Chrigel Maurer - the record smasher daddy!

Chrigel Maurer - despite his young age - is without doubt one of the best XC pilots since many years, winning the world cup series one after the other...But not everybody knows that behind the scenes he is also a rising acro star! Flying acro in his free time, just for his own entertaining step by step he learned all the figures and arrived to a world class level. On 19th of March he took-off at Jungfraujoch in Switzerland, soar up the three famous mountains of the Alps - Jungfrau, Mönch, Eiger - then flew over the valley of Grindenwald and made 158 Infinity turns with his Advance prototype (current official record 120 turns by Antoine Montant by jumping from helicopter).
We catched him for a short interview just after he became father, his son was born this Monday!

Name: Chrigel Maurer

Age: 25 years old

Place of home: Wilderswil, Interlaken

Started to fly paraglider in 1998

Started to fly XC competitions in 1999

Overall PWC winner in 2005, 2006 and 2007

European XC record holder, 323 km (in 2004)

Website: chrigelmaurer.ch

justACRO: You are a real competitor character and for several years you were participating in all the cross county World Cups, this is actually your main profession?

Chrigel Maurer: Yes, my first PWC was in 2001 - when I was 19- and I won the series overall in the last 3 years.

jA: Beside focusing so much on XC how is your relation with acro flying?

Chrigel: I love the fascination of the maneuvers...

and the fun of course, but also it is the tool to fly more safe on my glider.

jA: When did you start acro?

Chrigel: It was in 1999 during a safety training over the lake of Thun where I did stalls, negativs...Then with competition glider I learned wing-overs, looping, groundspiral....

jA: :-)

Chrigel: I took part in Vertigo in 2001 first time with Dominic Eller in synchro on a DHV 1-2 glider! We tried to fly SAT, but nobody tell us something about this maneuver. Then I took part in Vertigo every year with Peter Neuenschwander in synchro, just for fun.

jA: And just for fun you finished 2nd in synchro in the 1st World Championship...and Your landings are always impressing the public very much...

Chrigel: Thanks!We trained hard and I had a good glider for groundspiral, so it makes it easyer!

jA: What is Advance's phylosophie in developing acro gliders?

Chrigel: For Advance the acro team is interesting for promotion and the gliders are important for testing materials, what they use for the serial wings! Every year we try new prototypes and develope the glider, but it will not become a serial product.

jA: You were the first swiss pilot who learned Infinity Tumbling, when exactly?

Chrigel: Earlier I put a lot of effort to learn the acro figures, then I started to get close the the Infinity at the end of 2006, but my glider was not stable enough. I could make several turns with other gliders and by august 2007 we worked out a new prototype with Advance, that was able to make Infinity. Then trained very hard and I could make it nicely in october 2007, more then 50 turns.

jA: So tell me more about this Infinity flight, I know you planned it for a while now!

Chrigel: When I flew on Eiger before, I thought about the altitude above Grindelwald (the Eiger north face is ca. 1800 m). I checked the weather and the wind on the internet that morning
and saw, it could be possible to make it. I had a good glider and I was just waiting for a good day, I went up with Jungfraubahn to 3400 m and the wind was good. It was very very cold, -15 degree. I took off at 10:30 on Jungfraujoch. The wind was little bit too much from north, so it wasn`t easy to soar up in Mönch (4099 m), but after a fight and tricky parts I climbed over the peak, then I flew to the Eiger (3970 m), and arrived at 4000m. The wind there was to weak to take more altitude so I flew straight over Grindelwald. My fingers were also very cold, I was thinking to go down very fast. It was also difficult to find the good position over the landing place. Then I started the Infinity. After ca. 100 turns I had pain in my fingers and my neck from the G-force and I didn't know how high I was exactly, it was little bit bad. When I do 50 turn I don`t have big problems with the forces, but after 100...Then I stopped too early, but I think it is still better to stop high enough then too low.

jA: How did you feel after?

Chrigel: Like someone who just got out of the washing machine... The first minutes were not realy clean in my head, I felt like drunk... but after the landing, when I had time to count the turns on my camera it was a great feeling. My goal was to make more then 100 and I counted 158 turns! It was also nice to see how good my glider works!

jA: Great, and congratulation for this - unofficial - record. Now back to cross county, when and why did you stop XC competitions and what are your plans for 2008?

Chrigel: Now I won 3 times the PWC overall, so I stop the fight for PWC overall. My plan is to fly the PWC in Grindenwald in May, Swiss Championships and some opens...At the same time I help young, talented pilots to learn, organize cross country trainings and training competitions.
And...I have a son now, he was born on 24th March. He will take lots of time and I like it!

jA: Congratulation! :-)

Chrigel:Thank you very much! But anyway, I don't think that I have enough motivation to win again now, so it is a good time to make a year off.
I said, if there comes a pilot who wins the PWC two times...I will fly again! :-)