Cloudbase Mayhem Podcast

Gavin McClurg

Free flight podcast hosted by Gavin McClurg

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20 episodes
Updated Friday
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Episodes20

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#278: Patagonia Convergence, Acro Mastery, and the Truth about SIV with Kris Holub
Kris Holub is one of the most versatile pilots in the American free-flight community — an accomplished acro competitor, XC pilot, and SIV/acro instructor who has spent the last four years running clinics out of Oludeniz, Turkey. Gavin sat down with Kris in person during a weather day at the US Nationals in Chelan this June to talk about his extraordinary winter season in Bariloche, Argentina, where he and his friend Marcos Rosenkjer explored one of the most underrated and unknown and seriously awesome XC destinations in the world — and capped it off with a 345km convergence flight into the Patagonian desert.
Friday · 42 min
#277 Mastering the Skies with Chandler Papas
In this episode I sit down for a super fun chat with longtime instructor and one of the coolest cats around, Chandler Papas, the owner of Desert Wind Paragliding. Chandler shares his life-long journey into paragliding, the importance of good instruction, risk management, and cultivating gratitude for a safer and more fulfilling flying experience.
July 16 · 1 hr 16 min
#276 Hang Gliding Unveiled: Safety, Gear, and Growth Strategies with Erika Klein
Veteran Hang Gliding pilot Erika Klein shares her journey into the sport, the unique aspects of dune flying, and insights on safety, gear, and growing the sport. This episode offers valuable tips for beginners and enthusiasts alike- and if you haven't hang glided will get you very keen to go prone!
July 1 · 1 hr 11 min
#275 Hike and Fly Racing, Supporting, and Having One with Ben Hodgson
South African pilot and veteran sailor Ben Hodgson has been competing in some of the most well-known and intense hike and fly races around the world for a decade, beginning with the XBerg in 2017 and then advancing to the Bornes to Fly, X-Pyr and many others. Last year he was the main supporter for the wunderkid rookie Gabe Jansen in the Red Bull X-Alps after they met competing in a hike and fly race in Brazil.
June 19 · 1 hr 25 min
#274- Breaking Barriers: Fatemeh Eftekhari’s journey as Iran’s “Queen of the Skies” and the Power of Aviation
Have you ever imagined a woman soaring through the skies at 6,000+ meters, shattering the proverbial glass ceiling in a country where female pilots are a rare sight? Today, we delve into the remarkable story of Fatemeh Eftekhari, Iran’s first female pilot and a trailblazer for women in aviation and extreme sports. Her journey is not just about flying; it's about defying societal norms, pushing boundaries, and inspiring a new generation of women to chase their dreams no matter the obstacles. In a time of enormous geopolitical tensions and societal restrictions, Fatemeh's story offers a breath of fresh air—an inspiring example of resilience, courage, and relentless pursuit of passion.
June 5 · 57 min
#273 Elite performance, Flow States and Mindset with NBA coach and author Bret Burchard
Explore the psychology of elite performance, flow states, and mindset with Bret Burchard, former NBA coach and author of Catching Confetti, Developing the Mindset of a Champion. Discover how mental training can transform sports, your flying, and everyday life.
May 23 · 1 hr 35 min
#272 From Zimbabwe to China to the Alps- a Paraglider’s Journey through Adventure, Trauma and Healing
Anthony Dillon learned to fly without any proper instruction back in the...
May 11 · 55 min
#271 Why the Sports Racing Class (SRS) is taking the Paragliding world by storm with Brett Janaway
In this conversation Brett Janaway discusses the evolution of this exciting new take on paragliding competitions, the structure and scoring of the SRS, and the unique vibe that sets it apart from traditional events. Brett shares insights into the challenges and successes of organizing competitions, the importance of community, and the non-profit nature of the SRS, which aims to enhance the sport while providing a fun and competitive environment for pilots. We discuss the evolution of sports wings in paragliding, the impact of new safety regulations, and the balance between safety and competitiveness in the sport.
April 25 · 47 min
#270 From the Czech Mountains to Kenyan Volcanoes: Jakub Rott’s Flying Journey
Join us as Czech pilot and last year's Czech hike and fly national champion Jakub Rott shares his journey through paragliding, speed flying, skydiving and hike and fly competitions across the globe. Discover insights on safety, training, and the joy of flying in diverse terrain, along with some fantastic tips for aspiring pilots.
April 10 · 58 min
#269 Navigating Doubts with Violeta Jimenez
Violeta Jiminez has become one of the most elite competition paragliders in the world in a relatively short period of time. Her first World Cup was only 5 years ago in Aksaray, Turkey flying a Zeno. Last year she was on the podium in the OVERALL, again in Turkey, this time in Çameli. But it's been anything but easy. Violeta came to flying from a background in ballet and ultra running and as Will Gadd says, coming to flying from non-gravity sports can be not just challenging but risky. In the early years Violeta's desire was well ahead of her skills and she had a number of incidents and accidents, and one particularly violent accident that required a long mental and physical rehab.
March 30 · 1 hr 3 min
#268 Control Theory, Winning a PWC, and behind the scenes of X-Alps madness with Estefano Salgado
This episode features one of Valle De Bravo's most loved and successful pilots, Estefano Salgado. Estefano is a world-class trained chef who supported the Fra 4 team of Tanguy Renoud-Goud in the 2025 Red Bull X-Alps, is one of (maybe the only?) North American pilots to win a World Cup in recent history, is an elite instructor/guide for ParaglidingGuides.com and is a wicked story-teller! In this episode Estefano discusses his experiences in competitive paragliding, putting control theory into use, team management, and the importance of training and mentorship in the sport.
March 13 · 1 hr 11 min
#267 Bivvy and Adventure Flying by HANG GLIDER with Emi Carvalho
Portuguese pilot Emi Carvalho got into hang gliding over a decade ago. Now living in Switzerland Emi is fully bi-wingual, and has instructed both hang gliding and paragliding. His passion these days is bivvy flying and depending on the weather will pick the kit that fits the mission, but more often than not the kit that fits the bill to have more fun is a short-pack hang glider. It's a bit heavier (similar to a light-weight paragliding tandem set up) and a bit more bulky, but you get to fly prone! In this fun talk Emi shares his expertise with short pack hang gliders, their development, and their application in adventure flying and bivvy trips.
February 27 · 58 min
#266 Serena Ronchi and the Comeback
In this moving conversation, Serena shares her inspiring journey of recovery after a life-changing paragliding accident and her incredible ascension once again to the top of XContest in the Sport class this year. She discusses the challenges she faced during rehabilitation, her mental battles with fear, and the strategies she employed to regain her confidence in flying. Throughout the discussion, she emphasizes the importance of addressing fear and finding joy in flying, while also contemplating the lessons learned from her accident.
February 13 · 52 min
#265 – 8 years of Tandem bivvy’s with Dad across the entire Alps to Solo big air adventures at 16 with Martin Rejmanek
Martin Rejmanek and his father Honza, a veteran 5-time Red Bull X-Alps competitor completed the full length of the 2003 Red Bull X-Alps course from the Dachstein to Monaco by tandem bivvy using only their wing and their feet this last year. Father and son completed the amazing journey in different segments over the course of eight summers, starting when Martin was just 8 years old. Martin is now seventeen and graduated to flying solo last year, taking on the full breadth of cross country flying, SIV training and becoming a completely independent pilot. He's flown solo from Annecy to Chamonix over the Aravis chain. He's flown at over 17,000 feet over Mt Whitney in the Sierras. Inspiring to say the least.
January 29 · 1 hr
#264 – A Monster record downwind wave flight across the US with Gordon Boettger
Gordon Boettger discusses an extraordinary gliding adventure that took he and his copilot Bruce Campbell across the Rockies in mountain wave in an Arcus glider from Minden, Nevada to Dodge City, Kansas- 1112 miles on December 19th, 2025. Gordon shares his lifelong dream of soaring high (max altitude was near 28,000 feet!) and downwind in mountain wave and the technical aspects of his wild flight, including the use of night vision goggles (they took off at 0300) and the importance of very specific weather conditions to pull it off.
January 16 · 57 min
#263 Training, Wing testing, Hike and Fly Racing, Competitions, Acro, 2 Liners, Flow, Family and more with Michael Maurer
In this wide-ranging conversation with Advance test pilot and former Swiss Champion Michael Maurer we discuss various aspects of paragliding, including the challenges and dangers of being a test pilot, the influence of family on flying careers, the importance of competition, and the pursuit of flow in flying. We also touch on advancements in paragliding technology, the future of the sport in Switzerland and across the world, and the significance of training and preparation for competitions. Michael shares personal anecdotes about his experiences and reflections on his career, emphasizing the balance between risk and learning in the sport.
January 3 · 1 hr 11 min
#262 Into the Deepness with Keith Forsyth
Keith Forsyth began his flying journey with skydiving, then speed flying and wing suit base jumping but the lack of margin in speed flying and base lead him to XC Paragliding, where he's been drawing lines across the Pacific Northwest with what can only be described as a magical and inspired paintbrush. If you haven't been to the Pacific Northwest think alpine rain forest and big, jagged glaciated mountains. Rain, lots and lots of rain. DENSE impenetrable forest, deep gorges, few roads, lots of bugs, and very few places to land. Keith has been laying down bivvy lines across the Cascade and Olympic ranges of Washington and Oregon and Coast Ranges of British Colombia the last few years that are ambitious, bold, and absolutely breathtaking. Keith waits for a good forecast, packs up to 7 days of food, sometimes adds a packraft and takes to the skies. Sometimes the mission involves some pretty memorable bushwacking, other times a glorious paddle out and some fishing along the way, other times he'll find himself top landing an alpine meadow and sharing some space with a black bear.
Dec 20, 2025 · 49 min
#261 Soaring for smiles with Bonnie Hobson
Bonnie Hobson grew up in the midwest in the midst of endless cornfields, watching her neighbor fly his little bush plane. But soaring wasn't on her radar. Then in 2009 after a break-up and feeling like her life needed a shift she bought a one-way ticket to Hawaii. She saw some paragliders in the air, took a tandem and made a new life, and a new home. From the moment her feet left the ground Bonnie knew her future would be filled with chasing flying. Skydiving, paragliding, hang gliding, speed flying, paramotoring, parakites- if it's flyable, Bonnie is in the air.
Dec 4, 2025
#260 On top of the World with Fabian Buhl
German alpinist Fabian Buhl comes from a background of climbing and mountaineering and is credited with ascending some of the hardest routes on Earth. A few years ago while climbing in the Karakoram of Pakistan Fabian saw the potential of using a paraglider to access difficult objectives and removing the often long and dangerous approaches by foot. So he became a pilot. But his early attempts were scary and learning was slow and often frustrating. Fabi stuck with it and returned to the Karakoram with enough skill to pull off some solid objectives but he knew to truly take advantage of these "combos" of climbing and flying, and also to be safer he needed to hone his thermalling and XC skills. Fabian's journey from climbing to paragliding highlights the importance of mentorship, the challenges of overcoming fear, and the thrill of mastering a new sport.
Nov 19, 2025
#259 Pete Thompson cracks the 300 FAI in Colorado’s Deepness
Pete Thompson had a hell of a summer in Colorado. After years of planning and trying to fly big, epic FAI triangles across the highest terrain in the lower 48 he finally beat a record set only last year by Galen Kirkpatrick when he put down a 275 km FAI in early August. A week later he went even bigger with a 292. Then just two days later he did it again, this time cracking the vaunted 300 for the first time in North America with a 305 km perfectly drawn FAI across some serious Colorado deepness. Pete shares his journey in the sport which began in the early 2000's, including his recent vol-biv across the state and flying competitions and tandems.
Nov 8, 2025 · 59 min

Cloudbase Mayhem Podcast

Support the show

#278: Patagonia Convergence, Acro Mastery, and the Truth about SIV with Kris Holub

#277 Mastering the Skies with Chandler Papas

#276 Hang Gliding Unveiled: Safety, Gear, and Growth Strategies with Erika Klein

#275 Hike and Fly Racing, Supporting, and Having One with Ben Hodgson

#274- Breaking Barriers: Fatemeh Eftekhari’s journey as Iran’s “Queen of the Skies” and the Power of Aviation

#273 Elite performance, Flow States and Mindset with NBA coach and author Bret Burchard

#272 From Zimbabwe to China to the Alps- a Paraglider’s Journey through Adventure, Trauma and Healing

#271 Why the Sports Racing Class (SRS) is taking the Paragliding world by storm with Brett Janaway

#270 From the Czech Mountains to Kenyan Volcanoes: Jakub Rott’s Flying Journey

#269 Navigating Doubts with Violeta Jimenez

#268 Control Theory, Winning a PWC, and behind the scenes of X-Alps madness with Estefano Salgado

#267 Bivvy and Adventure Flying by HANG GLIDER with Emi Carvalho

#266 Serena Ronchi and the Comeback

#265 – 8 years of Tandem bivvy’s with Dad across the entire Alps to Solo big air adventures at 16 with Martin Rejmanek

#264 – A Monster record downwind wave flight across the US with Gordon Boettger

#263 Training, Wing testing, Hike and Fly Racing, Competitions, Acro, 2 Liners, Flow, Family and more with Michael Maurer

#262 Into the Deepness with Keith Forsyth

#261 Soaring for smiles with Bonnie Hobson

#260 On top of the World with Fabian Buhl

#259 Pete Thompson cracks the 300 FAI in Colorado’s Deepness