SO YOU WANT TO VOL-BIV

SO YOU WANT TO VOL-BIV

Last summer Dougie Swanson-Low travelled from Nice to the Dolomites on a 750km, 11-day vol-biv. He’d never done such a big vol-biv trip before – here’s what he learned.

It is so important to thoroughly test every piece of equipment before going, ideally in a range of conditions. Decisions like what footwear, rucksack, clothing and sleeping system to choose could make or break the trip. It’s also a huge confidence boost knowing what conditions you can and can’t cope with before going.

It wasn’t until after I went on a long hike, with full kit, that I decided to ditch the trainers and opt for more supportive boots. Only after sleeping out exposed to the wind, in sub-zero conditions, did I learn that I didn’t really need a sleeping bag: the wing, inflatable mat and tent were warm enough.

The things I didn’t test were what caught me out: how much solar power I needed to keep my devices charged; how much water I needed in 35C heat. The more you prepare, the more successful and confident you will be.

Sharing the joys (and misery) found on a volbiv adventure with another is really special. Each person brings their own unique skills to the team, it feels less serious splitting the work and decisions, flying as a team can be more effective and most importantly having someone close if things go wrong can make a huge difference to the outcome. Strongly consider going with someone if it is your first vol-biv.

Communication is essential, and you should establish clear rules in advance. It is hard, but if you are a team, then be a team and work together. So, if one bombs, both bomb. If you can’t do that, then consider going alone. It shouldn’t be underestimated how free and liberating solo vol-biv missions can be though. You are totally independent, able to move at your pace, more dynamic with decisions and not constantly worrying about another.

I shared the first half of the trip with friend Tony Blacker, then went on alone for the second half; experiencing both aspects was perfect and I wouldn’t have changed a thing.

If you go vol-biv for just one night you will have a very good idea of what weather and terrain you will encounter, so you shouldn’t need much kit at all. On longer trips you can’t predict it as well. I was potentially out for two to three weeks, so I really had to pack for a lot of possible conditions – from a record-breaking heatwave, to thunderstorms in the high mountains.

For longer trips tiredness, comfort and nutrition become more important. So, for me having a tent was essential because it put my mind at rest knowing I had adequate shelter and could get a good sleep.

For people new to vol-biv, do several one-night trips in familiar terrain. As you feel more comfortable, slowly increase the duration and maybe explore new places. Once you are out for longer than four to five nights you will have to be prepared for a much greater variety of situations and weather. Start small and build up.

Fear in paragliding is insidious and feeds off doubt and uncertainty, both of which are in abundance when doing extended vol-biv trips. Fear can keep you safe, but it can also lead to over-caution that can be inhibiting. Being comfortable with your wing and your ability is just one factor, but it’s essential.

I chose to take the Swing Agera RS because I’d flown it lots, knew it had good performance and I was very comfortable flying it after experiencing how well the RAST system responds to collapses. Why take a higher performance wing if you scare yourself into landing 50km sooner?

My longest flight lasted 8hr30 on the final day. I started quite tired, had one launch option and the take-off was initially both inverted and in the lee. Each metre was hard earned. I would never have made it as far as I did if I wasn’t totally comfortable and relaxed under my wing.

Weather, maps & apps

Vol-biv plans are at the mercy of the weather and navigating the terrain. I was always reevaluating my plans, and as such constantly re-checking routes and forecasts, even during flight. I set up a home page on my phone with links to everything I would need, all in one place – saving time and power. This included general tabs like tracking pages, Google Translate, Chrome and WhatsApp.

For mapping I used a combination of: Google Maps; Alpine Quest for navigating trails on the ground as well as looking at terrain ahead while flying (preloaded with free detailed offline maps – OpenTopoMaps); Paragliding Map for finding launch spots; XC Planner to see popular routes and airspace; and XCTrack to negotiate this airspace while flying. I also used Parange.ch, a handy webpage to help inform me where a glide could take you from any launching spot.

For weather I used: XCSkies (subscription), a flying specific weather map with a useful ‘XC Potential’ parameter; MeteoParapente, a flying-specific weather map with airspace; Windy, a general weather map with observations; and Meteoblue for locational forecasts. I used SpotAir for wind observations and webcams.

I would consult all of these, multiple times throughout the day, to inform my decisions on when and where to go next. It’s tedious but important for good decisions.

Vol-biv is something you do for yourself. It’s not a race. For me, I’d never flown in the Alps before, so it was about my own exploration of an area I’d not yet seen. I decided that I wanted to prioritise flying – it was my flying holiday.

With paragliding, it’s crucial to be in the right place at the right time, so if I could take a ski lift, or a short hitch, to get me in position for a flight then I would. If not, I’d crack on and walk. I saw no fun in marching along a road on a perfect flying day if I didn’t have to.

On the other hand, I personally prefer to camp in the mountains, rather than stay in a hotel. That was the style I chose. So many people are deterred by the perception that vol-biv has to be hardcore and physically demanding. It doesn’t have to be like this, especially in places like the Alps. Do it in a style that you will enjoy and don’t be put off from trying.

What no one tells you about vol-biv is you spend most of your time packing and unpacking your bag, especially when the wing is the duvet and the harness is the pillow. Don’t overlook this and choose a backpack and packing method very carefully. If you do this well, you will find yourself with quite a lot of time to do other things.

Making fresh flatbread every morning is something Tony showed me and is a great way of passing time and having a tasty fresh lunch and dinner each day. I also took six A3 printed topo maps of the whole Alps, which I spent a lot of time studying and which were incredibly useful when there was no signal. I also drew on them as a form of picture diary, which is enjoyable to do. Also, take sewing equipment and spinnaker tape as you will be making repairs.

Going with a partner is valuable if something goes wrong. When I continued alone, I used a Delorme InReach Mini and had a trusted and experienced pilot friend at home who agreed to monitor my progress. I would send a pre-set ‘launching’ message and had tenminute tracking intervals while flying. I had a prearranged 9pm check-in time for my ‘safe’ message. If I didn’t check in, he would start the search and rescue.

I also had the ‘SOS’ button for starting my own rescue. Without the tracker this becomes a horrible task to ask of someone. It seemed irresponsible to not take a tracker for this purpose. It worked perfectly every time and was so easy to use.

My bag felt heavy. It was somewhere around 25-26kg. I tried to get lightweight equipment, but I couldn’t afford to replace things like my reserve, just to save 500g. I tried superlight rucksacks, but they were uncomfortable and fragile, and I removed everything non-essential.

Nevertheless, light + light = heavy and when you include two weeks’ of food/gas and four litres of water you can’t avoid having a heavy bag. I accepted this and decided to just get fitter and stronger before going by hiking with the weighted bag until I became accustomed to it.

I’m glad I did, and it also taught me about how far I could expect to go on the ground and uphill – not very far! Tony was much smarter as he had less time for physical training and managed to make everything very lightweight indeed, perhaps at the cost of his brilliant homemade recycled glider poncho/tent not being waterproof!

The trip won’t always go to plan. Managing your expectations is important. You should be okay with the idea of spending most of the trip on the ground and take anything extra as a bonus. This is hard to do so I set myself no real goal. I decided that if I managed to get from Nice to Geneva in the two weeks, I would be content. If I made it near to Zurich or Milan, I would be very pleased indeed.

Getting to the Dolomites (and near Venice) was a dream, which until I got there, I didn’t believe I’d manage. Midway through I had days where my progress slowed, I bombed out, I exhausted myself walking, and in tiredness my morale quickly sank.

However, I soon found there are hidden joys, such as finding a beautiful mountain hut, and meeting kind and generous people. When things get tough, it probably won’t last long, so keep on plodding. Dougie Swanson-Low

Watch the film of Dougie’s trip at youtu.be/JQy_ZhYkn_Q

Tips on heading off on a vol-biv adventure

Filming. I totally underestimated how consuming it is: it doubles the amount you need to think about. Practise before trying to do it properly. It’s all or nothing. Film everything. Be honest.

Water. We needed double what I initially thought – about four litres a day. I used chlorine tabs and a Sawyer Mini Filter. Water was much easier to find away from the southern Maritime Alps. Look in graveyards for a tap. Snow is an easy-to-spot source, but can be a faff.

Power/charging. A 7W solar panel wasn’t enough to charge a phone, Flymaster, Delorme InReach, radio, torch, GoPro and spare batteries. Tony’s four-way USB fast charger socket was vital to top up when reaching a town. The GoPro guzzles power, so prioritise safety and communication equipment.

Weather and conditions. Learn what forecasts work or use as many as possible and crosscompare models to look for trends. I researched notorious places – like valley winds in Martigny. On the first four days we had to dodge big cunims, so make sure you know how to asses this sort of weather. My route was entirely based on the weather.

Getting started. John Silvester has done some incredible things in paragliding and pioneered the sport well ahead of his time. I’ll pass on some simple advice he gave me, spoken in a no-nonsense manner: “Just go do it!”