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Cross Country Magazine International Free Flying Magazine
In the core, since 1988

Cross Country publishes eight issues per year for the most passionate pilots worldwide, in addition to producing outstanding free flying books and accessories.

Few pilots visit the Engadin in summer, when strong valley winds and turbulent thermals make it suitable only for the ve...
29/10/2026

Few pilots visit the Engadin in summer, when strong valley winds and turbulent thermals make it suitable only for the very experienced.

But it really comes into its own at this time of year. Andreas Busslinger’s photo gallery in the latest issue captures one of Switzerland’s most scenic regions ablaze with autumn colour 🍂

📸 Andreas Busslinger

https://xcmag.info/Engadin

28/10/2026

At Coupe Icare we asked Antoine Girard what advice he would have for anyone flying in Pakistan for the first time. This is what he had to say. You can read the full account of his 400km triangle in the latest issue. https://xcmag.info/Antoine400kmTriangle

28/10/2026
“In 2000, Bavarian state TV channel Rundfunk produced a documentary about Toni’s flight across the Alps from Brauneck to...
26/10/2026

“In 2000, Bavarian state TV channel Rundfunk produced a documentary about Toni’s flight across the Alps from Brauneck to Bassano. The film introduced paragliding to a broad audience and explained thermal and cross-country flying in an understandable way.

"The Happy Icarus was translated into nine languages and became the most successful documentary ever produced by Bayerischer Rundfunk. It not only inspired the Red Bull X-Alps but breathed new life into the sleepy town of Bassano, says Sepp Gschwendtner.

“Toni leaves behind a void. For his family, his friends, Nova, the entire flying community – a true legend has gone”.

In the latest issue, Till Gottbrath pays tribute to Toni Bender, “not only one of the most gifted pilots of all time, but also one of the most extraordinary and influential personalities in the worlds of both hang gliding and paragliding”.

🔗 https://xcmag.info/ToniBender

26/10/2026

You've heard of glide ratio, but what about flight leverage? In the latest podcast Tom Payne and Tarquin Cooper discuss some extraordinary data that Simon Steiner has produced after asking AI to take a deep dive into 20 years of Red Bull X-Alps tracklogs. As Tom explains, Simon has worked out how far each athlete flew per 1,000m of elevation hiked. The results, to borrow a phrase, may surprise you. The best result from 2025 was 63km, but can you guess the athlete?

The podcast is a Red Bull X-Alps special in which the pair discuss the recently announced athlete lineup. The full episode can be listened to here: https://xcmag.info/redbullxalps2027

22/10/2026

What did we discover at the Coupe Icare? Quite a lot as it turns out – a lot of parakites, submarine style harnesses and lots of new tech. The results are spread over 14 pages in the latest issue of the magazine, which is out now, online and available via the Zinio app. Hit the link below to go right there:

xcmag.com/gear-guide/coupe-icare-2026-whats-new

🎥 Coupe Icare - L'Officielle / Grip Media

Antoine Girard on his extraordinary 400km FAI triangle in Cross Country 269.Also inside: autumn colours in the Engadin, ...
20/10/2026

Antoine Girard on his extraordinary 400km FAI triangle in Cross Country 269.

Also inside: autumn colours in the Engadin, the story behind Lucas Ruffieux’s paragliding loop, the women inspiring other women to fly, and fresh wings, harnesses and technology from Coupe Icare.

Your next dose of flying inspiration is here. Issue 269 is out now.

See what’s inside – https://xcmag.info/XC269

The athletes who'll take on Red Bull X-Alps 2027 have just been announced. The largest number of female athletes in the ...
14/10/2026

The athletes who'll take on Red Bull X-Alps 2027 have just been announced. The largest number of female athletes in the race’s history, a new generation of young pilots and a certain 44-year-old champion vying to reclaim his crown against some very stiff competition.

In total, 37 athletes from 16 countries have been named. Seventeen are rookies and seven are women, the largest number ever to compete. It means that for the first time the race will have a separate women’s ranking.

The female lineup comprises Celine Lorenz (GER2), who’s competed twice before but never made goal. The others include Romy Sweda (SUI7), a Swiss hike-and-fly champion who won a wildcard entry at Red Bull X-Alps Challenger 2026 and Elisa Deutschmann (GER4), who recently became the first woman to make goal at X-Pyr. Both pilots have previously supported Chrigel in the race.

Also in the lineup is Solène Rombourg (FRA6), an adventure pilot who has been on some incredible hike-and-fly journeys in the remotest regions of the Andes and Patagonia. The other women, all familiar names on the hike-and-fly race scene are Pauline Müller (AUT3), Silvia Galli (ITA4) and Stephanie Westerhuis (SUI8).

The big surprise however is team France – the only returning veteran is Tanguy Renaud-Goud (FRA1)…

Hit the link in comments to continue reading the full story. (It's free to read.)

13/10/2026

Andy Aebi (SUI) has claimed victory at the PWCA in Baixo Guandu, Brazil, with Violeta Jimenez (USA) finishing 11th overall to win the women’s class.

More at

For huge XCs and distance records, your main options are Brazil 🇧🇷or Texas 🇺🇸. But which is better? On paper, Texas wins...
11/10/2026

For huge XCs and distance records, your main options are Brazil 🇧🇷or Texas 🇺🇸. But which is better?

On paper, Texas wins. Both the current hang gliding and paragliding world records were set there. The HG world record of 764km was set from Zapata, on 3 July 2012 by Dustin Martin, and the PG world record of 613km was set by Sebastien Kayrouz on 20 June 2021.

However, Texas involves tricky logistics and other difficulties such as locked gates and landowners with gun licenses. In recent years, Brazil has been more popular.

Data scientist Jörg Korner analysed some big-flight tracklogs from both locations to decide once and for all. He found one parameter that gave Texas the win.

Read The Texas Railway 👉https://xcmag.info/TexasRailway

📷
1&2: Texas, with Jonny Durand
3 Quixadá, Brazil by Kiwi Johnson
4&5: On board in Brazil with the (super-chilled 😎)Seb Kayrouz

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