BACK IN THE DAY

25 YEARS AGO “Le vache qui rit…” says the caption on p35 of XC14, April/May 1991. Next to a picture of a smiling cow is a smiling hang glider pilot: Roland Delez. Delez explained that in April 1990 a restaurateur at La Marmotte in Verbier had proposed a task, to circumnavigate Mont Blanc by hang glider. The prize? A cow! Pilots had to fly a defined route, taking photos of their turnpoints: La Marmotte in Verbier; the entrance to the Mont Blanc tunnel; and the Refuge Elisabeth Soldini (2,258m); before closing their route back at La Marmotte. On 3 May 1990 Roland Delez had nearly succeeded, flying 120km and seven hours, landing “albatross style”. “An extraordinary flight” he reflected “but frustrated that the goal escaped me.” Never mind, he shrugged,…

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Cross Country (Digital) - 1 Issue, May 2016

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