Four different ways to compete in paragliding
A distance task, a precise landing, an aerobatic performance and a mountain course call for very different kinds of skill.
The difference becomes visible when you watch an event. One spectator follows wings across a map; another watches a pilot approach a landing target. In a hike-and-fly race, the next stretch may be covered on foot with the wing packed away. The result measures something different in each discipline.
The FAI Hang Gliding and Paragliding Commission, known as CIVL, maintains an international sporting framework for these disciplines. Its 2026 Sporting Code has separate sections for cross-country, accuracy, aerobatics and hike & fly. Each event also has its own local regulations.
The main disciplines at a glance
| Discipline | Central challenge | How to read the performance |
|---|---|---|
| Cross-country (XC) | Fly a defined route or distance task | Follow progress, then check the official score; arrival order alone may not settle the result |
| Accuracy landing | Make the first valid foot contact as close to the target centre as possible | Lower cumulative scores are better; the pad and judges establish the landing point |
| Aerobatics | Perform a judged solo or two-pilot synchro run | Technical difficulty, execution, choreography and, in synchro, synchronisation are assessed |
| Hike & fly | Complete an event through both flying and travel on foot with equipment | Ground and air sections both contribute to progress under event rules |
Cross-country: a task across the landscape
In cross-country competition, pilots fly a task set by the organisers. It may include a start procedure, turnpoints and a goal, or take an open-distance format. Progress is recorded and scored under the event’s rules.
Between those points lies an atmosphere that keeps changing. A pilot has to find usable rising air and decide how to continue across the terrain. The route may be shared, but the decisions made along it are individual.
An XC result can account for more than who arrives first. The scoring method determines how performances are compared. A pilot’s position on a live map therefore needs to be read alongside the official results.
Recreational XC has no obligation to follow a competition task. A pilot may want to connect two flying areas or explore a personal route. Racing adds a formal sporting comparison to that wider discipline.
The FAI’s cross-country overview explains the competition context. For the principles behind gliding and rising air, see how paragliding works.
Accuracy landing: the first touch counts
Paragliding accuracy measures how close a pilot’s first valid foot contact is to the centre of a landing target. It is not measured by where the pilot comes to a stop. The contact may be made with the toe, heel or side of the foot, subject to the rules defining a valid landing.
Imagine a pilot touching the small central sensor with the toe of a boot and then taking another step outside the marked circle because of forward momentum. Provided the landing remains valid, that later step does not change the original contact point. A first contact on the dead-centre disc earns the ideal score of 0 cm.
The target is larger than its central electronic measuring pad. The pad records a contact within its sensitive area; when the first foot contact is beyond it but within the scoring target, judges mark and measure the landing point. Judges may also need to resolve a missed or defective pad reading under the scoring rules. A missing electronic reading does not automatically mean a perfect landing.
The judges assess whether the landing is valid, including falls and other penalties. Competitions usually have several rounds, and a lower cumulative score is better, subject to the current event rules. A single perfect landing does not necessarily win the event. The FAI’s accuracy overview explains the discipline; the current CIVL Sporting Code and event regulations govern the details.
Events can use hillside launches or suitable towing arrangements, depending on their rules and location. They may operate without the strong thermals associated with some XC flying, but they still depend on appropriate weather.
Aerobatics: a judged performance in the air
In paragliding aerobatics, pilots perform sequences of highly dynamic manoeuvres. The judges assess more than how spectacular a trick looks: its difficulty, the precision and clean execution of each element, and the pilot’s control throughout the performance all matter.
The order of manoeuvres matters too. Choreography concerns how a run is composed, including variety, rhythm, connections between elements and overall flow. A demanding trick is not automatically worth a high mark if its execution is poor. Depending on the event’s scoring rules, the landing may also contribute to the result.
There are different competition formats. In solo, one pilot’s run is judged. In synchro, two pilots perform together, and their timing, coordination and synchronisation are additionally assessed. A pair doing difficult manoeuvres is not necessarily more successful than another pair performing a coherent, accurately synchronised run.
The detailed manoeuvre criteria, difficulty coefficients, deductions and relative weights belong to the applicable FAI/CIVL Section 7B Sporting Code and each event’s regulations. The FAI aerobatics overview introduces the discipline.
Aerobatics is a specialist activity with significant risks and particular training, equipment and operating requirements. A video of a performance is not instruction for attempting its manoeuvres.
Hike & fly: the ground route is part of the race
Outside competition, someone may hike up to a launch site and then fly for enjoyment. In an organised hike & fly race, however, travelling on foot while carrying the required flying equipment is itself part of the sporting task. It is not simply the journey to takeoff or the transport home after a landing.
Competitors may hike or run across terrain, launch when appropriate, fly part of the course and continue on foot after landing. That makes decisions about both ground travel and flying relevant to their progress. A pilot who flies far is not automatically ahead if the event’s route, checkpoints or timing make a different combination of walking and flying more effective.
There is no single universal race format. Courses, turnpoints, scoring, permitted assistance and rest arrangements are set by the specific event. The FAI/CIVL has a separate Section 7L for Hike & Fly, in addition to the broader Hike & Fly overview.
Red Bull X-Alps is a well-known example of racing through mountain terrain on foot and by paraglider. Its rules illustrate one demanding event format, not the rules of every hike & fly competition. Consult the organiser for a particular edition’s course and requirements.
Following an event without misreading the result
Many events publish tracking, results or reports online, although coverage varies. The organiser’s site is the place to check which services are official.
Tracking lets a spectator follow progress. An official result requires the relevant performances to be checked and the scoring and penalty rules applied. In XC, the position of a dot on a map cannot supply that whole judgement. In accuracy and aerobatics, measurement and judging are central to the result itself.
Weather also affects what can be compared. It may make a task unsuitable, prevent completion or require a change of plan. Published rules explain how the event handles those circumstances. A promotional caption or short video rarely gives that context.
A result, a ranking and a record answer different questions
A competition result tells you how a pilot performed in a particular event under its scoring and penalty rules. Winning an event or championship is an achievement in that competition, not an automatic first place in the international rankings.
The World Pilot Ranking System (WPRS) compares pilots using results from multiple eligible FAI-sanctioned competitions, with a calculation that accounts for the value and age of results. Separate rankings apply to different disciplines and classes. A pilot can win a particular championship without being the current world ranking leader. See the FAI CIVL rankings and the current WPRS Section 7E.
An official FAI record is different again: it is a defined sporting performance submitted, validated and recognised under the applicable record category and requirements. A personal-best distance or remarkable flight track is not automatically a ratified record. The FAI records page and Section 7D of the CIVL Sporting Code cover records separately from rankings.
These achievements are not interchangeable: a record holder need not be the current champion or the leader of WPRS, and a competition winner need not hold a record. None of these titles alone establishes a pilot’s judgement or readiness for every flying situation.
Skills and equipment belong to the discipline
The four disciplines make different demands on pilots and equipment. A wing that suits a trained pilot’s XC aims is not automatically suitable for accuracy or aerobatics.
Classification also needs careful reading. The DHV type-classification guide explains that a class concerns tested flight characteristics and demands on pilot skill, rather than a simple performance ranking. It does not assess the individual pilot or guarantee safety.
Training, qualifications, equipment and safety arrangements need to fit the specific discipline and event. The equipment guide and what matters in paragliding explain the broader questions.
What the variety reveals
Following these disciplines draws attention to different kinds of skill: decisions across a long route, a measured landing, specialist control in the air, or the effort of carrying a wing through mountain terrain.
Knowing what an event measures makes the achievement more interesting to watch. It also leaves room to appreciate a discipline without treating it as the next step in your own flying.
This is an introduction to sporting disciplines, not competition entry advice, flight instruction or an assessment of individual pilot competence. Current event rules, training, equipment, locations and weather requirements must be checked with the appropriate authorities.