New EN B glider for 2017; the UP Summit XC4

Some 80% of all paragliders sold globally each year are EN B wings, making this segment the most commercially interesting one by far, for you as a distributor as well as for us. We've been expanding our range in the B segment for a few years already, and the Summit XC4 is the logical "next step" in that direction.

Everyone in paragliding, from beginner to seasoned XC-hound, essentially wants the same from their wing; the ability to extend each flight for as long as possible. This is true for the coastal soaring beginner as well as the winner of the XContest, but obviously on different levels. While it is also true that many of us don't always take full advantage of that ability, either because we get tired, scared or both, what separates a good wing from a great wing is that the latter will generally let the decision to keep going or not be up to the pilot - the Summit XC4 is precisely such a wing.

The new Summit inherits a lot of characteristics from the Trango XC3, not least the very precise handling, and the tremendous resistance to collapses. These two in combination make for a very laid-back wing to “keep going” on, so that the pilot will never feel restrained in their performance by the wing. A new C-riser control system, for keeping in touch with the wing during hard-and-fast transitions as well as for efficient gliding along a coastal cliff, complete the package in the best possible way.

 The new wing is in the final stages of certification and should be shipping from early 2017 in all sizes. As soon as we're ready we'll make a more formal introduction, in the mean time please consider this a teaser to let you guys know what's going on!

New Lhotse video now Online

We have been busy making a video for the UP Lhotse hike&fly wing, together with our X-Alps pilots Mitch Riley and Stefan Bocks. The video will make you yearn to get out there and do your own mini- or maxi-expedition; in your back yard or in Antartica, so click on the button to go to our official Vimeo channel and check it out! P.s. If you feel like sharing it on your own social media platforms we'll get even more excited ;-)

UP XC Fever 2016 - and the winners are...

The UP XC Fever 2016 was a success, with more pilots flying further, and competing harder among themselves, than the year before. In the end two very happy pilots walked away with the grand trophies; from the Czech Republic, flying his UP Kibo, Petr Kozisek won the class up to and including the EN B class, while Nacho Robledo from Spain took the EN C class on his UP Trango XC3.

Both pilots get to choose a new UP glider from the current range for their XC exploits next year, while the pilots taking 2. to 5. place in both categories all get nice UP accessories for their efforts.

Congratulations to all the winners, and thanks for playing along! Click on the button here below to read more about the UP XCFever 2016!

Upcoming projects from the UP R&D department

Everyone involved in paragliding on a professional level knows how much the market loves everything new - and everyone gets the emails asking "when is the replacement for my Trango XC3 (or whatever) coming out?"

Traditionally we have been keeping our cards close to our chests, because we have been down the opposite road often enough - that is, when we have announced a new product, only to learn that things in the final stages of the process suddenly took longer than expected, and lots of pilots and dealers got frustrated for it. On the other hand we acknowledge the fact that to run a successful business you guys need to know what’s in the pipeline, so here’s a little look into the projects we have in store for you next. Remember that there is no release dates on most of these products - it is only intended as background information, and some of the projects will surely take longer to finish than we believe possible today.

Anyway, here goes - the next things to come from us are, in no particular order of appearance:

Trango X-Race

The Trango X-Race is a profoundly refined Trango XC3, with even more stability at speed, handles on the C-risers (which are connected to the B-risers so that the canopy may be controlled in a manner similar to that which was invented for the 2-liners), improved risers that don’t snap, and finally almost 400g lighter than the standard XC3. This wing has already been flight tested in size M, other sizes plus load tests pending. We expect to begin supplying the new wings from January 2017, with the other sizes to follow.

Light backpack

We’re also working on a lighter backpack, again to cater for the para-alpinists out there. The aim is to have a product with good longevity but much lighter, and we’ll keep you posted on the progress there.__

New stuffsack with more carrying comfort

There's even an updated stuffsack coming soon. Focus in this new development was to improve the carrying comfort; an important parameter not least for professional tandem pilots. Watch this space!

Kibo risers on the UP Lhotse?

A number of pilots have been asking us if it would be possible to substitute the hybrid Lhotse risers (click on image on the left to see a full-size version - Lhotse riser left, Kibo riser right) with the more normal-looking Kibo ones. The answer to that question is “yes”, and the wing may even be ordered from us in this configuration for a small surcharge. We do however recommend that pilots purchase their Lhotse with the original risers, and consider adding a pair of extra Kibo risers, so that the versatility of this very light glider isn’t compromised before you even unpack it the first time.

We hope you have enjoyed a glimpse of what we had on our minds for you this time around, till the next time please fly safely and HAVE FUN, whatever your game is!