5
Hiking Pole Attach Points
This is a simple and lightweight system to retain equipment
such as collapsible hiking poles. Don’t get carried away with
stowing too much gear here, and remember that anything
sharp can poke you in the ass if you mess it up. To secure the
poles, simply tie an overhand knot around them. The elastic
straps will retain the poles with only one simple overhand knot,
as shown in the photos. The Velcro tabs are only there to stow
the elastic straps when they are not in use.
Holding Your Grippers, And Positioning The Leading Edge Of Your Suit
If you are new to big wingsuits then it may not be obvious to you how exactly to hold the grippers, but
this is a critical aspect of controlling your wingsuit. You must always seek instructor advice whenever
you have questions about flying your suit, but here are some examples of good and bad positions:
GOOD:
Pilot’s fingers are almost all on the backside (top surface) of the gripper. The grip is somewhat
relaxed, with the thumb in front and the top of the gripper nestled gently in the palm of your hand. There are 2
common ways to hold the gripper properly: the first (
1
) is how Matt and most people hold it, and the second
(
2
) “Le Blond” style (shown from rear only) is how Vincent Descols holds his grippers for max glide.
BAD:
All of these positions are very wrong. Please note how they deform the shape of the leading edge and twist
the zipper into a non-straight line. The leading edge is rolled forward, the sweep of the wing is changed, and
the bottom surface is not clean. All of these positions will result in decreased performance and/or loss of control.
Leg Wing Bungee
The leg wing bungee is designed to keep the trailing edge
of your leg wing off of the ground while walking to an exit
point or while boarding the airplane. To use, simply pull up on
the free end of the bungee while you walk. When you have
arrived at the exit or the plane, release the bungee and push
the excess back into the inlet.
A Note On The Carbon Fiber Grippers
These are light, stiff, and a lot more fragile than metal or wood.
Please don’t sit on them. Don’t let tandem masters sit on them,
either. And don’t step on them.
1.
2.
Front View
Back View
Back View
Back View
Front View
Front View
Front View
Front View
