CIVL Explorer Open Tests New Competition Rules at Mt Cuarnat

Over 100 pilots gathered at Gemona’s Mt Cuarnan last week for the CIVL Explorer Open, where five competition tasks were flown and a €2,600 prize purse was on offer. The event also served as a testing ground for new rule concepts in competition paragliding.

Kilian Hallweger from Germany claimed overall victory, followed by French pilots Constance Mettetal and Damien Sevrez. Constance’s strong performance also secured her the female category win, with Elisa Deutschmann (DEU) in second and Marina Centa in third.

Only the opening day saw a cancelled task — a surprise for organisers and competitors alike, with some pilots withdrawing at the last moment due to a discouraging forecast. Organiser Brett Janaway said the remaining five days produced outstanding conditions: “We couldn’t have asked for better weather really. We didn’t do massive tasking, typically around 60km to 80km as we needed a lot of people in goal.”

The reason for keeping more pilots in goal was to test various new rule proposals. One concept trialled was “drag noodles” — designed to limit the advantage of larger wings. While the noodles worked in principle, Janaway confirmed they’re not safe in their current format and won’t be introduced.

A more successful trial was the “elevated goal” concept. Instead of having a separate End of Speed Section (ESS) followed by a goal, organisers combined them into a single point at 300m AGL. Pilots arriving below 300m faced penalties. “That was a big success. Pilots accepted it and that’s now going to be adopted throughout the sport,” Janaway confirmed.

The CIVL Explorer Open was held in memory of Timo Leonetti, who won the Freedom Open almost exactly two years ago.

Final Results

Overall:

• Kilian Hallweger (DEU) — Ozone Enzo / Submarine — 3,702 points
• Constance Mettetal (FRA) — Ozone Enzo / Submarine — 3,665 points
• Damien Sevrez (FRA) — Ozone Enzo / Submarine — 3,650 points

Female:

• Constance Mettetal (FRA) — 3,665 points
• Elisa Deutschmann (DEU) — 3,593 points
• Marina Centa (ITA) — Ozone Zeno 2 / Submarine — 3,196 points