The Paragliding Worlds 2021 kicked off with a 63km straight-line task in difficult conditions. No pilots made goal. Philipp Haag (DE) won the day with 39km
Hugh Miller interviews paragliding legend John Silvester in this archive article from 2008. At the time of the interview John was preparing to head off to the Karakoram for a unique tandem vol-biv adventure – the film of that trip became the legendary Birdman of the Karakoram
I’ve wanted to interview John for ages. Two reasons. Back in 1995, when I was 18, John gave me a ride around the European World Cup circuit in his knackered old Renault Master campervan, and became something of an uncle to me. My parents drove me to a rendezvous point on the way to Dover and patiently waited for John to show up. He’d bought the van for £300, and it’d already seen him round four seasons before he lumbered into the Essex services (at midnight – no road tax – less chance of getting done by the police).
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