In this episode Tarquin and Ed sit down to talk through the latest magazine issue as well as recent events in the sport. The podcast begins with the pair reflecting on the double fatality at the Coupe Icare, when two hang glider pilots died shortly after launching on the final day. Tarquin then reflects on the tragic death of Rémi Bourdelle during the Dolomiti Superfly, where he was supporting British athlete Idris Birch. 
Tarquin then discusses moving on to Chamonix, where although he was not able to hike and fly Mt Blanc, he did launch from the Aiguille du Midi with the guide Will Sim, the most dramatic – and intimidating – launch he's ever faced. 
The conversation then moves to issue 268 of the magazine, with Ed talking through the big stories, including pilots' attempts to capture the eclipse, a feature on the flying scene in Chelan, why the "Texas railroad" is the best place to set distance records – not Brazil. Tarquin talks through two stories he wrote up, a report on paragliding insurance, and an interview with the unstoppable Elisa Deutschmann, who has been enjoying a storming competition season. 
The pair also discuss Bastienne Wentzel's report on steerable reserves and why they might literally be a lifesaver when things go wrong. Ed then discusses drone towing before finally, the pair return to the Coupe Icare, discussing some of the wings and harnesses they spotted inside the manufacturer tents. One inescapable thing they learned – parakites are here to stay, as well as submarine style harnesses with brands now looking to bring out accessible versions. The pair also reflect on the the implications for the Coupe Icare, following the sad events.  

Thanks for listening! Join us every 6-8 weeks as we dive into the stories inside the latest issue of Cross Country magazine. Cross Country is the world’s international free flying magazine and is available online and in print.

Subscribers enjoy articles on new flying techniques, inspiring stories from across the world and deep dives into micro-meteorology, the latest equipment advances – and much more. 

As well as receiving eight premium quality issues, subscribers can access six Masterclass coaching sessions and discounts on merchandise, books, and flying accessories. 

Cross Country is a flying trip found nowhere else. Find us online at www.xcmag.com and on social media @xcmag.

This is a special edition of the podcast with long term friend of the magazine, Tom de Dorlodot, recorded on board his yacht Wings while sailing from the Azores to La Rochelle, France. 

In this conversation with Tarquin, Tom talks about his comeback from a devastating leg injury, the work he's been doing at Advance to develop a new paramotor brand, Elevate and his plans for the future. 

The pair discuss Red Bull X-Alps, what AI is going to do for cross country, what pilots can learn from sailors and Tom's love for going vol biv in the mountains. 

Thanks for listening! Join us every 6-8 weeks as we dive into the stories inside the latest issue of Cross Country magazine. Cross Country is the world’s international free flying magazine and is available online and in print.

Subscribers enjoy articles on new flying techniques, inspiring stories from across the world and deep dives into micro-meteorology, the latest equipment advances – and much more. 

As well as receiving eight premium quality issues, subscribers can access six Masterclass coaching sessions and discounts on merchandise, books, and flying accessories. 

Cross Country is a flying trip found nowhere else. Find us online at www.xcmag.com and on social media @xcmag.

In this episode Ed and Tarquin catch up on the latest paragliding news. The episode begins with Chrigel Maurer explaining how he dodged storms during his fifth win of X-Pyr which prompts the pair to share anecdotes of flying with Chrigel and how some pilots are made different.  
The pair then move onto discussing the latest issue of the magazine. This includes Emi Carvalho's adventures with a short-pack hang glider, Jack Sheard's report on the different approaches to teaching parakiting in the Netherlands and Andy Brown's feature on the mental strategy you need when you're competing in the mid-pack. Tarquin then discusses his 80km flight in the UK, breaking the 50km barrier for the first time. Ed probes Tarquin to discover if there's anything other pilots who are struggling to go XC can learn from his experience. (Short answer: it's all about being ready for the day when it's ON.) 
The episode then hears from the interview Tarquin did with Chrigel Maurer shortly after his X-Pyr performance. Chrigel reflects on his win, the moves that got him onto the podium and the difficult decision to fly with an Ozone wing. 
Other incredible performances the pair discuss are Antoine Girard's 400km triangle in Pakistan and Aaron Durogati's new 19,424m hike-and-fly record. Tarquin also discusses the Juraj Koren's accident and the challenge of getting the right insurance, which is becoming harder and harder – and more expensive. Looking ahead, Ed discusses his interview with Stéphane Grégoire, chief flight director for the Coupe Icare, who has the challenging task of making sure the event runs smoothly and safely this September. 

Thanks for listening! Join us every 6-8 weeks as we dive into the stories inside the latest issue of Cross Country magazine. Cross Country is the world’s international free flying magazine and is available online and in print.

Subscribers enjoy articles on new flying techniques, inspiring stories from across the world and deep dives into micro-meteorology, the latest equipment advances – and much more. 

As well as receiving eight premium quality issues, subscribers can access six Masterclass coaching sessions and discounts on merchandise, books, and flying accessories. 

Cross Country is a flying trip found nowhere else. Find us online at www.xcmag.com and on social media @xcmag.

In this episode Tarquin and Ed discuss issue 266, which is dedicated to all things Alpine. Ed gives a preview of the magazine, which features a wealth of tips, advice and inspiration for flying in the Alps, whether you're looking to fly your first 100km or like contributor Luca Godenzi, just happy to be in and amongst the Bernina mountains of Switzerland on foot or under wing. The pair discuss Tom Payne's feature on alternative flying adventures, one of which includes flying under a full moon, an experience Tarquin enjoyed with Tom last year, sharing the wild experience.
Special guest this edition is Calef Letorney, who recently gave a Masterclass for progressing pilots. The podcast includes a segment from that talk in which he shares his tips for active piloting on speedbar and while thermalling. He also opens the podcast with his advice to prioritise flying in your life. 
In the final part, Tarquin shares all the news and gossip from the inaugural Red Bull X-Alps Challenger as well as the insights he and fellow Cross Country magazine contributers Erwin Voogt and Bastienne Wentzel learnt at the Kössen Super Paragliding Testival. Between them they flew 37 wings including the new Ozone Vibe GT and the Advance Tau DLS EN-C. 
The episode concludes with Ed discussing the latest near 400km flights in the Alps. 

Thanks for listening! Join us every 6-8 weeks as we dive into the stories inside the latest issue of Cross Country magazine. Cross Country is the world’s international free flying magazine and is available online and in print.

Subscribers enjoy articles on new flying techniques, inspiring stories from across the world and deep dives into micro-meteorology, the latest equipment advances – and much more. 

As well as receiving eight premium quality issues, subscribers can access six Masterclass coaching sessions and discounts on merchandise, books, and flying accessories. 

Cross Country is a flying trip found nowhere else. Find us online at www.xcmag.com and on social media @xcmag.

In this episode we get to hear the top-landing tips of Kinga Masztalerz, why you should never fly with dark sunglasses (from a guy who makes them) and the question pilot and climber Christian Black asked himself after launching off a Peruvian mountain at 19,000ft. Between these segments Tarquin and Ed discuss the latest issue and all that's going on in the paragliding world right now, from Austria's "Hammertag" to the latest hike-and-fly results to who to watch in the Paragliding World Cup Superfinal which is just kicking off. Ed discusses the issue of the "jerk test" and why there are calls to change the standards of back protection. Tarquin shares Mymy Heissat's inspiring story of finding love (and flying) in the Lofoten Islands while Ed recounts the adventures of two of this issue's features – flying in Bhutan and Bali. The episode closes with Christian sharing his adventures in the Cordillera Blanca. 

Thanks for listening! Join us every 6-8 weeks as we dive into the stories inside the latest issue of Cross Country magazine. Cross Country is the world’s international free flying magazine and is available online and in print.

Subscribers enjoy articles on new flying techniques, inspiring stories from across the world and deep dives into micro-meteorology, the latest equipment advances – and much more. 

As well as receiving eight premium quality issues, subscribers can access six Masterclass coaching sessions and discounts on merchandise, books, and flying accessories. 

Cross Country is a flying trip found nowhere else. Find us online at www.xcmag.com and on social media @xcmag.

Spring is here! In this episdode Tarquin and Ed talk new EN-Bs the team flew at the Pelvoux Testivol in the Ecrins. In particular, Tarquin shares the respective merits of Advance Theta ULS versus the Gin Bandit 2 – as well as a flight that didn't go as planned. He found himself at 3,200m in the wrong gloves with painfully cold hands and – too light on the wing – struggled to descend.  Ed dives into the incredible – and longread story of Ariel Zlatkovski's successful quest to fly 100 100km flights in a year. Spoiler alert – he succeeded, but it came at quite a personal cost. The pair then discuss Ryan Southwell's remarkable photos from a paramotor trip around the land of volcanoes, gorges and Norse gods, AKA Iceland. For anyone who wants to fly just one 100km flight, Tarquin shares some of the tips in this issue that XC coach and Nova CEO Ferdi Vogel gave in his Masterclass. They include learning to recognise triangles in the terrain, and why it's better to visualise thermals as condensation droplets and not honey. It was a record year in the Kerio valley earlier this year and Ed brings up the stories of Titi Macquet and his wife Blandine's record 252km tandem flight as well as the 363km flight by hang glider pilot Jeremy Soper. He tells the podcast that he's on a one-man mission to keep the distance records in the hands of hang glider pilots, otherwise "it's an existential threat" for the sport. Ed and Tarquin finish up talking about what's coming up, referencing the Monte Grappa Trophy and the stories they are working on for the next issue, which include an in-depth look at eyewear for pilots and the new book, 101 Ways to Fly Better. 

Thanks for listening! Join us every 6-8 weeks as we dive into the stories inside the latest issue of Cross Country magazine. Cross Country is the world’s international free flying magazine and is available online and in print.

Subscribers enjoy articles on new flying techniques, inspiring stories from across the world and deep dives into micro-meteorology, the latest equipment advances – and much more. 

As well as receiving eight premium quality issues, subscribers can access six Masterclass coaching sessions and discounts on merchandise, books, and flying accessories. 

Cross Country is a flying trip found nowhere else. Find us online at www.xcmag.com and on social media @xcmag.

In this episode Tarquin and Ed discuss issue 263 which is packed with inspiration, advice and news from cloudbase and beyond. Ed kicks off with a dive into Adi Geisegger's wave flying feature, explaining the rare coming together of conditions that made this flight possible. 

Tarquin then dives into what the Swiss Hike-and-Fly League are doing right as they go from strength to strength, running 12 events a year. We hear from the veteran filmmaker Henry Hauck, who has digitally restored his archive of early paragliding films. Henry shares some of his hair-raising antics from back in the day to get the shot. 

Tarquin also talks through the feature on Tom de Dorlodot and Horacio's Llorens's paramotor flight at the Pyramids of Egypt. The conversation then moves to the summit slopes of Aconcagua. 

Ed spoke with the team who made a successful hike and fly of South America's highest mountain in a trip led by Pierre Carter. "It's extremely rare you can launch from the summit, but these guys did." Ed also shares one interesting detail from the trip – Marshall Mosher flew a parakite, not a conventional hike-and-fly wing – and explains why a parakite makes sense. 

Next Ed dives into the subject of EN-A+ wings, the subject of an in-depth report by science writer Bastienne Wentzel. Tarquin then covers a story about women speed pilots and we hear from Rachelle McEwen co-owner of Ski-and-Fly, who shares what she's trying to change in the sport. 

Ed covers the launch of 101 Ways to Fly Better, the new book from Cross Country magazine. Tarquin and Ed also discuss the brilliant longform article by young writer Hanna Klingbeil Canale, in which she charts the positive change paragliding has brought to Valle de Bravo in Mexico over 40 years. 

Wrapping up, the pair discuss Brett Janaway receiving Pilot of the Year and the penalty recieved by Elisa Deutschmann during SRS Gin Edition, Colombia.

Thanks for listening! Join us every 6-8 weeks as we dive into the stories inside the latest issue of Cross Country magazine. Cross Country is the world’s international free flying magazine and is available online and in print.

Subscribers enjoy articles on new flying techniques, inspiring stories from across the world and deep dives into micro-meteorology, the latest equipment advances – and much more. 

As well as receiving eight premium quality issues, subscribers can access six Masterclass coaching sessions and discounts on merchandise, books, and flying accessories. 

Cross Country is a flying trip found nowhere else. Find us online at www.xcmag.com and on social media @xcmag.

In this episode Ed and Tarquin talk through the Adventure Issue of Cross Country magazine (262). It opens with an excerpt from Tarquin's interview with Liv Sansov talking about her flight from the summit of K2 in a tandem with Zeb Roche. An interview with the pair recorded at Kendal comes later in the episode. 

Tarquin and Ed kick off talking about the inspiring destinations covered in this adventure issue, which include India, the Italian Dolomites, Kenya, Norway, Finland, Colombia and the Azores. They discuss Tarquin's interview with the mountain guide and pilot Davide Sassudelli and his notorious 'dodgy launch' video from the Red Bull X-Alps that went viral. Ed then shares the inside story of his interview with the adventure pilot Michael Gebert now a partner in the Fly With Andy guiding company. 

The pair discuss Solène Rombourg's uniquely philosophical contribution to the My Flying Life page, before Tarquin expands on his visit to the Kendal Mountain Festival where he watched two paragliding films, K2 Mon Amour by Liv Sansov and Zeb Roche and Chasing Shadows by Benjamin Védrines, both of which are about their respective flights from K2. 

Other topics that come up include Jeff Hamann's epic paramotor flight across the San Rafael glacier in Patagonia, Kinga Masztalerz's top tip for going vol biv, what Ben Kellett packs for an adventure, Paul Gushlbauer's evolution from goal-oriented athlete to Wanderbird organiser to why old-school point and shoot cameras are the way forward in flight. 

Thanks for listening! Join us every 6-8 weeks as we dive into the stories inside the latest issue of Cross Country magazine. Cross Country is the world’s international free flying magazine and is available online and in print.

Subscribers enjoy articles on new flying techniques, inspiring stories from across the world and deep dives into micro-meteorology, the latest equipment advances – and much more. 

As well as receiving eight premium quality issues, subscribers can access six Masterclass coaching sessions and discounts on merchandise, books, and flying accessories. 

Cross Country is a flying trip found nowhere else. Find us online at www.xcmag.com and on social media @xcmag.

In this episode Cross Country magazine editors Ed and Tarquin go through the "Coupe Icare issue" (Cross Country 261, Nov/Dec 2025) which features the latest releases from the annual free-flight festival. 

They discuss Joe Dart's epic 200km cross-country flight in Scotland; the stunning photographs of the Red Bull X-Alps photographer Felix Wölk; and the profiles of this issue's cover stars Baptiste Lambert and Constance Mettetal. They're not the only champions who come up. The pair also share impressions of Andrea Cechetto, the young and new paramotoring world champion. Tarquin also reveals the lessons paragliding has taught the ten-time British hang gliding champion Grant Crossingham. 

Much has been happening in the sport since the tragic death of Bram Declercq at the Brazilian World Championships – Ed explains what happened and what steps have been taken in the sport to improve safety in competition. The episode closes with Tarquin and Ed revealing what gear caught their eyes at Coupe Icare and why brands are releasing EN-As and parakites. 

Thanks for listening! Join us every 6-8 weeks as we dive into the stories inside the latest issue of Cross Country magazine. Cross Country is the world’s international free flying magazine and is available online and in print.

Subscribers enjoy articles on new flying techniques, inspiring stories from across the world and deep dives into micro-meteorology, the latest equipment advances – and much more. 

As well as receiving eight premium quality issues, subscribers can access six Masterclass coaching sessions and discounts on merchandise, books, and flying accessories. 

Cross Country is a flying trip found nowhere else. Find us online at www.xcmag.com and on social media @xcmag.