Buonasera a tutti quanti! Il tempo sembra passato super in fretta e siamo già arrivati al primo possibile training della Regio Sud per il 2026, non vediamo l'ora di cominciare! Visione Generale Weekend 21-22 Febbraio 2026: Il fronte caldo, legato ad una depressione al largo delle Isole Britanniche, transita oggi sulle Alpi, portando aria nuovamente più umida; giovedì questo sarà seguito dal veloce transito di una blanda perturbazione. Nel corso della giornata di venerdì, la graduale estensione di una zona di alta pressione dal vicino Atlantico diverrà viepiù determinante, portando ad una stabilizzazione delle condizioni meteorologiche sull'insieme del Paese. I fattori su cui ci concentriamo per questo weekend sono il vento da Nord e l'eventuale stabilità a bassa quota tipica invernale. Come sempre, il mercoledì è presto per fare una decisione definita, quindi ci limiteremo a darci un'idea di cosa ci aspettiamo. Dai modelli sembra che sabato sia la giornata peggiore con tendenza favonica per tutto l'arco della giornata, aggiungendosi una isotermia tra i 1000 e 1500m. Mentre domenica, la differenza di pressione sembra diminuire e un gradiente termico migliore può supportare la riduzione del vento in quota. Basandoci sui modelli attuali non possiamo ancora completamente escludere il Sabato, ma definirei in percentuale di volabilità. Sabato = Volabilità 15% / Domenica = Volabilità 80%

Luogo: Se prendiamo in considerazione solo Domenica, le possibilità sarebbero Carì, Mornera, Cimetta ed eventualmente Santa Maria (da chiarire) Prossimo appuntamento domani sera dopo le 20:00. Per qualsiasi domanda non esitate a scrivere a me o a Ruben su Whatsapp. Ricordatevi anche di iscrivervi tramite il sito ufficiale, trovate il link anche a destra di questa news. - Vostino ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Deutsch Guten Abend zusammen! Die Zeit ist unglaublich schnell vergangen und wir sind bereits beim ersten möglichen Training der Regio Süd für 2026 angekommen – wir können es kaum erwarten, zu beginnen! Wochenend-Übersicht 21.–22. Februar 2026: Eine Warmfront, verbunden mit einem Tiefdruckgebiet vor den Britischen Inseln, zieht heute über die Alpen und bringt erneut feuchtere Luft. Am Donnerstag folgt darauf der rasche Durchzug einer schwachen Störung. Im Laufe des Freitags wird sich ein Hochdruckgebiet vom nahen Atlantik her allmählich ausdehnen und zunehmend bestimmend werden, was zu einer Stabilisierung der Wetterbedingungen im ganzen Land führt. Die Faktoren, auf die wir uns an diesem Wochenende konzentrieren, sind der Nordwind und die mögliche wintertypische Stabilität in den unteren Luftschichten. Wie immer ist es am Mittwoch noch zu früh für eine endgültige Entscheidung, daher geben wir vorerst nur eine Einschätzung unserer Erwartungen ab. Den Modellen zufolge scheint der Samstag der schlechtere Tag zu sein, mit Föhneinfluss über den ganzen Tag hinweg sowie einer Isothermie zwischen 1000 und 1500 m. Am Sonntag hingegen scheint der Druckunterschied abzunehmen, und ein besserer Temperaturgradient könnte eine Abschwächung des Höhenwinds begünstigen. Auf Grundlage der aktuellen Modelle können wir den Samstag noch nicht vollständig ausschließen, bewerten ihn aber prozentual in Bezug auf die Flugmöglichkeiten: Samstag = Flugwahrscheinlichkeit 15% / Sonntag = Flugwahrscheinlichkeit 80% Ort: Wenn wir nur den Sonntag berücksichtigen, kommen folgende Orte in Frage: Carì, Mornera, Cimetta und eventuell Santa Maria (noch abzuklären). Nächster Termin: morgen Abend nach 20:00 Uhr. Bei Fragen könnt ihr euch jederzeit per WhatsApp an mich oder Ruben wenden. Denkt auch daran, euch über die offizielle Website anzumelden – den Link findet ihr auch rechts in dieser News. – Vostino ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- English Good evening everyone! Time has flown by incredibly fast and we have already reached the first possible Regio South training session for 2026 — we can’t wait to get started! Weekend Overview – February 21–22, 2026: A warm front associated with a low-pressure system off the British Isles is moving across the Alps today, bringing more humid air. On Thursday, this will be followed by the quick passage of a weak disturbance. During the day on Friday, the gradual expansion of a high-pressure area from the nearby Atlantic will become increasingly influential, leading to a stabilization of weather conditions across the country. The main factors we are focusing on for this weekend are the northerly wind and the possible winter-type low-level stability. As always, Wednesday is still too early to make a final decision, so we will limit ourselves to giving an idea of what we expect. According to the models, Saturday seems to be the worst day, with foehn conditions throughout the day and an isothermal layer between 1000 and 1500 m. On Sunday, however, the pressure difference appears to decrease, and a better temperature gradient may help reduce winds at altitude. Based on the current models, we cannot completely rule out Saturday yet, but we can estimate the flyability as follows: Saturday = Flyability 15% / Sunday = Flyability 80% Location: If we only consider Sunday, the possible locations are: Carì, Mornera, Cimetta, and possibly Santa Maria (to be confirmed). Next meeting: tomorrow evening after 8:00 PM. If you have any questions, feel free to contact me or Ruben on WhatsApp. Please also remember to register via the official website — you can find the link on the right side of this news post. – Vostino ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Français Bonsoir à toutes et à tous ! Le temps est passé incroyablement vite et nous sommes déjà arrivés au premier entraînement possible de la Regio Sud pour 2026 — nous avons hâte de commencer ! Vue d’ensemble du week-end – 21–22 février 2026 : Un front chaud, lié à une dépression au large des îles Britanniques, traverse aujourd’hui les Alpes en apportant de l’air à nouveau plus humide. Jeudi, il sera suivi par le passage rapide d’une perturbation faible. Au cours de la journée de vendredi, l’extension progressive d’une zone de haute pression depuis l’Atlantique voisin deviendra de plus en plus déterminante, entraînant une stabilisation des conditions météorologiques sur l’ensemble du pays. Les principaux facteurs sur lesquels nous nous concentrons pour ce week-end sont le vent du nord et la possible stabilité hivernale des basses couches. Comme toujours, le mercredi est encore trop tôt pour prendre une décision définitive, nous nous limitons donc à donner une idée de nos attentes. D’après les modèles, le samedi semble être la journée la plus défavorable, avec des conditions de foehn tout au long de la journée ainsi qu’une isothermie entre 1000 et 1500 m. Le dimanche, en revanche, la différence de pression devrait diminuer et un meilleur gradient thermique pourrait favoriser une réduction du vent en altitude. Sur la base des modèles actuels, nous ne pouvons pas encore exclure complètement le samedi, mais nous estimons les possibilités de vol comme suit : Samedi = Volabilité 15 % / Dimanche = Volabilité 80 % Lieu : Si nous ne prenons en compte que le dimanche, les lieux possibles seraient : Carì, Mornera, Cimetta et éventuellement Santa Maria (à confirmer). Prochain rendez-vous : demain soir après 20h00. Pour toute question, n’hésitez pas à me contacter, moi ou Ruben, sur WhatsApp. Pensez également à vous inscrire via le site officiel — vous trouverez le lien aussi à droite de cette actualité. – Vostino

Français plus bas / English below

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British Winter Open Roldanillo 2026 - Task 5: Versöhnlicher Abschluss eines Marathons Zum finalen Lauf kündigte sich Regen an, was zu einem kurzen 63-km-Sprint führte. Nach einem mühsamen Start kämpfte ich mich zurück und beende die intensive Kolumbien-Saison mit einem zufriedenen Lächeln – nur 35 Sekunden hinter dem Sieger. Der letzte Tag des British Winter Open stand im Zeichen der Wetterprognose: Da für den späteren Nachmittag Regen angekündigt war, setzte das Task-Committee eine vergleichsweise kurze Aufgabe von 63 km an. Um den Piloten die Möglichkeit zu geben, potenziellen Regenzellen grossräumig auszuweichen, wurde ein riesiger Startzylinder bis hinaus nach Zarzal gewählt. Die Bedingungen zu Beginn waren zäh. Die Thermik war verblasen und zerrissen, es dauerte lange, bis man sich wirklich in der Höhe positionieren konnte. Mein Start verlief dementsprechend nicht optimal; ich überquerte die Linie etwa 150 Meter unter der Basis und damit deutlich tiefer als die Spitzengruppe. Es folgte ein dreifaches Zickzack durch das Tal Richtung Norden. In der ersten Phase fand ich einfach keinen guten Rhythmus. Oft musste ich tief weitergleiten, und der erhoffte, richtig starke Schlauch liess auf sich warten. Doch Geduld zahlt sich aus: Am letzten Wendepunkt im Osten erwischte ich endlich die ersehnte starke Thermik und konnte bis auf 2200 Meter aufdrehen. Mit dieser komfortablen Höhe konnte ich wieder zur Spitze aufschliessen. Taktisch lief es nun perfekt: Während die beiden Führungsgruppen links und rechts von der Ideallinie abwichen, konnte ich die optimierte Route fliegen und meinen Rückstand wieder gutmachen. Die letzten Kilometer waren dank der Gruppe relativ entspannt, da genügend Piloten unter uns die Luftmassen markierten. Im "End of Speed" (ESS) drehte ich noch ein, zwei Sicherheitskreise und flog zufrieden ins Goal. Wie unglaublich eng das Niveau hier ist, zeigte der Blick auf die Uhr: 43 Piloten donnerten innerhalb von nur zwei Minuten über die Linie. Ich selbst kam gerade mal 35 Sekunden hinter dem Sieger an. Im Livetracking fehlten zunächst noch die Lead-out-Punkte, weshalb mich die finale Rangliste vom 13. Rang noch auf den 32. Rang nach hinten spülte – der mühsame Start hatte mich wertvolle Führungspunkte gekostet. Dennoch bin ich mega happy mit dem heutigen Lauf, denn mit nur 22 Punkten Rückstand auf den Tagessieger war das eine Top-Leistung. Fazit der Saison Es war ein versöhnlicher Abschluss hier in Kolumbien. Mit 30 Flugtagen in 40 Tagen blieb die Ausbeute wettertechnisch zwar etwas unter den hohen Erwartungen an Roldanillo, aber es waren dennoch einige absolute Top-Tage dabei. Die etwas ruhigeren Wetterphasen hatten zudem ihr Gutes: Sie ermöglichten es mir, fünf Wettbewerbe in Folge zu fliegen, ohne am Ende völlig erschöpft zu sein. ----- Français -----
British Winter Open Roldanillo 2026 – Manche 5 : Une fin de marathon réconciliatrice La pluie s'annonçant pour la finale, nous avons eu droit à un sprint court de 63 km. Après un départ laborieux, je me suis battu pour revenir et je termine cette saison intense en Colombie avec un sourire satisfait – à seulement 35 secondes du vainqueur. La dernière journée du British Winter Open a été dictée par les prévisions météorologiques : de la pluie étant annoncée pour la fin d'après-midi, le comité de course a fixé une manche relativement courte de 63 km. Pour permettre aux pilotes d'éviter largement les éventuelles cellules de pluie, un immense cylindre de départ a été choisi, s'étendant jusqu'à Zarzal. Les conditions de départ étaient difficiles. Les thermiques étaient soufflés et hachés, et il a fallu beaucoup de temps pour vraiment se placer en altitude. Mon départ n'a donc pas été optimal ; j'ai franchi la ligne environ 150 mètres sous le plafond, soit nettement plus bas que le groupe de tête. S'en est suivi un triple zigzag à travers la vallée en direction du nord. Dans la première phase, je n'arrivais pas à trouver le bon rythme. Je devais souvent transiter bas, et le thermique puissant tant espéré se faisait attendre. Mais la patience paie : au dernier point de virage à l'est, j'ai enfin accroché l'ascendance forte que j'attendais et j'ai pu monter jusqu'à 2200 mètres. Avec cette altitude confortable, j'ai pu recoller à la tête de course. Tactiquement, tout s'est alors déroulé parfaitement : alors que les deux groupes de tête s'écartaient à gauche et à droite de la ligne idéale, j'ai pu voler sur la route optimisée et combler mon retard. Les derniers kilomètres ont été relativement détendus grâce au groupe, car suffisamment de pilotes marquaient la masse d'air en dessous de nous. Dans le "End of Speed" (ESS), j'ai fait un ou deux cercles de sécurité et j'ai volé vers le Goal, satisfait. Le niveau est incroyablement serré ici, comme le montre le chronomètre : 43 pilotes ont franchi la ligne en l'espace de deux minutes seulement. Je suis moi-même arrivé à peine 35 secondes après le vainqueur. Sur le livetracking, les points de lead-out manquaient initialement, c'est pourquoi le classement final m'a fait reculer de la 13ème à la 32ème place – mon départ laborieux m'a coûté de précieux points de leadership. Néanmoins, je suis super content de la manche d'aujourd'hui, car avec seulement 22 points de retard sur le vainqueur, c'est une top performance. Bilan de la saison C'est une fin réconciliatrice ici en Colombie. Avec 30 jours de vol en 40 jours, le bilan météorologique est certes resté un peu en deçà des attentes élevées pour Roldanillo, mais il y a tout de même eu quelques journées absolument exceptionnelles. Les phases météo un peu plus calmes ont aussi eu du bon : elles m'ont permis d'enchaîner cinq compétitions sans être totalement épuisé à la fin. ----- English -----
British Winter Open Roldanillo 2026 – Task 5: A Conciliatory End to a Marathon With rain forecast for the finale, we flew a short 63km sprint. After a laborious start, I fought my way back and finished the intense Colombian season with a satisfied smile – just 35 seconds behind the winner. The final day of the British Winter Open was dominated by the weather forecast. With rain predicted for the late afternoon, the task committee set a comparatively short task of 63 km. To give the pilots the opportunity to give a wide berth to potential rain cells, a huge start cylinder extending out to Zarzal was chosen. Conditions at the beginning were tough. The thermals were wind-blown and broken, and it took a long time to really get positioned high. Accordingly, my start was not optimal; I crossed the line about 150 meters below cloud base, significantly lower than the lead gaggle. A triple zigzag through the valley towards the north followed. In the first phase, I just couldn't find a good rhythm. I often had to glide on low, and the hoped-for strong climb kept me waiting. But patience pays off: at the last turnpoint in the east, I finally caught the strong thermal I had been waiting for and was able to climb up to 2200 meters. With this comfortable altitude, I was able to catch up with the leaders again. Tactically, things went perfectly from there: while the two lead groups deviated left and right from the ideal line, I was able to fly the optimized route and make up my deficit. The last few kilometers were relatively relaxed thanks to the group, as there were enough pilots below us marking the airmass. Into "End of Speed" (ESS), I took one or two safety turns and flew into Goal, satisfied. Just how incredibly tight the level is here was shown by the clock: 43 pilots thundered across the line within just two minutes. I myself arrived just 35 seconds behind the winner. The livetracking initially lacked the lead-out points, which is why the final ranking washed me back from 13th to 32nd place – the laborious start had cost me valuable leading points. Nevertheless, I am super happy with today's run, because finishing only 22 points behind the day's winner was a top performance. Season Conclusion It was a conciliatory end here in Colombia. With 30 flying days in 40 days, the weather yield remained slightly below the high expectations for Roldanillo, but there were still some absolutely top days. The somewhat quieter weather phases also had their upside: they enabled me to fly five competitions in a row without being completely exhausted at the end. Task 5 Results – Swiss Team 8. Kevin PHILIPP (Enzo 3/Submarine) – 01:28:47 (980.4 pts) 32. Simon STEINER (Enzo 3/Genie Race 5) – 01:28:55 (965.8 pts) 75. Jérôme KÄGI (Icepeak X-One/Submarine) – 01:46:16 (816.9 pts) 110. Lukas GAFNER (Sage/Strike 2) – 02:41:45 (388.5 pts) Comp Overall – Swiss Team 6. Kevin PHILIPP 18. Simon STEINER 42. Jérôme KÄGI 113. Lukas GAFNER

The start was good, and I immediately felt comfortable in the air. The first climbs were decent, and I managed to position myself well from the beginning. After the first turnpoint, however, the day became tricky. The middle section was extremely demanding, with lots of shade and weak, broken thermals. Many pilots struggled there, and bomb-outs accumulated quickly along the course. I decided to push through that section and ended up leading the whole race. It felt like I really understood the air today, choosing the right lines, committing to small climbs and keeping the rhythm even when it was low and technical. Most of the time we were flying at no more than 1600 m, constantly working marginal lift and trying to stay efficient without overcommitting. It was not a fast racing day. It was about patience, reading subtle triggers and trusting your decisions. Toward the end of the course, the conditions became a bit more organized again, and the final glide was more straightforward compared to the brutal middle part. In the end, only 15 pilots made goal, which shows how selective the task was. Swiss team results: • Jérôme – 1st • Simon – 14th • Kevin – 58th • Lukas – 87th A tough and technical day, but a very satisfying one when everything comes together. Now we look ahead to tomorrow the last day.

Today it was way windier at the takeoff than yesterday. A 72km Task was set with only two Turnpoints, before heading towards the ESS while around 10kph of SE-Wind was predicted. It was taking us 30km south-east, before we had to cross the flats to the nord and then going direction west on the 20km final glide to the ESS. It was again a very fast task with the fastest pilot going over the 40 kph average speed mark. Again, the conditions were great and we had nice and smooth thermals with around 4m/s taking us to 3’000m above sea level, which was giving us very good working height, as most of the terrain is at 700m over sea level with mountains at around 1200m. So, it is like flying in the Jura mountains and the flats at 2’800m all day long. At the air start the field was split up in to 3 groups. The main gaggle with around 90% of the pilots, which was more towards the ridge, but with a slightly longer way to TP1. Then one group of two pilots where Tim was one of them, which was waiting more north in order to take the most direct line to TP1 and finally a group in between of around 10 Pilots, where me and also Benjamin were in. My group started to struggle just 5 minutes before the air start and had to start the race 150m lower than the other two groups. Tim was having a very good line at the beginning on the left, but unfortunately hit some big sink when flying towards the ridge before TP1 and had to play catch up after around 1/4 of the task. My group was pushing hard at the beginning but came in low, while the leading gaggle was taking a thermal further back, which was good for us as we were able to get some leading points while also climbing. The big gaggle then past us around 100m higher while we were in a nice 4m/s climb and just kept on going as the ridge was working very well. From here on I was always a tiny bit behind (20-30 seconds) and around 100m lower. When crossing the flats to the second and already last Turnpoint I was finally able to close in and hit a beautiful thermal which brought us up to 3000m, ready to go towards the last Turnpoint. Together with Michi and Noé we took the last TP and started pushing towards the ESS. Here we were a tiny bit too conservative and did 4 more turns in a good climb, while two Niviuk Pilots kept on going. Unfortunately, we hit very strong climbs in front of us over a long time and at the end almost all the pilots arrived 600-800m over Goal and we were not able to catch up with the two Niviuk Pilots. Still, it is a very good results with myself getting to the ESS with 40 seconds behind as 4th and Michi Sigel and Noé Court just 10 seconds behind me as 5th and 6th. Also Jean Morisetti had a very strong race and arrived only 2 minutes after the first Niviuk Pilot (the well-known Brazilian Richard Pethigal). Tim unfortunately was not able to catch up completely and arrives 15 minutes late, but again, with his very own approach of flying this task. Overall, we now have 3 Swiss pilots in the Top 4: 1st Dominik Breitinger 2nd Michael Sigel 4th Noé Court Let’s hope we can keep up the good pace.

The PWC in India which is taking place in Panchgani has started off today with a Task of 73km. After we had a ruff flight yesterday with very turbulent conditions, where we had thermals with 7m/s average and peak thermals up to 9m/s, we were looking for a way smoother flight today. The conditions were nice and not as bumpy as the day before with an average of 4-5m/s climbs and top thermals around 7m/s. A 73km Task was set where different options could be taken to reach the fist turnpoint. A small group of around 5-6 pilots including Tim and me were heading more south in the start cylinder in order to take a more direct line to the first turnpoint. We were efficient and reached turnpoint 1 around 3-4 minutes ahead of the other gaggle which was lead by Michael Sigel. Tim was pushing hard, but was getting low. So it was Michael an myself flying high in front towards Turnpoint 2 which was leading us back over the take off area and more south of Panchgani. It was very straight forward and we always found climbs where we needed them. Meanwhile Tim was trying to catch up and took his own approach with the most possible direct line through the flats. At the second last turnpoint he was with us again, but a few 100 meters lower. Noé Court was pushing hard as well and was able to fly towards the last turnpoint together with Michi and me, where Michi was controlling the field very nicely with a good amount of more height. After the last turnpoint we had a final glide of around 15km with a tiny bit of headwind. I was starting around 100m lower than the others, but caught e very good line which allowed me to arrive with the same height at the ESS as Michi Sigel which was one of the highest. Michi arrived first, just 1 second ahead of me, but with the lead I had at the beginning, I won with the leading points. Also Noé Court arrived just 10 seconds after. Also Tim was pushing behind and reached goal with only 7 minutes behind. With an average speed of 40.8km/h it was a very fast and super nice task. All the other swiss guys made it to the ESS as well. Unfortunately Benjamin Fankhauser who arrived only 5 minutes after the first pilots, landed 1km short before the line, after making it to the ESS. The next days are looking great as well and we are looking forward to some epic tasks. Cheers from India Dominik

After a rainy rest day yesterday, Task 3 of the British Winter Open delivered exactly what everyone had been waiting for: a proper race. A 96.6 km task was set, sending the pilots north to San Antonio, then across the valley south of Obando, continuing further south to La Paila, and finally back to Obando for Goal. A clean, well-designed course with relatively small cylinders – perfect ingredients for a fast and tactical day. Strong Conditions and a Fast Race The start gate opened at 12:30, with cloud base already around 2100 m. As the afternoon developed, conditions improved steadily. By 14:00, cloud base had risen to approximately 2400 m, offering excellent working height. Above 1600 m, the air was solid and reliable, with only a light southerly wind influencing tactics. It turned into a proper racing day: fast transitions, sharp climbs and no room for mistakes. And mistakes were expensive. In tight gaggles, some pilots still struggle with thermal etiquette. Entering a climb when 30 gliders are already circling requires discipline, awareness and clear turning direction. A few chaotic moments showed that not everyone has mastered this art yet. But overall, it was a fair and enjoyable race day – finally. Swiss Team Performance The Swiss team delivered a solid performance: • Kevin – 12th • Jérôme – 46th • Simon – 48th • Lukas – 102nd Kevin flew a strong and consistent race to finish well inside the top group. Simon and I made one small but decisive mistake: missing a single climb at the wrong moment. That was enough to lose contact with the leading gaggle. In this level of racing, that’s all it takes. We reached ESS eight minutes after the first pilots – a brutal reminder that paragliding competitions are unforgiving. Looking Ahead It was finally a good task with small cylinders, proper racing, clear tactics and real consequences for errors. Exactly what competition flying should feel like. Let’s see what tomorrow brings.