Cloudbase Mayhem Podcast

Hang On. That's what Chris Gursky had to do for the longest 2 minutes and 14 seconds of his life on his first even Hang Gliding flight. In what has been dubbed the "Swiss Mishap", this American got a little more adventure than he was looking for in Interlaken when his pilot forgot to clip him in. This is his truly amazing story. Enjoy!

The post Episode 103- Chris Gursky and Don’t Let Go first appeared on CLOUDBASE MAYHEM.

Laurent Borella began flying in 2001 and very quickly afterwards changed his entire life to accomodate more free flight into his world. Eleven years ago his passion for cross country and hike and fly lead him to create the VercoFly, an annual 4 day hike and fly race/adventure in the Wallis region of Switzerland that is simply brilliant. Using 8 mountain huts around Laurent's home town of Vercorin the athletes hike and fly without a supporter and stay in the huts at night.

The post Episode 102- Laurent Borella and the Vercofly first appeared on CLOUDBASE MAYHEM.

Primoz Susa is the pilot you will see year after year at the top of the rankings on XContest. He's been sending huge, huge lines for years, competed in the 2009 Red Bull X-Alps, flies tandems commercially, guides, flies a LOT of competitions, and on most Hammertag days in the Alps the guy you'll see (along with Alex Robe, who we listened to in episode 98) right at the top of the XContest top scores.

The post Episode 101- Primoz Susa and the art of the SEND first appeared on CLOUDBASE MAYHEM.

Jean Baptiste Chandelier makes films that transport millions and millions of viewers into an aerial world of fantasy and fun. In this episode we learn about JB's creative process and how he turns his dreams and ideas into films that connect to audiences regardless of their interest in flying.

The post Episode 100- Live audience show with Jean Baptiste Chandelier! first appeared on CLOUDBASE MAYHEM.

This is a special episode of the Cloudbase Mayhem to give all of the fans of the race a little insight into the greatest game on Earth directly from the perspective of the athletes. In this second of three installments we hear from Tom De Dorlodot (BEL 1), Patrick Von Kanel (SUI 2), Chrigel Maurer (SUI 1), and Cody Mittanck (USA 3), and Eduardo Garza (MEX 1).

The post Episode 99- The 2019 Red Bull X-Alps (Installment 2) first appeared on CLOUDBASE MAYHEM.

There is the most information-dense podcast than possibly any previous show we've done. Alex Robé and one of his main flying partners Primoz Susa are nearly always the two guys right at the top of XContest on the big days. Alex won the XContest in 2015 and 2017 and is currently in 3rd this season (his lowest value flight is over a 260KM FAI, and the two pilots ahead of him both went to Brazil last fall!). But Alex is extremely limited with his time and how much he can fly. In a typical year he'll only fly 10-15 times! So for those of you who are restricted with time, prepare to be inspired!

The post Episode 98- Learning it all from an XC Master, Alex Robe first appeared on CLOUDBASE MAYHEM.

This is a special episode of the Cloudbase Mayhem to give all of the fans of the race a little insight into the greatest game on Earth directly from the perspective of the athletes. In this first of three installments we hear from Nick Neynens (NZ 1), Kinga Masztalerz (NZ 2), Aaron Durogati (ITA 1), and Gaspard Petiot (FRA 2).

The post Episode 97- The 2019 Red Bull X-Alps (Installment 1) first appeared on CLOUDBASE MAYHEM.

Christian Ciech has been flying Hang Gliders for over 30 years. He remembers watching his Dad fly when he was just four years old. He has an arsenal of trophies that showcase his legendary competition skills, including 3 World Championship wins. Christian became a test pilot and designer for Icaro in 1991, a position he still holds. In this episode we discuss competition strategies and the art of winning, how to read the sky and flying the conditions you find...[more]

The post Episode 96- Christian Ciech and a life of Hang Gliding first appeared on CLOUDBASE MAYHEM.

Willi Canell will represent the US in the 2019 Red Bull X-Alps, the 5th US athlete in the history of the race to call Sun Valley, Idaho home of the 10 US athletes who have competed. He'll be lined up with me in Salzburg June 16th in the greatest game on Earth as a rookie. He's my neighbor, flying partner and consistently surprises me with the way he thinks about this crazy sport we all find so compelling. I invited Willi onto the Mayhem because he recently shared his private journal with me and I found his thoughts and ideas about paragliding, risk, training, fitness, and the ultimate question- why we all do what we do not only fascinating but informative and thought-provoking

The post Episode 95- Willi Canell and wrestling with the Risk first appeared on CLOUDBASE MAYHEM.

Patrick Von Kanel is only 25 years old but in a few days he'll be one of the athletes to really watch in the Red Bull X-Alps. His mentors include Michael and Chrigel Maurer, he's a test pilot for Advance, he's big, he's strong, he's of course Swiss (no non-Swiss pilot has ever won the X-Alps), he's solid in acro and he came in second in his last two hike and fly races- to the Eagle himself, Chrigel Maurer.

The post Episode 94- Patrick Von Kanel and the greatest Game on Earth first appeared on CLOUDBASE MAYHEM.