Paragliding Wing: Which Class?

Paragliders: Which Class? Paragliding pilots have different expectations of what the wing categories mean and blindly following the EN ratings can lead to some surprises. We find it useful to define the classes as follows:

✅ First Paragliders👇
First wings are designed to be accessible for all first time pilots. Bomb-proof handling with often surprisingly good performance. They typically achieve an EN A rating.

✅Progression Paragliders👇
Progression wings are designed to be your first upgrade, or for talented students upon licencing (in a mellow flying environment). It's a clear step up from what you can train on, but reassuring and easy to fly with lots of passive safety. Usually get an EN B rating.

✅XC Paragliders👇
XC wings focus on handling, security and flying enjoyment. They usually have an EN B rating but are the 'high-B' wings with sharper turns and require some active piloting to keep control. Collapse recovery is low-energy but expect more sporty handling and performance. These are never a first wing; not for new pilots.

✅Sport Paragliders👇
Sports wings give you freedom of movement. It's probably where true performance is found for most experienced pilots, this is a sweet spot where handling is still great for thermaling, the wings are resilient in really bad turbulence and glides on half-bar are almost as good as anything in the sky. Usually rated EN C but could include the hottest EN Bs.

✅Advanced Paragliders👇
Advanced wings are focused on XC racing, maximising repeated long glides at speed with the lowest drag possible. For advanced pilots only, these wings with very high aspect ratio and high wing loading are usually challenging to launch, with narrow tips that bring a real risk of cravats during collapses. They demand constant attention and must be flown actively and intelligently. Usually rated EN D but might include a hot EN C.

✅Competition Paragliders (CCC)👇
Competition wings is what you buy when you are regularly coming into goal in international competitions and you now want to win. The new CCC wings and the old high-end two-lined EN Ds like the Icepeak 6 would go in here.

✅Paraglider sub classes👇
Within each class there can still be a few levels of wings, or wings with unique characteristics that make them unsuitable for particular pilots or environments, so get professional advice before buying anything!

For instance, we've categorised the wings section of our website and split them into levels to try and help you choose wings best suited to you.

We think you should have a wide choice of the best gear, so we offer many wings from the top brands. We fly as many of them as often and much we can so we can better advise our customers on which is the right and best wing for them, individually. This gives us a unique opportunity to compare many wings side by side. It also means we can compare how the classes differ, using the latest designs from some top manufacturers. As certification tests change and technology progresses, the character of the wings in each class can evolve.

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