Petit<\/p>\n

\u201cRight now paragliding is all my life.\u201d We meet new Junior world record holder Hans Petit<\/p>\n

Read now<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Rob<\/a>
\nMy Flying Life: Rob Mansley \u00a0<\/p>\n

The chief instructor on what matters most<\/p>\n

Read now<\/a><\/p>\n

Flying IQ: Helping you fly better<\/p>\n

\"Flying<\/a>
\nHOW TO: GET READY TO FLY THE ALPS<\/p>\n

\u201cSo, you\u2019re heading to the Alps this summer\u2026\u201d Joanna Di Grigoli has some old-school tips for modern times<\/p>\n

Read now<\/a><\/p>\n

\"X-Pyr<\/a>
\nTHE HEAD GAME: GETTING IN TUNE FOR THE X-PYR<\/p>\n

Coach and sports psychologist Ben Gaudry shares what he\u2019s doing to get ready for this year\u2019s X-Pyr hike-and-fly race\u00a0<\/p>\n

Read now<\/a><\/p>\n

\"X-Pyr\"<\/a>
\nThe X-Pyr 2026<\/p>\n

Tarquin Cooper talks to former winners Chrigel Maurer and Simon Oberrauner about what\u2019s in store<\/p>\n

Read now<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Gavin<\/a>
\nTHE LONG GAME: GAVIN\u2019S GUIDE TO THE EURO ALPS<\/p>\n

\u201cI bought a camper van, which I promptly named the Niviuk Mobile, and set out on my new life. First stop \u2013 the Alps!\u201d<\/p>\n

Read now<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Weather<\/a>
\nWEATHER: MAKING THE MOST OF THE APPS<\/p>\n

As fancy as modern forecasts are, they are only half of the equation \u2013 the rest is in your head<\/p>\n

Read now<\/a><\/p>\n

\"So\u010da<\/a>
\nDestination: So\u010da Valley<\/p>\n

Small but perfectly formed. Why the Julian Alps will steal your heart<\/p>\n

Read now<\/a><\/p>\n

Kitlist: Design insight<\/p>\n

\"Ozone<\/a>
\nDesign Insight: The Goldilocks Class<\/p>\n

Mid-B wings can offer a perfect balance of performance and fun, writes Bastienne Wentzel<\/p>\n

Read now<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Neo<\/a>
\nDesign insight: Neo Push Up<\/p>\n

It\u2019s billed as the lightest seatboard harness on the market. Marcus King tries it on for size<\/p>\n

Read now<\/a><\/p>\n

\"SkyBean<\/a>
\nDesign Insight: SKYBEAN S\u00d8<\/p>\n

What\u2019s s\u00f8 clever about this then? We test it to find \u00f8ut<\/p>\n

Read now<\/a><\/p>\n

\"WindsRiders<\/a>
\nDesign insight: Two-Liner Gloves<\/p>\n

Give three fingers to cold hands with these specialist two-liner gloves<\/p>\n

Read now<\/a><\/p>\n

Subscribe Now<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Subscribe Now The Alps can be everything to every pilot. From morning hike-and-fly to SIV or acro runs…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":79407,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[16],"tags":[50,41298],"class_list":["post-79406","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-alps","tag-alps","tag-xc266"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@ch\/116713827006500291","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/79406","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=79406"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/79406\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/79407"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=79406"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=79406"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=79406"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}