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The SHPF X-Scotia is a Hike & Fly paragliding race in Scotland. The 2025 event will take place 24th-25th May.
A backup weekend, in case of inclement weather, is scheduled for the following week (31st May-1st June)
For the first time in 2025, two races will be held: the classic two-day ‘Hardcore’ event, running Saturday-Sunday, and a new one-day event on the Saturday only.
Both races will follow the same ‘points for peaks’ format as in previous years – competitors aim to tag as many peaks as possible, on foot or in the air. Different peaks carry different point values according to their difficulty and distance from the event base (see Location & Map).
Both races will begin on the Saturday morning (start time confirmed at race briefing, typically 8am). For the one-day event, competitors must return to the central event base camp before the designated cutoff in the evening (again confirmed at briefing; likely 8pm).
The 2-day race is an overnight ‘vol-biv’ style race where participants are encouraged to spend Saturday night in the mountains during a mandatory rest period. The following morning from 7am, competitors continue to tag peaks but must make it back to Base Camp before 5pm when the race ends.
Late-finishers in both events will be retrieved if necessary and points will be penalised.
All participants are invited to stay at base camp for the full weekend, to enjoy the prize giving and a BBQ social (and perhaps some free-flying on the Sunday for the 1-day event competitors!) Share your adventures with like minded pilots over food and beer.
Location
The X-Scotia Hike & Fly is held in Kintail. The area offers outstanding mountain terrain for the race, both in the air and on the ground.
Base Camp
Located in Kintail, the race Base Camp will be a field with basic facilities for camping. 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 available on Sunday evening for the social BBQ, however participants should come prepared with their own supplies for the remainder of the weekend.
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 following weekend (the ‘back-up 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 (TBC) 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.
As such we expect that pilots who apply for a place in this event are fully committed to turning up and racing, even if the forecast changes. Once the green light has been given this event will take place – rain or shine!