Competition News

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.