Hang Gliding and Paragliding Volume 44 / Issue 12:December 2014 | Page 51

2014 Women's Hang Gliding World Championships by O ne of the best aspects of women’s hang gliding competitions is the sense of support and camaraderie shared by female pilots all around the world. This is the primary reason many girls participate. The Women’s World Championships in Annecy, France, this summer was no exception. There are plenty of objections to the fact that a separate women’s championship exists in the first place; many think it’s sexist or just plain wrong. I guess I was of the same opinion until I attended my first women’s worlds in Chelan, Washington, back in 1994. When I experienced the completely different atmosphere and sense of global kinship among women pilots, I realized that having a separate women’s event was well worthwhile. FAI Section 7 and the local regulations of many international competitions start with a purpose statement. It reads something along the lines of “The purpose of this event to is to have a fun, safe and satisfying competition and to encourage friendship among pilots and nations.” Linda Salamone and I just returned from two weeks of exciting flying and global friendship in Annecy, thanks to the generous support and donations from the US and international pilot communities and the Foundation for Free Flight. For those who haven’t been to Annecy or heard of the flying there, this area in eastern France is a spectacularly scenic place to fly, with high alpine mountain peaks overlooking Lake Annecy. Even without the great flying we had, when one considers the scenery, the hot meet director with a sexy French accent, and the endless supply of the best croissants in the world, it would have been a wonderful time to connect with women pilots from all over the world. Most tasks for the women’s class consisted of zigging and zagging between beautiful mountain peaks and across JA M IE S H E L DE N Lake Annecy and the city of Annecy. I have to admit there was quite a pucker factor for me as I negotiated the turnpoints up ridges with teeny landing fields and dodged the hundreds of paragliders around the launch and start areas, so it was actually an achievement for me to get through the competition without scaring myself to death. Annecy is known for being one of the most popular paragliding sites in Europe and, unfortunately, has a reputation for being completely overrun with paragliders to the point where few hang gliders fly there these days. Luckily, the o