Paragliders set to take to the sky
The sky above Barberton will be filled with colourful paragliders once again as the town hosts this year's Barberton Paragliding Open.
The Lowveld’s own internationally acclaimed paragliding competition takes place in Barberton from Sunday June 11 to Saturday 17, for the 25th time since its inception.
Paragliders from all over will fasten their harnesses and ready their wings for the seven-day-long Barberton Paragliding Open hosted by Lowveld Slope Soaring Club.
Barberton offers some excellent flying conditions and will wow paragliders and spectators with beautiful scenery and is the ideal place for beginner paragliders to travel on their first XC glides, but also for hard racing and very technical decision making.
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“The Makhonjwa Mountains that tower over Barberton are the perfect place to take off from in the predominantly northerly winds of the winter months,” said Willie de Klerk, one of the event organisers.
He added that the competition is known to be beginner-friendly. Competitors who are new to the game and the seasoned paragliders can get to know one another and maybe exchange some tips and tricks.
“The main vision of the Barberton Paragliding Open has always been to be a friendly event in which paragliders can improve their abilities by flying with others and also to measure pilots’ abilities and determine who is the best in their respective classes which include a beginners and a ladies’ class,” he said.
The event specifically takes place over multiple days to give competitors ample opportunity to make the best of the weather conditions.
“A task is set up daily by a committee of experienced pilots based on the weather outlook. A task consists of a number of turning points that form a route. Pilots must try to complete the route and the fastest to complete it gets maximum points, after which others earn points based on their time or distance completed,” De Klerk told Lowvelder.
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Tasks range from 20km to 100km long with the competitors taking off from Lone Tree Hill and landing at Barberton Golf Club.
At the end of the week-long event, all the points accumulated at the end of each task are added up and the competitor with the highest tally is deemed the victor.
The event is open to all South African licensed pilots. Internationally licensed paragliders are also welcome to try their hand at the title.
