SAFA Skysailor Magazine

4 SKY SAILOR November | December 2019 K rushevo is the highest town in the Balkans at 1350m asl, and it is located on the edge of the hot, dry Pelagonija Valley, just north of the border with Greece. The region offers an interesting mix of terrain for competition tasking, including mountains and ridges, with flatlands featuring tobacco-growing farms in between. The regional flying conditions are famously consistent, providing for typically superb strong, fast racing. With 150 pilots from a record 48 different nations registered to compete, the stage was set for an epic Championships. And Krushevo did not disappoint. In total, the field raced 11 tasks (includ- ing the official Practice Task), for a total of 1011km and approximately 50 hours of flying per pilot. The Championships highlighted the incredible depth and strength of the international field, both male and female pilots, in the current era of Cat 1 and Paragliding World Cup (PWC) level competition Over 5 to 18 August 2019, our National Paragliding Team travelled to Krushevo, North Macedonia, to compete in the 16th FAI Paragliding World Championships. by Kari Ellis The 16th FAI Paragliding World Championships FAI / Marcus King Courtesy Kari Ellis Photos: FAI