On May 10, 2024, Reto Reiser successfully completed a 200 km paraglider flight from the Parpaner Rothorn in Lenzerheide.
This is officially the first flight of such a distance from the Rothorn and he wins the “Rothorn 200k Trophy”, which was announced by the Lenzerheide Bergbahnen AG in cooperation with the Vol Liber Grischun.
The mountain railways on Lenzerheide were not yet in operation due to annual maintenance work. Reto Reiser and a colleague therefore set out on the ascent to the Parpaner Rothorn early in the morning of May 10, 2024 with a 20 kg backpack (including ski touring equipment and 3 liters of drinking water).
“I find the more creative tasks away from the classic routes exciting,” he explains his motivation.
He covered the first part on foot in sneakers, then from the tree line on touring skis. He started his paragliding flight at 11 a.m. on the 2,861 m high Parpaner Rothorn. At the beginning he had to manage the altitude and thermals carefully, then from Flims he made faster progress to the Oberalp Pass.
From there, the north wind and the offset thermals made things difficult for him, and the flight became increasingly sporty. Nevertheless, he stuck to the plan. After a zigzag from Sedrun to Ilanz and Disentis, he was able to fly the last leg south of the Surselva to Filisur, thus reaching the 200 mark. This last leg, he says, was pure enjoyment. After almost 9 hours of flying, he had covered 205 km over three turning points and won the "Rothorn 200k Trophy", which awards a prize of CHF 1,500 to the first paragliding flight over 200 km from the Rothorn. At the same time, this is the longest recorded flight from this take-off point!
We congratulate Reto on this extraordinary flight!
