Athlete Guide
All you need to know before signing up for the adventure.
Rules
The official list of turnpoints will be published in January, 2024 You decide which turnpoints you cross and in which order. Easily accessible turnpoints give you 1 point, further or more tricky ones 2 points and to make it more fun there is a 5 points bonus for sleeping at a designated Night Turnpoint, and a Bivvy Bonus with a Social Twist for camping in the mountains (1 point if alone, 2 points if with another athletes).
You can stay close by or push for those far turnpoints but be careful, there is 10 points penalty if you don’t arrive to the finish cylinder before the end of the race (17:00NZT, Feb 18, 2024)
For more details check ‘Race’ here.
Socialising
It’s all about an adventure in the mountains, sharing and learning from other pilots.
A decent bonus for spending night at a designated Night Turnpoint will assure there will be plenty of others to share the emotions of the 1st day and plan the 2nd day. And let’s not forget about the after party!
We encourage you to connect with other participants, discuss the race strategy or find a race buddy if you wish.
Safety
The Wanaka Hike and Fly Safety Management Plan can be found here.
Every participant has a tracking device with live tracking function and a Safety Assistant.
You need to be an independent pilot who can safely take off and land in various conditions. There will be others around you but it’s not an xc race with a task committee, a launch marshal or a safety comittee who will tell you if it’s ok to take off or too dangerous to continue flying. You are responsible for your decisions.
Please, check the section ‘Race’, ‘Equipment’, ‘Flight Rules’ and ‘Tracking’ here and if you have any questions, get in touch.
FAQ
For a complete list of mandatory and recommended equipment please see ‘Equipment’ here.
WH&F is open to all keen pilots who fulfill the requirements and apply correctly. 30 spots are filled ‘1st come 1st served’. To apply you need to fill the application form on the website, then you will receive an email with payment details. Entry fee payment ensures your spot in the event. Additionally, at any time the Race Committee can grant 5 wild cards to arbitrarily chosen athletes (45 participants max).
You need to be a qualified paragliding pilot and a member of NZHGPA (full or visiting pilot). You need to be able to safely take off and land without anyone’s help or advise. You need to be able to make reasonable decisions, there will be other pilots around you but only you are responsible for your actions so you need to be able to decide if it’s safe to take off, fly and land on particular spot. You need to be able to hike with your paragliding backpack. If you’re in doubt about your piloting skills or fitness level, please get in touch.
No. The designated campsites (Night Turnpoints) will be within hiking distance from the start and finish, to make them accessible to all the participants but also to make it fun even if it’s not an epic xc day. It’s possible to start, gather a few turnpoints hiking and gliding, get to the campsite, then hike and glide to the next couple of turnpoints etc. and get to finish cylinder on time. It’s even possible for a committed hiker to get to some turnpoints and the campsite without flying at all (it’s not our goal of course, always better to fly!)
Every Athlete must have a Safety Assistant, a person designated to support contact with the athlete. Safety Assistant doesn’t have to physically follow you during the race but has to at least follow your live tracking and be in contact with you and if required be able to forward all the necessary information to the Race Comittee. Your Safety Assistant can also check you in at the end of the day.
One Safety Assistant can support more than one Athlete so you can share one with your racing buddy.
Hike & fly is fun in any weather but of course it’s more fun when the weather is good! The official 2024 race dates are: Feb 16-19 2024. According to the weather forecast we will choose 3 best days out of 4, so the race will take place Feb 16-18 (Fr-Sun) or Feb 17-19 (Sat-Mon).
You are responsible for providing all the food and water you believe you will need during the race. When you hike on the road, you can give all your non-mandatory equipment, including food and water to your Safety Assistant or any other person. However, when you hike on a trail without your Safety Assistant you need to carry all extra food and water. There are places on the route to top up your water. There might be water, gas burners and emergency food available at the Night Turnpoint but we strongly encourage you to be self-sufficient in case you don’t make it there on time.
The entry fee is 200NZD (~110Eur or ~120USD). It covers organizational costs, and some cool hike&fly gadgets for our athletes.