Wanaka hike & fly
3rd edition, 10-12 February 2023
This year’s Wanaka Hike & Fly took place over three days between 10 to 12 February. This is the third time we have run this event and this year we were blessed with fantastic weather. All three days were flyable with light winds and good thermals. Our athletes took full advantage of the excellent flying conditions, with many spending three self-supported days living and sleeping in the mountains of the Southern Alps.
The event saw plenty of locals out for the first time plus a handful of overseas pilots exploring the spectacular backcountry of the Southern Alps.
Athletes gain points by reaching waypoints in any order they like, by foot or by paraglider. Many waypoints are placed at the top of mountain peaks and the higher value points are placed in remote places that would take days to reach on foot! The further the turnpoints are from Wanaka the more they’re worth (1 to 4 pts), with extra points for top landing in certain spots . There is also a 10 point penalty for not arriving at the finish before 5pm on the final day.
When the racing finishes each day, athletes can leave their final position for the comforts of town, provided they return to the same place the next day to start again.
Due to the nature of the terrain around Wanaka and lack of roads there are some areas where pilots have to continue unsupported, creating a unique format where bivy flying becomes a competition.
Day 1 was fast flying and a gaggle of about ten pilots flew from Wanaka to Queenstown, top landing on the way and bagging points as quickly as possible before the sky eventually shaded over in the evening. Pilot positioning at the end of the first day proved to be important as the following day was shaping up to be a cracker.
The second day was a fantastic flying day; with a 9,000ft cloudbase and light winds, pilots could afford to fly deep lines knowing they still had the final day as a reserve day to make it back to Wanaka and avoid the penalty for not making it back.
The last day was also exceptional flying with nearly everyone making it to the finish line, most taking a more conservative line ensuring to make it in before the 5pm deadline.
Our 2022 champion Ben Kellett proved to be unbeatable again, taking out first place! Bradley Franks also returned to the podium with second place, and newcomer visitor from the US Mark Simpson nabbed third in a very competitive field.
All three flew hundreds of kilometres through the mountains between Wanaka, Queenstown, Glenorchy, Mt Aspiring National Park and Lake Hawea, collecting an astounding number of waypoints before racing back to the finish line at Pembroke Park.
We were also very proud of our female competitors. Our first place getter Jessica Schofield flew far and spent three days competing completely under her own resources!
We were delighted to be able to award first-time competitor Gustavo Iglesias with the Mt Outdoors Mad Hiker Award. Gustavo came to the start line with limited hiking and paragliding experience. He had heavy, bulky gear, but this just seemed to give him extra motivation to keep walking up and along, and keep flying.
All of our athletes did very well, combining piloting and hiking ability to navigate their way through a complex and challenging mountain environment.
All in all, an exceptional event providing support for some newer pilots giving bivouac flying a go but also an interesting race for more seasoned pilots.
WHF 2023 Team
Kinga Masztalerz (Race Director)
Lorraine Johns (Secretary)
Doug Patterson (Technical Officer)
Jan Hellebrand (Safety Officer)
Neil Silverwood (Photographer)
Lauren Kelley (Race Crew)
Gustavo Iglesias (Scoring)
Tobias Joechle-Rings (Web Admin)
Special thanks to our sponsors: Stodeus Solar Paragliding Instruments, Cross Country Magazine, Mitre 10 Mega Wanaka, Ruby’s Cinema and Bar, Fluga Sports, Mt Outdoors, Local Dehy, Puzzling World, Bike Glendhu and Cookie Time.
2023 Results
1. Benjamin Kellett (65 pts)
2. Bradley Franks (59 pts)
3. Mark Simpson (54 pts)
4. Aaron Ford (50 pts)
5. Frederico Astigarraga (44 pts)
6. Gavin Zahner (34 pts)
7. Ryan Scott (34 pts)
8. Simon Craddock (27 pts)
9. Jessica Schofield (24 pts)
10. Thomas Wright (21 pts)
- 1st Woman: Jessica Schofield
- Adventure of the Year: Simon Craddock
- Best Content: Jared Anskaitis
- Best Supporter: Sanae Noguchi
Click here for a list of the 2023 Athletes