The second competition of the Paragliding World Cup 2022 tour starts on Saturday 26 March in Baixo Guandu The first competition to be cancelled when the world went dark it was top of their bucket list to go back there once the sun came out again in beautiful Brazil granite domes followed by evenings enjoying all-you-can eat BBQs Baixo Guandu is one of the best places for a competition in a country full of amazing places to fly It has been a favourite World Cup destination since we first headed there back in 2013 Subsequent competitions were held there in 2015 2018 and a very successful nine- task Superfinal in 2019 which provides lots of options for interesting and challenging tasks The main flying area is separated by the sweet and rather muddy The thermals are relatively big and not too strong All of this adds up to lots of options for the pilot to choose for transitions Do you go to the right side of the river and take the mountains is what paragliding fairytales are made of Pilots fly over an amazingly scenic area full of huge granite spires and boulders Words have never been enough to describe the legendary Pontões Capixabas Natural Monument others just shake their heads and laugh at such an amazing flying experience Keep up with the winners, the commentary, the live tracking and our new team’s leaderboard at: live.pwca.org. In a photographer’s paradise, we will be posting lots of eye candy in the media gallery on www.pwca.org. The Paragliding World Cup Super Final runs from 5-16 March 2024 in Baixo Guandu, Brazil. The competition is the final comp in the 2023/24 season. A favourite World Cup destination Baixo Guandu is in the centre-west region of Espírito Santo, 186km from the state capital. The city has a hospitable culture and people that always make the pilots feel welcome. And the area offers beautiful landscapes, such as Pedra do Souza, and picturesque waterfalls. In the north part of the flying area is Pancas, a scenic area full of huge granite spires and boulders. The legendary Pontões Capixabas Natural Monument, also known as “Jurassic Park”, is truly awe inspiring.

The flying area has a wide variety of terrain: flatland, rolling hills, and low mountains, which provides many options for interesting, challenging tasks. A post shared by Galen Kirkpatrick (@readysetgalen) The thermals are relatively wide and not too strong All of this adds up to lots of route options and decisions for pilots to make when making transitions With so many strong contenders among the 128 pilots but the field is full of skilled pilots – many of whom are often seen on World Cup podiums – who are here to challenge them over the 10 task days to come Mixing it up among the stars of the current era one true blast-from-the-past will also be competing Robbie Whittall was a legend in his own lifetime back in the 1990s when he won the FAI Hang Gliding World Championships in 1989 and then went on to win the very first FAI Paragliding World Championships in 1991 He is one of only three pilots to have ever won world championship titles in both disciplines Under the rules of the PWCA Super Final world champions and previous Super Final winners can enter the World Cup Super Final using a “legends” wildcard Follow him and all the other legends of the competition world – young and older – on live tracking throughout the 10-day competition PWCA Super Final Follow on Instagram The most important and demanding XC paragliding competition circuit closes the 2018 season with this event in Brazil where 123 pilots are fighting for the title of PWC champion 2018 the real action started on Wednesday 20th of March with the first task of 52 km in changing conditions ahead of 42 pilots that managed to make goal 123 pilots are taking part in this 10th Super Final event of the PWC Enzo 3s are the most chosen wing by the competitors (61,7% of the field) but interestingly there are new contenders in the top-level game like the Guru – UP’s new release for the 2-line CCC class - the Spectra from Australia’s manufacturer Flow Paragliders Iron ore residue from the collapse of a mining dam has been passing down the Rio Doce in south-east Brazil Pollutants have killed aquatic life and left residents of the towns of Resplendor and Baixo Guandu without clean water we’d like to thank you for joining the debate - we’re glad you’ve chosen to participate and we value your opinions and experiences Please choose your username under which you would like all your comments to show up Please keep your posts respectful and abide by the community guidelines - and if you spot a comment you think doesn’t adhere to the guidelines please use the ‘Report’ link next to it to let us know Please preview your comment below and click ‘post’ when you’re happy with it With the shadow of the Coronavirus outbreak overcasting the event the main continental paragliding competition will kick off this Saturday where about 120 pilots will display their XC skills to take the crown of America's best pilot The weather forecast is not very promising for the start The time has come for 117 of the very best pilots from 18 different American Nations to battle it out during 7 epic days and crown their Champion a smaller selection of those pilots would have been selected by their nations to represent their country and fly their nation’s colours competing for your country seems to be that extra special Frank Brown is at the helm of an event which promises to be a little particular with the world’s Coronavirus outbreak the organisers and local authorities appear to be doing their very best focusing on preventive measures All pilots will be checked daily by a team of medical staff before boarding the shuttle to take off and pilots will be monitored for any symptoms during their time in Baixo Guandu The alert for the disease has also resulted in the relocation of the Super Final of the Paragliding World Cup (PWC) to Baixo-Guandu which was scheduled to take place in Castelo from 24 March to 4 April It has been announced that pilots temperature and health conditions will be checked twice daily that this Super Final might be cancelled if conditions are not suitable for such event We’ll be keeping an eye on what happens in the next few days in this matter as well Ojovolador will report daily from Baixo Guando and bring you the best of the day action “Seven consecutive days of racing with our blood brothers and sisters – sharing tears of victory and defeat,” says Canada’s Brett Hazlett His five minute film immerses you in the gaggle at the Paragliding World Cup Full competition results to crown the Pan-American paragliding champion from 20 countries -but only half of them American- competed at the 3rd FAI Pan-American Paragliding Championship and Open held in Baixo Guandu Brazilian pilots were on the Top with Jeison Zeferino taking the crown of Pan-American Champion and Poland’s Klaudia Bulgakow was the best female pilot There were not enough women for an American podium The event enjoyed a competitive spirit and solidarity but it also had to endure the loss of a competitor who unfortunately passed away in an accident right after take-off on task 2 The tasks ranged from 78 to 38 km in differing conditions After a good start with thermal conditions and nice cloudbases on the 2 first days Ozone Enzo 3) and the second for Brazil’s Leandro Henrique De Padua (Gin Boomerang 11) the 3rd day was cancelled to show respect and say goodbye to Alessandro completed by 72 pilots with Venezuelan Daniel Zaragoza Gomez (Ozone Enzo 3) first in goal heavy rains stopped the paragliding activity on Thursday and Friday to finally allow for a last task on Saturday in low conditions With the top pilots very tight on the points the last task was an exciting finale for the championship with Colombian pilot Bernardo Medina Sastre (Gin Boomerang 11) taking the first place followed in closely by Jeison Zeferino Brito (Ozone Enzo 3) who could thus secure his first place on the overall podium the Brazilian pilot was very grateful and happy for his gold medal: “It was a real pleasure to win a competition of such importance an international competition with 20 well represented countries; and sharing podium with a friend and training mate is priceless a double pleasure (…) Leandro Padua deserves to be champion as much as I do we are 1st and 2nd together in head; it was also an honour to be on the podium with this Argentine monster Thanks to everyone who has always helped me for sure I didn’t get here alone” The COVID-19 coronavirus outbreak has meant the Paragliding World Cup Association have had to change the venue of the 2019 Superfinal from Castelo to Baixo Guandu The competition is scheduled for 24 March – 4 April and the association warn there is still a risk that further last-minute changes depending on how the virus outbreak evolves over the next couple of weeks An email sent to PWC Association members on 6 March 2020 read: “The Paragliding World Cup Committee is following closely all the events related to the worldwide outbreak of the coronavirus and the possible implications for the forthcoming 11th Paragliding World Cup Superfinal “We are just 19 days before the start of the event and For the moment we have an intention to keep the schedule of the event as planned Please note that this decision might be changed following the possible changing of the global we are forced to change the venue of the 11th Paragliding World Cup Superfinal from Castelo to Baixo Guandu Local organisers arranged full return of the pre-payments to the hotels that some pilots might have done local organisers promised full support with the new accommodation arrangements “Regarding the final decision to continue or cancel the 11th Paragliding World Cup Superfinal we believe that two factors will be prevailing in the decision making “The first and the most important factor will be the development of the situation in the period before the beginning of the 11thParagliding World Cup Superfinal “Many organisations in the event organising domain are taking reference from the actions and requirements imposed by the local authorities at the destination where the event has to take place it is impossible to predict what kind of measures might be imposed by the local authorities in Brazil in the following period It has been already announced that multiple medical checks will be performed at least twice per day during the entire period of the event “We find that measure acceptable and we hope that it will increase global awareness as well as safety of the participants and the local population if additional requests are raised by the local authorities that may disturb the fluidity of the competition’s daily routines the decision to carry on will be revised and a new course of action might be set “The second very important parameter of the decision making is the possibility that with the running of the Superfinal as planned we have an obligation to actively contribute to the global efforts to contain the virus alongside the recommendations by the WHO and other governing bodies “With migrating a significant number of people most of them coming from the epidemic level 2 and whether we should proceed with the event as originally planned if the Committee assess that the Superfinal cannot be safe “We understand that some of you may not want to travel at this time Some of you may be advised by your local federations or government not to travel Our understanding is that whether to attend this Superfinal or any other event “We advise pilots from various countries to monitor any travel restrictions that may be placed on them over the coming weeks and to act accordingly Committee agreed on entry fee refunds to any pilots who feel they are a risk to spread the virus “If you are considering canceling your participation for the fairness reasons towards the pilots on the waiting list that might want to join the event please contact the PWCA office immediately conditions may change over the coming weeks and the decision may be taken out of our hands “We will be monitoring the situation and we will take the necessary actions and communicate any changes to you promptly.”