X-Scotia is moving!
For 2026, The UK’s wildest hike & fly paragliding race will be based in Glencoe.
We will also be trialling an exciting new race format – more details to follow 🙂
Dates for your diary: 2nd-3rd May (race weekend), 30-31st May (back-up weekend).
The 2-day race is an overnight ‘vol-biv’ style race. Participants are encouraged to spend Saturday night in the mountains during a mandatory rest period.
All participants, and friends/supporters, are invited to stay at base camp for the full weekend. Share your adventures with like-minded pilots and friends!
Location
The X-Scotia Hike & Fly race will be based in Glencoe. The area offers outstanding mountain terrain for the race, both in the air and on the ground.
Base Camp
The race Base Camp will be located at Glencoe Mountain Resort. It will serve as both the start and finish point for the race as well as the hub for the weekend’s activities.
Food and drink will be provided on Sunday evening for the post-event social, and the White Corries cafe at the ski centre will be open for food and drink all weekend.
Race Format
More details to follow 🙂
Safety
Safety is the number one priority for the X-Scotia Hike & Fly. This event will be run in accordance with BHPA guidelines and insured by the BHPA insurance scheme. As a result of this, the minimum requirements to take part in the X-Scotia Hike & Fly will be a Pilot rating. For insurance reasons Club Pilot Ratings will not be sufficient to take part in the event! In addition to this, participants should have previous Hike & Fly experience and be able to operate confidently and autonomously in rugged mountain terrain.
Tracking
All participants will be issued with a Flymaster F6 tracker and will be monitored for the purposes of safety and scoring. Participants must also carry a satellite communication device (such as Garmin InReach or Spot GPS) and radio for communication in the event of an emergency as cell phone signal can be limited in the highlands.
Supporters
In the interests of safety, participants are encouraged to have one or more supporters. This can be someone offering the competitor full support ‘on the hill’ or simply a person designated to monitor their progress remotely. Remote supporters should have a general idea of a competitor’s planned route and be able to communicate with race organisers in the event of an emergency. More detail on this is available in the full Race Rules.
Weather
In the event of less than ideal weather, the event will still take place and the competitors will primarily race on the ground with the option to fly if and when possible over the 2 days. If the weather outlook is extremely poor such that it appears there is absolutely zero possibility to fly, the event will be postponed to the backup weekend.
Should the weather on the ‘back-up weekend’ be equally poor the event will be canceled and participants will be given a full refund of their entry fees.
Social BBQ
Following the end of the race on Sunday, a prize giving and social event will take place at Base Camp. Everyone is invited to stay, enjoy some food, and share their adventures over a beer with like minded people.
Commitment
Organising an event of this nature takes a significant amount of time and effort. All the race organisers volunteer their time, energy and resources to make this unique event possible. We do this to encourage the continued growth of Hike & Fly Racing in the stunning Scottish Highlands and give adventurous pilots a chance to compete in this fantastic mountain environment.
