But with the new status quo in that part of the woods, the onus is more and more on the X-Alps to be the catalyst for glider development in our sport - full X-Alps kit which weighed in at 15-17kgs in the first event in 2003 weighs a measly 7-10kgs nowadays! This is not a bad thing for the normal users out there (who are paying the bill after all...) because it translates into lighter kit, which can be flown by normal pilots too. The new UP Trango X-Light 2 is the perfect example!

The Trango X-Light 2 is based on the Trango XC2 and is manufactured in three certified sizes. The S is certified EN C, while the S/M and the M size are both certified EN D, and have substantially longer speedbar travel, resulting in an increased top speed of 5-7km/h compared to the XC2. This should come in handy for the X-Alps pilots, with their tendency towards evaluating flying conditions on a different scale compared to the rest of us(!) but it also makes the wing very interesting for someone looking for a solid, predictable wing in the EN D category that WON'T pack itself back into the bag at the first given opportunity, yet still has the performance to give the 2-liners a good battle to the goal line! As anyone who has flown the XC2 in a competition environment will testify, this wing has amazing performance and can keep up with the full-on comp wings except at the very top of the speed range - this should now be addressed!

The Trango X-Light 2 is not manufactured in L size at this point in time - if the demand is high we'll supply that one as well, but so far we wish to see how it goes with the sizes already certified. Standard colour is Orange/White, and is supplied standard with UP-typical 12mm Kevlar-reinforced race risers. Thin Dyneema Extreme risers made from cord can be bought separately - they carve off another app. 200g from the total weight. There are already a few wings in stock for the impatient, if you feel that one of them has your name on it please get in touch with your local UP rep ASAP! The main supply begins in early August (just three weeks from now) but the wing can already be ordered from your local UP pusher.

We are making an official product release for this new wing early next week, with full specs etc. but we wanted to give all the X-Alps aficionados out there an opportunity to see precisely what the UP guys will be flying from Sunday on - hope you enjoyed it!