Speedriding canopy
Description
You love mountains, snow and speed. You would like to combine skiing or snowboarding with paragliding, thus extending your free-ride joy with shorter or longer hops on the way down hill. You like kiting your wing too, improving your ground-handling.
It's for you that we've created the ZigZag!
Zig Zag is a small speed-riding canopy. Depending on trimmer setting it can be used by both amateurs and experienced users. It was designed and tested by Dudek.France speedriding addicts, while the final look and shape was born in the headquarters.
It is not a paraglider strictly meaning, so the ZigZag must not be used for pure flying nor aerobatics.
Zig Zag has very dynamic reactions, requiring really skillful piloting. In return it offers high speed with released trims and brakes, and considerable lift with closed trims and applied brakes. The extreme positions of the trimmers are meant for equally extreme performance and applications.
Greenhorn para-skier starting his speedriding career ought to execute his first runs with closed trimmers. In such setting the canopy will behave predictably, allowing to be mastered faster and easier. During the ride it follows steering inputs and readily aligns its heading with skies. There shouldn't be any problems in turns either, with no tendency to overtake the skier.
With growing experience you can gradually open the trimmers. It should gradually get you higher speeds, requiring precise steering (especially in turns). More steering force is required too, but there are no problems in the air. Finally, when you feel you have mastered current settings, open the trimmers full. Take care, as this is where you will go to the limits - ZigZag forgives no mistakes when speedriding at full speed. Small wonder: perfect tools call for skillful users.
The beginners should start with 12 qm size, the easier to steer and learn proper coordination of the canopy/skis combination. Smaller size theoretically could be fitting for the low-weighted benginners, yet as a rule it is advised for the advanced pilots only.
In general ZigZag is similar to standard paraglider. Its inner structure features V-shapes, supporting otherwise free ribs and resulting in smooth upper surface, with unhindered inner pressure propagation. Sizeable cell openings ensure easy inflation and starting your ride. Three-fold risers come equipped with trimmers.
ZigZag remains stable during gusts, thus offering a nice alternative for polishing your groundhandling skills when use of a standard paraglider would be dangerous or not possible at all. For additional comfort there are DCT (Double Comfort Toggles) ready, even considering normal use of thick skiing gloves.
Speedriding is basically skiing (or snowboarding) enriched with a new dimension by use of a reduced-performance wing, time to time capable of lifting the rider for short hops over obstacles. If the rider gets a better performing canopy, he will make much longer hops. In the effect he will spend a lot more time in the air than skiing, thus becoming rather a speedflyer than speedrider.
CAUTION: Both speedriding and speedflying are technically difficult and potentially dangerous sports. They require good skiing and at least basic paragliding skills. You are expected to keep all safety procedures stemming form both skiing and paragliding. Performing these sports on regular skiing slopes is by all means discouraged, as they can be dangerous for other skiers. Try to find some instructors in order to make your training both safe and effective.
Technical Data
| ZigZag - size | 10 | 12 | |
| Cell number | 20 | 20 | |
| Surface area flat [m2] | 10,00 | 12,12 | |
| Surface area projected [m2] | 8,65 | 10,48 | |
| Wingspan flat [m] | 5,48 | 6,19 | |
| Wingspan projected [m] | 4,51 | 5,10 | |
| Aspect ratio flat |
3,00 | 3,16 | |
| Aspect ratio projected |
2,36 | 2,48 | |
| Cloth | Dominico Tex | ||
Corel Draw 14 (.cdr)
JPG(.jpg)
