AirDesign Exta: a mountain parakite that breaks out of the beach mould

AirDesign is rewriting the rules of the parakite. The Swiss maker’s first step into the segment, the Exta, is not a copy of the coastal ridge-soaring wing built for laminar sea breeze. Instead it brings genuine alpine DNA to a tiny, ultralight wing meant for steep terrain, extreme lightness and active air.

The numbers are striking: four sizes from 12 to 21 m², with the smallest weighing just 1.85 kg and size 16 at 2.2 kg. Built from Dominico DOKDO-10DSF cloth at 26 g/m² with Dyneema Edelrid Taurus 3.7 mm risers, it packs into a 24-litre trail backpack. The architecture — a solid, low-aspect canopy with pyramid D lines — is tuned for ridge dynamics, proximity flying, thermalling and mountain descents.

Until now the parakite was almost boxed into sand dunes and calm conditions. Developed under Hugo Chaboud, the Exta breaks that limitation, chasing the same accessibility and fun that defined the legendary SuSi a decade ago. Its real strength shows in broken air: a contained aspect ratio, pitch-stable profiles and a progressive brake feel let it hold lift in ridge turbulence and recover energy with unusual composure. The pyramid D lines actively speed up and symmetrise the canopy after a front collapse in alpine air, while magnets on the risers mark a clear neutral point for predictable brake travel.

It inherits AirDesign’s construction maturity — clean finishes, Nitinol rods, unsheathed Edelrid lines and ultralight Dyneema risers — the high-end paraglider heritage shrunk to a format where every gram counts.

For packing such a compact wing, a Fast Pack Bag or a Concertina Bag keeps it tidy in your pack, and a Your Journey Bottle earns its place on the summit.

Pack smart for the mountains: see our Fast Pack Bag, Concertina Bag and Your Journey Bottle.