Episodes

Jocky Sanderson literally wrote the book on SIV and training and is one of the most celebrated advanced instructors in the game. In this comprehensive podcast we talk about it all- competitions, modern gliders and what's changed in SIV, is SIV necessary, what's the most important maneuver in your tool kit, what kind of pilots are most likely to get hurt, how to advance with limited time, why accidents happen, when to push and when to back off, when to move up to a higher performance wing, reserv...

Questions include how to become a "professional paraglider", bivvy and expedition tips, how to develop flatland flying skills, the importance of acro skills and ground handling, how to handle emergency situations, how to develop with limited time, how to break through from an "also ran" to a full fledged comp pilot and much more. Hope you enjoy and please let me know what you think!

Will Gadd began his flying career in the early 90's and quickly became one of the most prominent pilots in the world. A Red Bull original gangster, Will is considered one of the best mixed climbers on Earth. He's a world class whitewater kayaker, mountain guide, speaker, author, journalist, expedition leader and is highly regarded for his views on risk management; maintaining a safety margin; his model of the "positive power of negative thinking"; his studied ability to appropriately assess weat...

Cody Mittanck set the unofficial Canadian foot launch record ("unofficial" for a very cool reason- listen to find out) last summer, and he's one of a small handful (if there's even a handful) of pilots in North America who's doing the Infinity- as well as everything else. Cody only started flying in 2009 but he's as hungry as it gets and his progression into the elite ranks of pilots in the world has been astonishing

Ondrej only began flying in 2010 but last month he broke the Esfera world record (off-axis Infinity) in Mexico and sends it hard in cross country as well. Not many athletes hit switch so well when it comes to paragliding and in this episode we find out what drew Ondrej to acro initially; how important it is to go well beyond simple SIV courses; why acro is safer than XC; what it's like to be a supporter in the X-Alps- what they have done right as a team and how they plan to improve; how he's mad...

Paul Guschlbauer has become one of the best adventure cross-country pilots in the world and showed his amazing skills this year in the 2015 X-Alps by coming in 3rd place and giving Chrigel a hell of a run for his money. In this episode Paul grants us an intimate view of what he's done right, what he's done wrong, some hard lessons along the way and a lot more like the pressure of making a living from sponsorship. And most importantly- can Chrigel be beaten? Listen to find out.

Veselin ("Veso") Ovcharov is a cross-country and acro ace. A long-time Red Bull athlete Veso was the first Bulgarian to nail the Infinity and has traveled the world perfecting his craft, pushing the limits of what can be done by paraglider. In this episode we travel back in time to find out how Veso got into the sport; the many hurdles he had to jump to become one of the very best (including literally spending the last few cents to his name before signing with Red Bull); how he has approached pr...

Aaron Durogati is only 29 years old, but he's already been a world champion, gotten 6th and 7th place in the last two Red Bull X-Alps and has a LONG list of podium finishes. A Red Bull athlete and ambassador for several other brands, the "Italian Stallion" is making a good living in the sport of paragliding and in this episode we dig into how he does it. From learning how to fly at the tender age of 15 we find out how he's approached progression, how he won the 2014 Superfinal in Colombia, how h...

Gurpreet Dhindsa is India's top ranked pilot, and has been for some time. He is the only certified instructor in the country and has 20 year passionate years in the sport. Gurpreet has been on the podium six times and has been a very integral figure in pushing paragliding in India and has truly given his life over to free flight. In this entertaining episode we discuss the political and bureaucratic difficulties he's experienced as a pilot in India, the importance of being in the moment while fl...

Josh Cohn has been the most consistent competition pilot the US has ever seen. His competition CV reads like Kelly Slaters. Soon after Josh learned to fly at age 16 he has been dominating the US comp scene and has notched up not only state distance records (New Mexico, Hawaii, Texas) but PWC wins, two National Championships and task wins at the Worlds to boot. In this episode we dig into how he's maintained his consistency and passion, accidents, reserve throws, what can be done on non-comp wing...

Thomas de Dorlodot is probably the most enviable pilot in the world. He's made a living out of traveling the world and documenting his expeditions. A 5 time Red Bull X-Alps competitor and Red Bull Athlete Tom started flying when he was 15 years old. He's flown above 7,000 meters in Pakistan, paramotored over the Marquesas in French Polynesia, glided over volcanoes in Guatemala and Tanzania, hucked acro over Victoria Falls and is currently working on sailing around the world. His accolades and ac...

I met Nick Greece in Haiti in 2012. I was living in Morocco trying to figure out how to become a better pilot, and getting an invitation from Nick to fly around in the sky wasn't something I could pass up. Nick has become a great friend and one of my greatest mentors. We have worked together on film projects like 500 Miles to Nowhere, and Malawi and I'm forever trying to figure out how he's always at the top of the stack. In this episode we learn how Nick got started, how 9-11 affected his choic...

Mads Syndergaard started paragliding in 1987 and it quickly became his life. He began competing in 1994 and hasn't looked back since. From learning how to soar in Denmark to becoming one of the leading wing designers in the world with UP gliders, Mads has been has been a vocal figure in the comp scene for twenty years. In this episode Mads discusses the mental attitude necessary to win; his thoughts on the dissolution of the Open Class and how we got to the CCC class; the debacle last year with ...

Ben Abruzzo was the guy who turned me into a machine for the 2015 Red Bull X-Alps. My knees are a cartilage wasteland and I'd never done any endurance training or racing in my life. But when I approached Ben about doing the X-Alps he was all-in and had zero hesitation that he could get me there. This episode is kind of an "inbetween-cast" of the usual Cloudbase Mayhem in response to all the myriad of questions we've been receiving about how I prepared for what is billed as the hardest adventure ...

Nate "Papa" Scales got his first flight in 1991 on a glider that had 11 cells in Sun Valley, Idaho. The next day he moved to Utah to learn how to fly and hasn't looked back since. I've never met anyone as passionate as Nate is about flying nylon and string and he's even more psyched today to go big than ever. We cover a LOT of ground in this hysterical episode. Nate discusses the value of competitions; his only (and very wild) reserve toss; risk and safety; his recent decision to step down to an...

The Cloudbase Mayhem is dedicated to dissecting excellence in flight. We interview the best pilots in the world and find out what makes them great. But in this episode we delve into the opposite end of the spectrum with world class climber, self-described goofball, North Face athlete, film director and producer Cedar Wright, who has recently caught the paragliding bug BADLY. His climbing partners include Alex Honnold, the late Dean Potter and Sean Leary, Tommy Caldwell, Will Gadd and a ton of th...

Jeff Shapiro is a world class sponsored athlete and a world class human being. He's flown and competed on hangliders since he was 17 all over the world, he sends 5.14 big wall routes in climbing, he flies wingsuits, rides sport bikes, is a gifted Falconer, and is also a Dad and family man. But don't call him extreme and don't call him an adrenaline junky. Jeff is grounded, thoughtful, eternally grateful to be able to pursue his passions and his approach to risk and danger is something we all nee...

Really excited about this second episode with one of my mentors in the big XC game, Matt Beechinor, aka "Farmer". When he flew 193 miles in 2012 from Mt Baldy in Sun Valley I decided my choice to move to the Wood River Valley later that summer was about the best decision I ever made. Matt has been flying for almost 20 years, is the best tandem pilot I know, is an amazing instructor, guide, and a Jedi in the air. In this episode we hear about a couple of amazing saves, what the "alien world" is, ...

...with Bill to discuss among other things throwing a rescue, what it takes to fly big lines, modern glider development, the history of the sport, the concept of "bringing it", and a whole lot more. This episode is PACKED with incredible information. Whether you are a novice pilot getting a taste for your first XC, or an expert who flies vol biv or world cups, there is a lot to be learned here. Enjoy.