Almost a World Record
244.5 km FAI Triangle on the AONIC 2 (EN-A)
After a two-year break from paragliding – I had almost completely traded flying for kite foiling – I could no longer resist the weather forecast for the Valais region. So I made a spontaneous pilgrimage to one of the world's most famous cross-country flying destinations.
Because of the long journey, I didn’t want to take on the adventure alone and contacted Dieter. His first reaction was to decline. He didn’t feel sufficiently current on his EN-D wing for the conditions in Valais. Had he already received his new EN-C, he would have joined immediately – but it hadn’t arrived yet.
My suggestion to fly a MENTOR 7 instead was initially well received. Ten minutes later, however, he called back. After checking his weight, he realized he had moved somewhat into the heavyweight division. The appropriate size wasn’t available, leaving only one option:
The AONIC 2.
An EN-A wing.
After a lengthy discussion, I eventually convinced him. My claim that I intended to fly a 230-kilometre task on it sounded wildly optimistic to him. Nevertheless, he decided to come along.
We travelled to the Goms valley on Sunday, enjoyed a relaxed evening, and arrived at the Fiesch cable car station early on Whit Monday.
Our excitement quickly turned to panic: the cable car to Kühboden was under maintenance. For a few minutes, it looked as though our dream day would be over before it had even begun.
After some discussion and improvisation, we eventually found a way up the mountain.
At Galfera, things were surprisingly quiet. On what promised to be an epic day, we shared the launch with only one other pilot. Above us, the first top pilots were already gliding over from Riederalp. Instead of enjoying the scenery a little longer, we suddenly found ourselves rushing to get ready.
A few minutes later, we were airborne too.
A Dream Day in the Air
Flying up the Goms valley felt effortless. The leading gaggle had long since disappeared into the distance, while we followed respectfully behind with our “flying garage doors.” Around us were fully faired harnesses, high-performance racing machines, and ambitious XC pilots. Right in the middle of it all: two pilots flying EN-A wings.
The Grimsel Pass treated us kindly, and we rounded our first turnpoint at the Gärstenhorn. On the return leg towards Fiesch, we were surprised to discover that we were keeping up with the racing wings far better than expected.
Dieter’s excitement over the radio was impossible to miss. Flying his AONIC 2 in size L, he spent long stretches tucked in right behind me, keeping a close eye on my featherweight setup.
The route via Riederalp towards the Breithorn unfolded at record speed by our standards. By midday, we had already crossed the Lötschental valley. Dieter’s radio messages became increasingly enthusiastic. He even admitted that he could imagine owning an AONIC 2 himself – provided, of course, that he could also fly a 200-kilometre task on it.
At precisely that moment, his mental performance began to fade a little.
For a brief second, I considered telling him over the radio that I wasn’t particularly keen on pulling the handbrake for him. Fortunately, the situation resolved itself. We remained in radio contact for a while, but eventually lost sight of each other.
What followed almost felt routine.
Crans-Montana. Glacier Les Diablerets. Pic Chaussy.
One highlight followed the next until I finally reached the second turnpoint at Mont d’Or.
It felt slightly absurd: cruising among all those racing wings on my forgiving EN-A and not losing touch entirely.
The third leg also went largely according to plan. Only the southern valleys demanded some patience as thermal activity weakened. A few minor setbacks affected my average speed, but the targeted 230-kilometre triangle always remained within reach.
By the time I reached the Alphubel, my instrument was already showing an FAI triangle of more than 240 kilometres. The thermals had become powerful, the cloud base impressively high, and the air anything but relaxed. With big ears in and full speed bar applied, I pushed the third turnpoint a little farther south.
There was certainly potential for much more.
But at some point, enough is enough.
The final glide led back towards Fiesch along the majestic four-thousand-metre peaks of the Alps. Past the Domjoch, past countless memories, and past the place where Martin Bühler lost his life.
Remembering Martin and carrying a healthy sense of humility, I continued from cloud base to cloud base towards Fiesch. The Valais once again showed itself at its very best before I finished the day with a somewhat unconventional final approach and a landing just outside Fiesch.
And demanding.
Typical Valais.
As for Dieter, he won’t be buying an AONIC 2 after all. His flight ended after an extended “washing machine” experience from Sanetsch towards Sion, resulting in a respectable 165 kilometres. Situations like that make it very clear that our wings are still missing a few horsepower compared to the racing machines. His initial enthusiasm for EN-A wings cooled somewhat after that experience.
Almost the World Record
A few days later, I realised that at the third turnpoint I had been only a few kilometres short of Toni Brügger's world-record flight.
Had I known that at the time...
And yes, I’ll gladly admit it: those high-aspect-ratio racing wings combined with fully faired harnesses have a certain fascination for me. Watching the top pilots fly them is simply impressive.
Even so, I will probably stick with my more modest equipment.
These days, I no longer fly often enough to make such machines a sensible choice.
And I’m not getting any younger, either.
Because if there’s one thing I wish for, it’s to keep flying for many years to come – as safely as possible and with as few incidents as possible.
Text and photos: Urs Haari
Flight track: XContest