XC 1 – 2 to 11 July
XC1 Guiding Fees: £1200
Fees include XC guidance, daily mountain transport logistics.
XC1 Duration: 10 flying days
Krushevo, the highest town in Macedonia, is a fantastic place to take your first steps into cross country flying.The area offers a range of terrain from flat open valleys, to low laying foothills, plus the conditions are generally smooth and consistent, which means you’ll spend less time navigating complex terrain and more time focusing on core skills such as coring in thermals, choosing good lines, understanding your equipment, and more.
Our group size are small, with a 3:1 pilot-to-guide ratio to ensure personalised support throughout the course. Whether it’s guiding you into your first thermal or helping you understand how to connect your glides, our team is with you every step of the way.
You can fly into Skopje or Thessaloniki airport, from there we can organise a taxi to pick you up or you can catch a Local Bus to Krushevo
Krushevo is a small town with many Hotels, Air BnB’s, and home stays in town. Most of these places are 5 min from the town centre, which will be our morning meeting point.
East Start 1420m ASL (41.340802, 21.256547)
It is facing east – northeast towards Pelagonia Valley. It is several minutes drive from the town and an asphalt road goes almost through the launch. When you take the paraglider out from the car, it is already on the place where it should be open. Lazy pilots will love this launch. East Start is a grassy shallow slope bordered by big trees from the South, which offers thick shadows in sunny days.
West Start 1440m ASL
It’s a secondary smaller take off place facing west – southwest, it is 500 meters away from East Start. Cars, again, can be driven right up to the launch. The same cross-country flights can be done from here. Landing fields under this launch are smaller than on the other side of mountain where there are very large fields, mostly grassy.
There are 3 main ways to get to Bir:
1. Domestic flight from Delhi to Dharamshala and from there you can get a taxi to bir.
2. Overnight bus from Delhi -ISBT Kashmiri gate, which will take you directly to Bir.
3. Fly to Amritsar or Chandigarh and get a private car to Bir.
There are many lovely hostel, homestay and hotels in Bir.
Most of the places are on the Main Street of Bir or just 5 mins away.
We will be staying in a lovely hotel, if you would like to book the same let us know.
Takeoff in Bir is at 2400m ASL, It is ideal for all major wind directions.
Once you arrive at the takeoff, there is a very short walk up the hill to get to the best launch spot.
There we will have a briefing for the day and set a task for us to follow. After this, we will enjoy a wonderful day flying together.
There are 3 main ways to get to Bir:
1. Domestic flight from Delhi to Dharamshala and from there you can get a taxi to bir.
2. Overnight bus from Delhi -ISBT Kashmiri gate, which will take you directly to Bir.
3. Fly to Amritsar or Chandigarh and get a private car to Bir.
There are many lovely hostel, homestay and hotels in Bir.
Most of the places are on the Main Street of Bir or just 5 mins away.
We will be staying in a lovely hotel, if you would like to book the same let us know.
Takeoff in Bir is at 2400m ASL, It is ideal for all major wind directions.
Once you arrive at the takeoff, there is a very short walk up the hill to get to the best launch spot.
There we will have a briefing for the day and set a task for us to follow. After this, we will enjoy a wonderful day flying together.
Please be aware of your own physical and mental limits throughout the tour and on each flight. We aim to do a lot of flying and this can be tiring, especially in heat that you may not be used to, so please be realistic and fly within your comfort and skill levels, cut the flight plan early if you feel tired. We can always change our flight plan to suit what you feel happy dealing with.
We expect that you will arrive with a functional paraglider, harness, reserve parachute, helmet, radio and Vario/GPS..
The weather is nice and warm, good enough to fly in shorts, but it will be cold at cloud base so you will need a down jacket and gloves.
We provide flymaster trackers in Macedonia.
It is essential that you have travel insurance that covers you in respect of the following:
A typical route encompasses a 50–100 km out-and-return flight, taking advantage of the numerous south-facing ridges in the area. These ridges provide ideal conditions for thermal generation and ridge lift, allowing pilots to refine their skills in efficient and fast cross-country flying. The route is carefully designed to challenge participants while ensuring safety and maximizing airtime, offering a rewarding experience for both developing and experienced XC pilots.
Kanan is a talented pilot and truly enjoys guiding.
Her love for flying and excellent organisational skills make all of our courses run smoothly anywhere in the world.
Josh is a highly skilled pilot and a natural guide.
He possesses a profound understanding of XC and competition flying across diverse environments.
Escape Paragliding Ltd
4 Southey Court
Keswick, Cumbria ,CA12 5FG
