SEARCH Africa. Getting ready.
225.02km above the high mountains of Pakistan.
New record flight in the Himalayas.
Info :
Glider : Gradient Avax XC3.
Harness : Sup’Air D-lite. Less than 3kg with parachute. No carbon plate.
Oxygen bottle : Summit Oxygen.
Clothes : Peak Performance.
8.12 hours flying.
Altitude max : 6443m
Max vario : 5.5m/s.
Max sink rate : 6m/s.
What a flight… Today we are taking a well deserved day of rest as yesterday was pretty epic…Our team is now in Gilgit sharing a mouton Karahi for diner in a noisy local Pakistani restaurant and trying to come down on earth. We have smiles on our face, clouds in our heads and the sound of screaming varios in our ears… It feels just great to share this with friends.
I dreamed about this flight some time ago when our friend Brad Sander flew 224km from Booni to Hunza in 2008 and broke the altitude world record by the same occasion. This flight was for me one of the biggest achievement a paragliding pilot could dream of. As he flew in remote areas, in between huge mountains and in total autonomy. Back in the time, when I saw is track I felt very small and incapable of doing the same.
A week ago Brad told me with modesty on the phone : « You will see, it is easy when you have the right conditions… » Just if it was easy like turning when it beeps and flying straight when it does not… 9 hours later you might be far away… Still, it is my third time in Pakistan and I know what it takes to make the best of those good days. We have been waiting for 2 months last year with Ramon Morillas for the rain to stop… and finally, yesterday I flew above all those places where we got stocked last year because of floods and heavy rain… I really did not expect to fly 1km more than Brad on a different line…
Let me tell you the story of this flight in a few words. We woke up in Booni early in the morning to go to the take off but as we like having a real breakfast and local tea, we took some time to get in the car… J We arrived a bit late at the take off but got ready fast. The wind is there already. We have oxygen bottles, Belgian chocolate, hand warmers and worm clothes. We are ready for some bivy as we also bring sleeping bags, food, water, and the minimum to survive a few days in the mountains. I even have my fly fishing rod and a box full of flies because we are heading to some of the best trout fishing spots on earth and I am hoping to catch some fish for diner. This fishing rod will fly for the first time and his probably the highest rod on earth when I reach 6443m with Horacio a few hours later… But it is not the point here… What I don’t know yet is that we are going to fly high above this great rivers without having a chance to try to catch a bruin trout… I promise I will come back someday.
The flight starts well as Hernan Pitocco opens the game followed by Horacio Llorens and I. Somehow it feels funny to fly XC with those 2 great acro pilot. Usually they start tumbling around when they arrive at cloud base. But today we play a different game and those guys also now how it works. We fly in team but at some point we take different options. Pitocco is aggressive and fast but lose some height in a difficult transition. He will make it back easy and raise the rhythm. We all have different styles and I like it. We have 8 hours to get to know each other and make the best out of this day together… The spirit is good and I have to say that without them this flight would have been impossible.
I do not have much oxygen in my bottle so I go easy. Anyway, cloud base is low today. We can « only » climb to 5500m this morning. After this is like usual. From one thermal to another, one cloud to another.. east face, south face, west face… I think I reached the state of hypoxia a few time as I usually do not sing in turbulent conditions…
Time is running fast and cloud base getting higher. We climb together with Horacio in a very turbulent thermal at 6300m. The thermal is in the lee side and that’s when acro skills really help… Just high enough to freeze our hands. We can feel the tension, no one is talking on the radio for the 3 hottest hours of the day… Concentratd guys… The motivations are high. 189 km from Booni means Gilgit and hot shower… The view is breathtaking. We can see Nanga Parbat, K2 and some huge thunderstorm. I have some Belgian chocolate with me as a secret weapon but no water. I am talking to my Gradient XC3 when it is rough, to the mountain and to the birds when the thermal comes nice and smooth… It will be funny on our film as we are actually filming a documentary with Belgian director Olivier Vanashen. I have a microphone on me and a camera…
We make some distance and we start to believe that Gilgit is a realistic goal. The idea of a good bed and a nice restaurant gives us some strength. Time goes by and the sun goes down. We are getting closer. No real low points. I fly with Pitocco as Horacio got low at some point but will make a great come back with his Nova Factor 2 and land after 189km, his last serious XC flight was 11 years ago flying 90km in Spain. Flying together gives us more courage to scratch on rocky faces and to fly close to the ridge. The thermals are now smooth, we talk on radios again. We have been flying for 7 hours and Gilgit appears in the horizon. Pitocco is there but leaves a thermal to early and goes down after a huge 210km with his SOL comp glider !!!
Now it is a fight to death. Pitocco and Horacio are saying on the radio : « animo tio, puedes conseguirlo… »
We know that Brad flew the longest distance ever done in Himalaya with 224km. I look at the camera, talk to the microphone and say : « Brad here I am… Now it’s between you and me. » Without Brad’s amazing flight I would have land in Gilgit exhausted and happy to reach the hotel and share tea with my friends… I am now determined but it is just for fun.
But, as we fly above Gilgit, I start to see the possibility to break this record flight. It is a one time opportunity. I eat some Belgian chocolate and engage the fight… I say : « God if you exist let me know now… and the vario starts beeping… » I reconsider my point of view about religions and start turning around…
It feels like my dear Belgium flatlands flying. 0.5m/s. I get the last 30 km like that and land with the wind in the back just to make the best out of my glide. I think I am alone in the middle of nowhere and I scream « thank you »to the sky. A minute later, as usual, an army of kids are running around. I land near a town called Pari… I wish I could be in the French capital and enjoy « la cuisine française » and a fresh beer. But it is most likely not going to happen.My legs cannot hold me and I am exhausted. I hitchhike and go back to town to meet my friends. I do not know yet if I flew more than Brad or not. It does not matter. What matters here is to have fun and to enjoy.
Now after checking on XC contest I realized that my distance is bigger by 1.3km… Nothing regarding those 225km… I am looking forward to share a Belgian beer with Brad and talk paragliding.
Now we still have 2 weeks to go here in Pakistan and we might try to break his altitude world record. But it is another story…
Blue skies & soft landings,
Tom
Black Diamond gears just landed @ my place...
I just received a huge box full of brand new Black Diamond gears I will bring to Pakistan next month... ;-) Looking forward to use it in real conditions... For now I am just climbing trees around my house and running around with my bagpack full of old books to train...
The trekking poles are so light and super short when packed.. Perfect for the Red Bull X Alps race too. The BD team also sent me a few headlamps for late night walk... Getting ready... :-)
You know the saying: "hope for the best but be ready for the worse."
Getting ready fo a third trip to Pakistan...
Here is a short description of our next expedition:
In Mai 2011, 4 of the worlds top acrobatic paragliders along with a specialist photographer and dedicated cinematographer will leave their hometowns across the world and meet for the first time in Pakistan. Horacio Llorens, Hernan Pitocco, Veso Ovcharov & Thomas de Dorlodot will embark on a journey north to the remote Hunza Valley where they intend to break the world altitude record and perform a synchronized acrobatic dance over the Karakorum glaciers testing their teamwork and bodies like never before. During their travel through Pakistan they will embrace the local cultures and be testing each other’s personalities.
Located in the northern territory of Pakistan, the Hunza Valley exposes an amazing, yet treacherous panorama that is only suited to the most committed pilots. It stretches the northern length of the Himalayas and poses an incredible and unique location for the sport. The sheer scale of the mountains create an immense amount of thermal heat which allow the pilots to reach record breaking heights of over 8,000 meters above sea level. We belive that here is no other place in the world these heights can be reached.
The Hunza valley is popularly believed to be the inspiration for the mythical valley of Shangri-la in James Hilton's 1933 novel Lost Horizon. As one travels up on the Karakoram Highway, the beautiful sceneries keep on revealing themselves. Prior to the early 20th century, the people of the Hunza valley are said to have had an average lifespan of 100. This group of people were highly associated with nature, especially regarding dieting habits and lifestyle. They highly acknowledged the apricot seed, using it as currency. The Hunza valley is frequently referred to as Shangri La, and is also known as "The Valley Where you Live Forever".
I have my plane ticket... :-) for the next adventure...
Hi all,
Today was a good day, the preparation of the expedition goes well, we are getting ready and preparing all the gears. With one month to go, I feel that everything is going on time. The new harness I will use for XC flight just arrived at my place. I am looking forward to fly it. It is super light and has a great look. Next week the mountain gears will arrive (tents, gloves,...), an also the gliders... I have the visa, the cameras, the oxigen botles...
Our only concern is Veso's visa. It looks super complicated to get. We are doing the best to get it on time.
I will keep you posted soon,
Cheers,
Tom
A long weekend in the Alps. Chamonix.
After a great time with Peak Performance's team, flying tandem, skiing and enjoying the great weather, I was happy to meet my fiends Richard and Max at the take off of Brévent above Chamonix this saterday. They were obviously coming for the same thing: Fly XC and cover some distance. We started fast and high, headed for Plaine joux and for the Aravis. Then we took the direction of Megeve and back to the Mont Blanc. I was amazed by the glacier. I flew right above it. It remembered me some flights in Pakistan. Then I went to col de Balme where I had my last flight at Red Bull X Alps 2009. So many memories... All together I flew almost 80km. It could have been longer but I was happy to land near my car and share a beer with friends in the city center... :-)
The same evening I went to sleep in the forest near Thones. I know a great spot where I often come to park my car and sleep. Into the wild spirit. Love it... :-)
I almost lost my Iphone while taking those pix...
The Amarok just landed in front of my doorstep...
It just arrived at my place yesterday... A brand new Amarok by Volkswagen. I believe it is going to be the perfect car to travel the alps, go on training and for my brother to follow me during the race... This car will take me in all my adventures around the world. I am now preparing the bivouac stuffs. Tent on the roof, fridge, etc... For now, I am training every single day... I took my bike for 50km this morning and will run 10 km this evening. Next week I will be in the alps for some mountain training and hopefully some nice flights. If anyone is in Chamonix, contact me. I will be happy to try some serious distance.
Winter training session in Guatemala & Mexico.
Hi all, I would have enough stories to write an entire book about this trip... I arrived 2 and a half months ago in Valle de Bravo (Mexico) for XC training. I had great weather conditions and flew some distance almost everyday... This place is just amazing and there is a lots of pilots to fly with from all around the world... A lot of fun and a great spirit there. After 2 weeks there and already 35 hours of flight under my belt I decided to go to Tapalpa near Guadalajara. Great valley and strong thermal conditions.. Just as we like it :-). I had the chance to get great weather conditions and I broke the distance record of "la Ceja" take off, flying 120km de very first day I was there... That is what I called "being at the right place at the right moment" except that later I landed near a town well know to be the "base camp" of the "Familia", the most violent gang of Mexico. I had to hide in a truck to get out of town and to make it back at La Ceja where everyone was pretty worried for me.. Those 4 weeks, were great to get back under my wing. I am super happy about my glider, it is a great compromise for the Red Bull X Alps. I am looking forward for the super light version of that Avax XC3. Later my friend Horacio Llorens joined me and we started to fly acro as much as we could. It is not the exact Red Bull X Alps training but it surely gives me more confidence to fly in very harsh conditions. We practiced som roll over from a bridge (I might use that this summer if I do not have other take off options...haha..), B.A.S.E, and flew paramotor above the ruins of Tikal. We had a great time and did a lot of flying. I am now going back to the flatlands of Belgium to get more involved into the physical preparation. I will post some films and more pix as soon as I have done some computer work. :-) Blue skies and soft landings, Tom.
Selected for Red Bull X Alps 2011.
Hi all,
I am very happy to tell you that my brother and I are selected to represent Belgium at the next Red Bull X Alps... I am taking part for the third time. Let's see what happens.
More info on www.redbullxalps.com
I am very happy to tell you that my brother and I are selected to represent Belgium at the next Red Bull X Alps... I am taking part for the third time. Let's see what happens.
More info on www.redbullxalps.com
Flying in the dunes of Pakistan
Here is a short film of us having a relax flight in the dunes of Pakistan...
Enjoy, Blue skies & soft landings.
Tom.
Enjoy, Blue skies & soft landings.
Tom.
52 days in search of a world record in the Karakoram.
I am just back from a 52 days expedition with the Spanish National TV in the high mountains of Pakistan. The idea was to try to break the paramotor altitude world record and to intend a long bivouac flight across the Karakoram. As you know, the weather in Pakistan has been horrible in the late 2 months. Sadly, there is now around 15.000.000 homeless people in the south of the country. People here are really having a hard time.
We spent most of the time in our tents at base camp waiting for good flying conditions. Snow, rain, more snow...
Finaly, we had the chance to enter the Concordia glacier flying at more than 7000 meters high. The view Ramon and I got to see there was probably the most beautifull thing we have seen in our life... and the flights we have done were certainely the most engaged ones we have ever done.
We are now preparing a full article that will be published in Paramotor Magazine soon.
Stay tune.
Blue skies and soft landings.
The pics of me or my glider were taken by Ramon Morillas, Sebastian Alvaro and Pati Trepando. THX to them.
tom.
Black Light Expedition in Peru
Everything has an end…even this expedition. Today we leave Huaraz for Lima and back home to Europe.
We are all happy and satisfied with all the things we have done. In the end we did more than we have hoped for - 4 summits in 3 weeks, 18 000 vertical meters ;)
Marco - he took all the photos, without hi
s mountain knowledge you would never seen photos from the angle his been taken. He also makes everybody laugh and got a passion for passion fruits.
Giorgio - The great mountaineer that cl
imbs mountains to get connection so he can speak to his family. None of us didn’t know that he was such a great dancer :)
Eva - The perfect partner for climbing on rocks or ice. Just like she did when she was leading the team to the summit of Alpamayo.
Tom - From the beginning he starts out as a paraglider pilot and ends as an alpinist. All the team envied him to his fast descents.
Jenny - The sunshine smile with one side that’s soft and gentle, but when it comes to the real thing she is rock hard. She even think of the porters skin protection, even though they have been doing this for all their lifes.
Jacopo - The planer of this expedition and the best team leader you can ever have. Jacopo have great confidence in the mountains and always good spirit that he gladly share with everyone. “The chef” that made homemade pasta for everyone at Zarela’s and couldn’t help that he needed to help our porters/chefs to cook on our trip to
Alpamayo.
Last but not least - thank’s to Zarela that helped us with all the logistics in place.
Juan and Toyno our new friends that carried our stuff that we didn’t manage and made us eat gourmet in the mountains.
Until next time….big hugs from the Black Light Team a
nd tanks that you have been following us….
"The Elements", the making off.
What a great time... I am just back from Marocco. We really had a blast. The movie director Dimitri Van Zeebroeck came with lots of cameras and his assistant Olivier Vanashen to shoot some nice footage. The idea is to make an intimistic portrait about the way I live our beautifull sport trough the element "air"... We have been travelling around with a rented car. From Aguergour to the big Tubkal (highest summit in north africa, 4200m) that we climbed. We also went to Legzira, to the "nid d'aigle", ... This country is a paradise for pilots who want to get away from europe and have some good fly time. Only 3 hours plane and you enter a very different world, a beautifull culture and some amazing landscape.
Here is a small sequence that will appear in the movie that will be produce by Canvas TV. Thanks to Felix Wolk and Cedric de Bruyn for their help and smile...
Photo: Felix Woelk, Cedric de Bruyn.
Stay tune,
Blue skies & soft landings.
tom.
Here is a small sequence that will appear in the movie that will be produce by Canvas TV. Thanks to Felix Wolk and Cedric de Bruyn for their help and smile...
Photo: Felix Woelk, Cedric de Bruyn.
Stay tune,
Blue skies & soft landings.
tom.
Visit to Gradient in Praha.
I just came back from Praha where I went to visit my friend Ondrej Dupal and his team.Ondrej showed me around the factory and explained to me all the aspects of developing a new paraglider. I was amazed by the work it represents. A work of precision, research and development. The team is very nice and the spirit there is great. They are right next to Praha, so we could enjoy some good Czech beers in the center later in the evening. We talked about all the future projects we will work on together. The list of all the projects is long, but we are looking forward to get everything ready to make all those adventures posible with the best gears available on the market. First trip will be a climbing expedition in Péru with a Montana... For now, I came back with my brand new Aspen Freestyle 20 for some acro action.I will tell you more soon.
Blue skies and soft landings, tom
Training sessions in the Himalayas...
40 days in Pakistan in search of Altitudes World Records.
We are now back to Europe after more than a month flying in the high mountains of karakorum. We had great conditions and made many flights. We stayed at base camp at 4000 m for days waiting for good conditions to intend high altitude flights. Ramon went up to around 7800 m next to the Masherbrun and holds the new paramotor altitude world record. I flew at 6711 m with paramotor and at 6625 m on paragliding without oxigen with my Gradient Avax XC2. This altitude is 2100 m higher than the Altitude World record holded by Robbie Whittall (4526 m)... This flight was very scary because we didn't take oxygen and I suffered the effects of strong hypoxia. I could not see anything... Acording to the GPS track, I went up from 3600 m to 6625 m in 11 min in a very strong thermal. It was a pretty bad feeling to be almost blind and flying in between 7000 meter high mountain peaks. Hopefully, everyone came back in one piece. We have been flying super close to huge glacier and into snowing clouds taking off from roads or from tiny fields and in very cold temperature close to -35°. The material was still perfectly working in those harsh conditions and we where both amazed to ear the sound of our great HE motors at those altitude where the lack of oxigen can kill a man in a very short time.
We made tons of pictures and videos. Sebastian Alvaro from "Al filo de lo imposible" and director of the documentary is really happy, we have great material for the movie.
Beside the flying part, we met great peoples and had a amazing time, sleeping in tents in the snow, waiting for good weather, practicing ice climbing on the glacier and meeting the locals. Soon some more information will appear in Paramotor Magazine and in Aerial soon. Cheers.
Expedition Nanga Parbat (8125m). Himalaya.
One year ago Ramon Morilas asked me if I wanted to join him in is project in Pakistan to intend to fly above the famous Nanga Parbat(8125m). I did not take long to say yes... Since then we have been preparing a prototype of the HE R220 to be able to fly at those altitudes. We have made tons of flights in the Sierra Nevada, flying in strong thermals, very cold weather and strong wind conditions. I have been learning a lot on Ramon's side and now we are both ready to go and give it a try.
Here is what is going to happen in Pakistan :
It is probably the most ambitious projects I am taking part in sinds I started to fly 8 years ago. It would also probably be one of the most important project of those years in the paragliding and paramotoring scene.
We are leaving august 25th for Pakistan. We will go to the base camp of the Nanga Parbat (8125m) so called the »killer mountain » with a TV crew of the spanish national television (TVE) and the well known TV presentator Sebastian Alvaro. We will have to hike during 4 days to reach the base camp then we will stay at least 3 weeks at 4100 m to get used to the lack of oxygene and to prepare the material. The goal is to be the first pilots to fly above a 8000 m peak and to break the altitude world record. The all adventure will be followed by the TV crew in order to make a full documentary about our adventure and to bring it into the mainstream press all around the world. It is now been one year we are preparing with our sponsors for this projects and I am really looking forward to be in Pakistan. My job there is to make aerial footage and to intend to follow Ramon as high as I can. I am looking forward to see where are my limits and how high I can get. We will be living for one month in one of the most remote place of the world, flying paramotor and paraglider, sleeping in tents,... I cannot wait to get there.
I will soon give you the adress of the blog I am working on. Stay tune. tom.
Acrobatics 09.
Here is a small movie made with some images of Ramon and I having fun in some of the places we visited this year. Sweden, Flypa, the Sierra Nevada... enjoy.
tom.
tom.
Red Bull X Alps 09.
I'm still recovering from the race at the time I'm writting this message... Indeed this edition was very hard. A lot of walking, very litle sleep, always on the edge... but what a great time we had.
The race started very fast from Salzburg with around 90 km under the belt a the end of the first day. We were running most of the day wich was a big mistake. On the next day, many pilots could already feel some pain because of pushing to much. We all had huge training cessions before the race but running down hill was a mistake. The second day I could already feel strong pain in my left knee and at the end of the day I couldn't walk anymore. I felt miserable, so much training to finish like that... Finaly I decided to take it easy for the next days to try to recover as fast as posible. It lasted 3 long days. Walking was painfull but I kept on going as I could, not being able to bend my leg. Then, one morning, the pain stoped. I still had some reserve because I was not pushing hard on the last days. I had a second start. We traveled a lot with the french team. It was good to share good times and bad times with Julien Wirtz, we are much stronger together. Good flying was not hapening so we kept on going, putting one foot in front of the other days after days. Together, we made it back from 24th to 11th. Then, a new competition started into the competition. The fight for the 10th position. We finaly had a good flight from the Furka pass. I flew almost all the way to Zermatt, leaving Andy Froetscher and Julien Wirtz 30 km behind. Then came the longest day of the race... 29 hours followed closely by Julien and trying to catch Ramon. In 29 hours I walked around 120km with my bagpack. I slept one hour when a caught Ramon then we kept on going because Julien was getting closer. We finaly had a last flight from "col de balme" where my friend Pal Takats took off 2 hours earlier. I lost myself in the mountain there and Ramon took advantage of it. After landing I started to run and managed to keep my 10th place till the end. Julien was 7km in my back but called me to say that he wasn't going to run after me. In one hour he couldn't close the gap. I arrived in Chamonix right next to the mont blanc. The scenery was amazing, I couldn't move anymore. I had reached the limits of my body.
It was great to do the race with Max. He did an amazing job. It would have been imposible to achieve anything without him and his experience by my side.
Even if I promissed myself never to do it again, I already know that I'll be back in 2011... Now I'm trying to get back to a normal live but I still wake up after 3 hours of sleep or when the sun comes out thinking that I have to keep walking... It was a great experience to deal with so much pain, frustration and joy... I love it...
blue skies and soft landings.
Tom.
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