Organisers
The SHPF X-Scotia Hike & Fly event is organised by a team of volunteers, led by Neil Rollings.
Event Format
For the first time in 2026, the event will follow a defined route (Race to Goal). The route will be decided a few days prior to the event, based on the likely weather conditions. The race will depart from base camp at Glenoe Mountain Resort, and will include at least one mandatory land point. (see Location & Map). The available flying arena for defining the task will extend approximately 30km in each direction from base camp.
The race will begin on the Saturday morning, and end on the Sunday evening – exact timings will be confirmed at the race briefing on the Friday evening.
The 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, the race restarts at a predefined time.
Scoring will use Geo Tracks live GPS trackers, and failure to make it back to base/goal on time will result in points being deducted.
Pilots’ Responsibility
All X-Scotia Hike & Fly participants are tracked and scored using Geo Tracks GPS tracking devices. Local mountain rescue services will be made aware that the event is underway. Despite these measures, the final decision to participate, run, walk or fly at any time remains the sole responsibility of those who choose to enter the event.
Communications & Briefings
Prior to the event start time any announcements regarding changes in rules, briefing timings etc. will be made via the X-Scotia Competitors Telegram Group. During the event announcements will be made via Telegram and via satellite tracker devices.
Event registration will start on Friday evening during which competitors may be subjected to a kit inspection. Please arrive with your kit packed and ready to the extent it can be inspected.
A mandatory event safety briefing will take place on Friday evening, during which the organisers will discuss local weather and possible route options and demonstrate the tracking systems and the safety support systems in place. Pilots must share this information with their supporters.
A final safety and conditions briefing will take place on Saturday morning just before the race starts.
Compulsory Briefing & Start Time
The organisers may elect to start the briefing at an earlier time, in which case all participants will be informed over Telegram.
The race will begin at a time to be decided and announced at the Friday event safety briefing. Any change to this plan will be announced over Telegram.
Mandatory Rest Period Overnight
A compulsory overnight rest period begins on Saturday evening at a time specified during the race brief.
In cases where the pilot is out of mobile coverage, they must send in the Satellite message “OK” to mark their position for the start of the rest period.
It will be up to each competitor to decide if they intend to bivy / wild camp, go to a campsite, sleep in a car / camper etc. While we feel its best to offer competitors a range of options, the organisers recommend spending the night in the hills to enjoy the full adventure experience.
If they have left for the night, the pilot must report back on Sunday morning to the place they ended on the previous day, where they can then continue the race. The start point is marked by sending a further satellite message to the event organisers.
Methods of Movement
During race hours, the pilot can only elect to walk, run or fly. No other form of transport is allowed.
During the mandatory rest period the pilot can move using any form of transport.
Insurance
All entrants must be fully qualified to fly paragliders in the UK. They must be registered BHPA Members with a minimum of a Pilot Rating. Club Pilot or equivalent ratings are not sufficient to take part in the event and entrants without a full Pilot rating will not be allowed to participate in the race for insurance reasons.
Non-BHPA members must have their own liability insurance in place for the event. Appropriate BHPA insurance for non-BHPA members will be available to purchase at the event, at an additional cost of £60 for the two days.
Equipment
The SHPF X-Scotia Hike & Fly is intended to be a cross-country flying & hiking race, therefore the use of paragliders with 15m2 or less (speedwings) are prohibited. It is also prohibited to fly with paragliders which have a wing loading greater than 6Kg/m2.
All flying equipment must be homologated and must comply with the latest edition of the following EN certification standards:
- Paraglider: EN 926-2 and 926-1 or LTF 91/09 (inc. CCC FAI class), less than 7,2 aspect ratio
- Harness: EN 1651 with certified protection, or LTF 91/09
- Emergency parachute: EN 12491 or LTF 91/09
- Helmet: EN966 or snowboarding EN 1077 class is accepted
All competitors are required to carry the below minimum equipment to fly:
- Paraglider
- Harness including certified back protection
- Emergency parachute
- Helmet: CE marked EN966 (HPG), EN 1077 Class A, ASTM 2040, or SNELL rs98 (Snow Sports)
- Mobile telephone (and backup charging facilities)
- 2m band Radio (Race frequency = 143.675)
- Backup GPS tracker/messenger device in addition to the live tracker supplied by the event organisers. (e.g. Spot / inReach, a PLB will not suffice). NOTE: your SatComm device must have Live Tracking, messaging, and SOS capabilities.
- A bivy or tent
- A headtorch
Competitors must be appropriately kitted out for fell running/walking during the race at all times.
Once the race starts, a pilot cannot change their selected equipment. All equipment must be carried by the competitors for the duration of the race.
Special attention must be given to mapping or battery back-up for electronic navigation aids.
Flying Rules
All entrants hold final responsibility for their own safety, both flying and on the ground.
No scoring movements are allowed in the mandatory rest period.
Cloud flying is not allowed and will be penalised. The type of penalty applied will be agreed by the organisers but might include disqualification.
All pilots need to follow Air Law, UK flying code and rules of the BHPA at all times during the race.
Supporters
Competitors are encouraged to have at least one supporter during the race.
Pilots must inform the event organisers of the names and contact details of their supporter(s) before the compulsory safety briefing on the day of the race. Supporter(s) must try to remain accessible via mobile phone or satellite systems throughout the duration of the race.
Tracking
Competitors need to be in charge of the tracking device provided by event organisers. The Geo Tracks Tracking Devices should have sufficient battery capacity for the duration of the race, however every competitor must carry their own GPS device to make a back-up recording of their track. Mobile coverage in the Highlands is quite limited.
End of Race
The races will end at set times (to be confirmed at the race briefing). No further scoring movements can be made after the race end time.
In any case where a competitor has not been able to make it back by the designated finish time, they must call in and return to base camp as soon as possible. Retrieve will be offered if necessary.
Any competitor may quit the race any time. However, they must inform the event organisers of their decision to do so.
Scoring
The race will be scored in finishing order. Where a competitor does not comlplete
All turn-points have a standard radius of 400 metres whether taken in the air or taken on foot.
Tracklogs / Satellite tracking will be used to verify routes, flight and then for scoring. It is recommended that participants make back-up GPS tracklogs (IGC format) using their own instruments so that they can be submitted to supplement live tracking data acquired during the race if technical problems occur and to help verify any disputes.
Bad Weather
After the official green light has been given to indicate the event will go ahead, should we face bad weather/rain or poor flying conditions, the race will still take place.
Event Conclusion & Prizes
We aim to conclude the scoring of the race by finish time plus 60 minutes on Sunday. Prize-giving for both races will follow. Trophies will be awarded for first place, plus additional prizes for second and third places as well as some ‘spot’ prizes provided by our various sponsors.
After the prize-giving, all pilots and their supporters are invited to join us for food which will be provided at Glenoe Mountain Resort. Everyone is invited to stay Sunday night to enjoy a beer with fellow pilots to share their adventures before departing the following morning.
Back Up Weekend
In the scenario that the event has to be postponed from the primary race dates due very poor weather, the event will take place the following weekend assuming the weather is more suitable and all competitors will be notified via Telegram and Email. If the weather remains extremely poor on the second weekend the event will be cancelled and entry fees will be refunded to competitors.
Entry Fees
The cost of entry to compete in the SHPF X-Scotia Hike & Fly will be shown on the Airtribune registration form. Payment should be made to the SHPF via bank transfer. Bank details will be passed directly to successful applicants.
Application
The number of participants in the SHPF X-Scotia Hike & Fly will not be strictly limited to a specific number, however we will aim for at least a third of the competitors to be Scottish pilots as this is a Scottish event supported by the Scottish Hang-gliding and Paragliding Federation.
Application for places will be made using the Airtribune system and places will not be granted on a first come / first serve system. Applicants deemed suitable will be offered a place in the race and must pay the race entry fee to the SHPF by bank transfer to secure their place in the event.
Cancellation & Refunds
Once entrants have applied and paid their entry fee to secure a place in the race there will be no refunds given should the entrant decide not to take part. If the organisers are forced to cancel the event at any stage then all fees will be offered for refund to entrants.
In both instances entrants may opt to allow their unused entry fee to go forward for donation to the Scottish Hang Gliding and Paragliding Federation.
‘No shows’ for any event will NOT be eligible for refund and no entry fee will be carried forward for future events.
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.
Please only enter this event if you are committed to racing – come rain or shine (this is Scotland, after all)!
Rule Changes
At the discretion of the organisers, rules published in these pages may be adjusted/changed and will be notified as early as possible to all registered participants.