The Resilience Equation: Erlend Ukvitne’s Unrelenting Path to X-Alps and the Brink of a World Record

Guest: what is up everyone welcome back to your weekly dose of awesomeness here at paragliding atlas podcast and this time around as you can see we are coming to you as planned on a thursday with a brand new guest episode and today we are ready to dive deep into a story of resilience passion and perseverance and most importantly how it all pays off if you play your cards correctly You see, the thing is that when each of us start the sport of paragliding, we all have our own little goals that we want to accomplish. And then to make those goals happen, we have some plans. And then to put those plans into action, we need to collect our resources and

figure out how to make it happen. But in the end, it all depends on how we work our way around them. And this time around, we are joined by someone who dared to dream big, got a plan, got it in action, and regardless of the opportunities he had, he put in the effort and made it count. And I'm not talking about somebody from the Alps. I'm talking about a pilot who comes in from a country which is cold and dark 6 months out of 12, but allows you to have the freedom of how you spend the rest of your time when the sun is out shining bright and high in the summer months. From almost

breaking the world record to securing a 20th position at his very first attempt at one of the toughest races that our sport has to offer, this is a story that we all can get inspired from. So without further ado, I'm going to say what I always say, and that is tune in, and I hope you like it. And if you do, do not forget to hit the like and subscribe button and drop in a rating wherever possible. Helps us go a long way. And most importantly, this little act of yours tells the algorithm to spread this awesomeness to fellow pilots that we all share the skies with, and

thus making the sport a more fun and safe place to be.

Erland Ukvikne, what an absolute honor to have you in Paragliding Atlas, man. Welcome to the show. Yeah, thank you so much for having me.

Aninder: It's great to be here. Erland, I want to start with a question about your body fat percentage, because you look super ripped, man. How fit are

Guest: you? Yeah, I think my body fat has gone down drastically when training for this. And also during the X-Ops, I saw some pictures or I saw myself in

Aninder: the mirror after it and I was shocked. I'm so thin now, but it's just been a lot of training and, you know, yeah, just that, yeah, makes for a body like this, I guess. Definitely. I think it shows on your face. But you were pretty active even before the exile. So what's your background?

Guest: How did you get so active in life? Well, I never done any sports like big time. I did some football and volleyball when I was younger. What you

Aninder: call this track and field and stuff, but never really on a high level. I always enjoyed hiking in the mountains. Yeah, that's awesome. what I really love. And that's actually how I got into paragliding also, because I was hiking a lot in mountains. And a friend of mine from here, he started paragliding. And then I talked to him about it and thought, yeah, this is a great opportunity to combine hiking and flying. And I thought, yeah, if I don't have to walk down again, it's just a really big bonus. So yeah, after I talked to him, I then applied for a course. And yeah, Like two months later, I was in the course. Yeah, that's how I started. Beautiful. How long have you been flying for and how many

Guest: lifetime hours do you have, if you know what? I started my course in 2018. I did it in Trondheim where the weather is really bad. So it took half a

Aninder: year to finish the course, actually. But yeah, in 2019, I got my license and... yeah i'm not really sure about the hours i don't fly that much really like 100 hours a year now the last few years actually so it's it's not really a lot so i guess maybe 500 hours in total or something this is like almost the same as me but what i'm wondering is like for for people who do not get a lot of hours because we see a lot of professionals flocking 500 every year you know, or somewhere in that range. So for people who do not get a lot of airtime in their lives, be it be the weather

Guest: or be financials, be whatever the reason, how did you have the mindset of reaching the pinnacle of the sport? Like what was what was in your head? Where did you put in the effort to become better as a paraglider all these years? Like, I think I always try to learn something or get better at

Aninder: something for every flight I do. Like, even if it's just a sled ride, it's, yeah, no, I will land exactly there and, yeah, improve just a little by little, like each flight. And then, yeah, try to stay current, like flying, not having any big breaks in my flying and, yeah, keeping that. I think that also is part of it. Yeah. Also, I do quite a lot of SIV and Acro and stuff. And I feel that really helps for keeping the skills current and staying comfortable in rough conditions. Definitely. I think SIV and Acro, or SIV is still spoken about, but Acro is such an

Guest: underrated part of our sport. People just forget how amazing the art of acro is if you keep on practicing it and the amount of confidence it gives you, be it cross-country or be it launching or landing in sketchy conditions. Yeah, I agree on that one. Yeah, absolutely. And we see Tim

Aninder: Malongi and Ned Paltakats as an acro background and they're now excellent flying cross-country. So I think it's really a great background to have. I wouldn't be surprised to see like Acro new beginner courses as an introduction to paragliding, because that

Guest: seems to be the best way to go about it. Yeah, I think that's true. Just put a brand new pilot in an Acro course and tell them that if you can handle this, then you can take anything that comes your way in this world. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah, nice. But Erlen, tell me, I'm very curious and I have been curious about this since last year and I've been wanting to speak to you about it. Going out and chasing the world record, it needs a lot of preparation, man. And people build up teams and there's a whole ecosystem that goes behind even thinking or attempting a world record.

Before we dive deep into your attempt and, you know, how you had almost gotten it according to official levels. Otherwise, you, I think, unofficially, you still have the numbers on your side. But tell me about your mindset. When did you start? How did you start thinking about this idea? And what was the visualization about all this while? Like, I started thinking about it... A couple of years ago, actually, some guys

Aninder: down in the Alps did like, I think it was 13,000 or 11,000 meters for the record. And I thought... Vertical elevation we're talking about,

Guest: right? For the listeners. Yeah, yeah. Vertical elevation during 24 hours. I thought like, yeah, I'm in okay shape now and that should be

Aninder: possible. And then, you know, the record got beat again and again. by andy simmons and then tanki last year or the year before i can't remember yeah he did 17 and a half thousand vertical meters and that's yeah that's really a lot and for me to to break that it's you have to everything has to line up with the weather and your shape and everything so it was from my side it was it was just really an attempt to try and beat it when i When you

Guest: went ahead and actually did the attempt, what was the week up to it looking like? Or did you just wake up one day, saw the weather app saying that, hey, it looks like a good window and go for it without any preparation or without any support system? Because I think you went all by yourself. yeah yeah i did and it was like it was i was working and i didn't have much training the last few weeks actually and it was not

Aninder: really optimal preparation for it but when i saw there's a window for over 24 hours where it's flyable up in that part of norway where it's really steep mountains i thought yeah i'll give it a try and then i asked my boss if i could take day off and then yeah day after i drove eight hours after work after the place i would do it and then slept for a few hours and then yeah just started the started the attempt in seven in the morning So

Guest: you told your boss that you need a day off to attempt a world record. Is that how it looked like at the office? Yeah, yeah, kind of, kind of. My

Aninder: work is really, they're supporting me and they think it's really cool, this piloting stuff I do. Yeah, I'm happy. I think anybody's work would

Guest: like the support when they say that we want to attempt a world record in the day. Like, how do you bring out that in your workplace? That's interesting. No, but let's talk about the preparation. Let's talk about the things that started happening when you went in. Eight hours of driving, that itself is a lot of fatigue, man. What was going on in your head? Or were you just so determined and so motivated that no matter what may come, you were like, I'm going to make this happen? Or were you just going out and wanting to give it your best shot and not really chasing the record at all? like i really wanted to try and break the record and i was really yeah motivated and and ready for it but also i think i just took it

Aninder: with a relaxed mindset that it's it's a nice day out hiking in the mountains in nice weather and then yeah getting some beautiful flights in a beautiful area of norway so that but in the start i was really kind of pushing to to stay on track and i had a plan for how many vertical meters i had to do in an hour and yeah on each flight and stuff and i was i was doing well in the start actually i was ahead of the schedule but after a while like every time i had to pack my lighter and unpack it and then just eat when i was down at the car it took a bit longer each each flight and yeah

then after a while i was behind the schedule and and i saw that yeah it's it's not gonna be it's not gonna happen really so yeah that was it was kind of a tough moment in the in the day and yeah i was starting to get tired and it was really hot actually i'm more of a i like cold weather it was yeah it was really a tough moment in the middle of the day but then i just yeah i took i think it was 20 minutes a break so i could just yeah try and refocus and start over and just have fresh fresh new mindset and but yeah of course then i was way behind and yeah just had to go for the best possible

or get as many vertical meters as i could at that moment Let's talk about the numbers then, because I think by VFR rules or something, I'm

Guest: forgetting the details about it, because you said that you had more. I mean, I saw your track log, which you posted on flightlog.org. So what was that you had higher than the official one? And like, what is the official record like? And what are the things that exist in official record that make it official, such as the rules and everything, if you can just tell our audience a little bit about it? yeah so there's not

Aninder: really an official or any official rules for this record so it's just kind of a made-up record really and it's there's no you don't yeah it's no rules about wearing a helmet or having a rescue parachute or anything so it's There are really no rules to it. But the record I went for was with a normal paragliding kit. And yeah, I didn't bring a rescue parachute. But I had normal paragliding equipment, like a mini-marine. And I wanted to do it within visual flight rules, like that you fly when it's enough light. And in that part of Norway where I did it, it's in the middle of summer when I did it, it's possible to fly the 24 hours actually. But yeah, like Tanguy, he got some permits to fly when it's dark so he could do

it back in France. So if you count all the hours where it's enough light to fly, I have the record. Of course, ultimately, he has the highest number. And I think, yeah, for me, he is the champion of this. That's so humble of you to say that. But I mean, this is not an FAIs record books like

Guest: the aviation authority. They don't have any classification of this record. It's just like, you know, fun, as you said. Yeah, I know it's just

Aninder: a fan record someone made up. So, yeah. Interesting, interesting. Because I was wondering, because I think FAI, they started like

Guest: outdating the records, which had a bit of an endurance factor to them because fatigue came with endurance and fatigue and aviation do not do well. I remember they had these like longest flight records, which people were attempting and, you know, like kind of sleeping in the middle of the flights and fainting and those kinds of things. So that's why this record is similar to like, or this general genre of the paragliding is which is hike and fly has a lot of fatigue in it and if you have people pushing then you're mixing fatigue and aviation which is not really a good mix so that's why it got me thinking that is is there any recognition about this other than cross-country posting about it or is

it just usually you know anybody can go out and try and do their thing and get the track log around it yeah no i think it's Yeah, it's very true about

Aninder: the fatigue thing, but there's not really any rules about it. So I guess anybody can go out and try it. But of course, yeah, it's higher risk when you're really tired, both physically and mentally, and still has to fly and... take safe i was actually reaching that point where i want to ask

Guest: you how did life look like midway because obviously you know you've driven for eight hours that takes like shit loads of energy your legs are hanging down in the car so your blood is not really you know like you your feet are swollen and whatever midway when you started seeing that you were missing the point how did your thought process look like and what was what was the thing that kept you going for the next x amount of hours because obviously you could have just given it up there and then and said that you know this is not what i came here for so what's the point yeah i

Aninder: think like my mindset is usually i want to finish the things i start and yeah i'd like to just walk away from it it was never really an option for me i just yeah i thought yeah this is what i do now and i'll just yeah go for another round when i'm yeah down again and it was yeah never really an option to to quit it so yeah but it was yeah Did you see any dangers coming your way when it was getting dark and you were alone there without any

Guest: motivation or running low on fuel or energy and stuff like that? I think I felt pretty safe and pretty clear in my head, actually, most of the time.

Aninder: But when it... When it's in the middle of the night and there's no one else around, yeah, you really have to think about the decisions you make and, yeah, just, yeah, really, really think about what you're doing and not taking any stupid decisions. Yeah. yeah it was i felt like the fueling part also went pretty good i was able to get some nutrition almost the whole time like it was just the last trip i and my body was really tired of the gels and stuff actually that went really good also and i think that helps also for yeah having a clear mind and yeah do the skate pushing I'm

Guest: going to talk about the body, like pushing the body. Did you have any niggles or any injuries that you just managed? Because I'm trying to get into the mental side of the game here. How did you overcome things when you were out there all by yourself? Because obviously, as you said, Tanguy had a whole like machinery working with him. He had the permits sorted for him. Then he had people helping him, I don't know, pack or, you know, give him food or whatever it is and cheering him on. And yet you were out there chasing this all by yourself in a corner of the world. So how

did, how was your mental thought process going through all of these things, especially when things started getting more difficult than they were supposed to be? yeah i think i was like in the middle of the day there was a lot of other people hiking up the mountains and it was yeah

Aninder: just a nice atmosphere hiking there and that really really helps i feel and then when yeah and in the night when i was the only one there it was yeah i just had to kind of look at the beauty of the of the nature around and just try to to look at all the positive stuff there and yeah just to yeah enjoy the moment i think even though it was hard it was like there is always something positive in in every moment that you can get some energy from and yeah keep your mental game at the at the good place there's wise words man there's always something beautiful to look at Yeah, indeed. When

Guest: did the X-Alps thought started crossing your mind? Because I think after such an attempt, obviously, you know, you're like, where can I escalate the hike and fly capabilities that I have to? So when did that thought process start happening? And how was the roadmap like when you when you started thinking about it? like i first heard about red bull x-offs right after i finished my course yeah when i heard about it so what

Aninder: it was it was i i was just done like this is a crazy cool race and it's like like the pinnacle of both paragliding and adventure and mountaineering and stuff it's Yeah, it's just a so cool combination of all the things I love. So I think the idea of X-Ops started just after I finished my course or about that time. But I thought it's still a really long way to get on such a level in parallel lighting and to be in such a good shape. I never really thought about it as a real option. But like when we started with some hike and fly competitions, like the first hike and fly

competition in Norway was in 2021 or something. And I joined it. And yeah, I felt like this was really fun. And I want to do more of this. In the coming years, there was more hike and fly competitions here in Norway, like only one day competitions. But still, it was so much fun and stuff. Yeah, I just enjoyed doing it. And then... Like in 2023, I think, I went to the Wonderbird Hike and Fly Trophy in Meran. And yeah, got to test myself up against Aaron Delugatti and Paul Gusselbauer. And that was the guys in it. Yeah. And I didn't do very good there, but still, I enjoyed the

competition. Yeah. For the next year, I did... So this is, yeah, this is last year, actually. I did Bones to Fly in France, in Annecy. And then I think at that moment, I thought, yeah, I want to try and go for Red Bull X-Ops 2025. So this is early 2025. I thought, yeah, now I have to do some bigger competitions and stuff like this. So... yeah i did the monster fly did okay there then did yeah it was the dolomiti superfly i did in the the end of august and i got i got the ninth position there and i was really happy about it and it was much better than i expected then i felt like this

was just like so much fun it was not really too much fatigue or anything i was happy with everything i would went so so when i got that yeah placement and and like the feeling that this is just so much fun that's that's the moment i i decided to really apply for xl yeah right after like competition i applied for it so what i'm wondering is like you said that you've been flying since 2018 and you started racing in these high can fly arms since 2021 if i'm not mistaken so that's a fairly quick progress i Especially considering the fact that you do not have the chance to

Guest: chase airtime as all the other athletes in these races do. What was your strongest point in here that you thought was pulling you through these competitions when airtime and the experience in general was not on your side? Yeah, so I think like my physical form is quite good, so I could

Aninder: always, yeah, do well on that part. And now we know what I asked you, your body fat percentage in the beginning. Yeah, yeah, yeah. But no, but like these competitions, you never win them on the ground. It's always about the flying that really, yeah. So like I know I'm good on the ground and in the air, I have a lot to go on, but I have tried to, or I've been traveling to the Alps for like four summers now, I think. Just trying to get to know the area and fly as much there as possible. Right. Okay. So I want to roll back the clock to Bornes. No, not Bornes, the one which you did in 2023. How was

Guest: your, you know, how was your ability when it came to glider handling? Because I think one thing in Alps is that you need to really know how to fly a wing because you will put yourself in situations which will require precision control of landings, you know, or landings in the valley or uncomfortable places. Your glider handling back then, you know, from 2023 to glider handling to 2025, how has that progression been and what were the major differences in between these two timelines? Yeah, back then I recently moved on to a D wing and yeah, I was really new on flying a

Aninder: two-liner wing, and it was really quite new, and I was not using the potential of the wing. I was flying it really safely because I think I was a little bit nervous about the wing and stuff. And yeah, since that, I've tried just flying it a lot, doing SIV on it to get familiar with these kinds of wings. And I feel like the last... Yeah, a couple of months, actually. I think I've really progressed when I was traveling down to the Alps in the start of May now to prepare for X-Alps. And then I got to really fly a lot and try to fly efficiently and fast and fly in conditions

I didn't fly in before. Yeah, more turbulence in the lee sides and stuff. And saw that it's, yeah, it's possible to fly in these conditions quite safe, actually, when you are really current and know what to do. So I think my flying has progressed quite a lot since that first competition. Right. So basically airtime, you know, just going out there and putting in the effort. Yeah. Yeah. I think so. It's all about airtime and getting the hours in and yeah. And a little bit of acro and SIVs as you said. Yeah. Cool. Right. Let's talk about XRs because

Guest: obviously, you know, this is a media heavy race. We get to see a lot of sides of it, but mostly through the organizer's perspective. From you as an athlete, how was the mindset when you were about to start the race? You know, what was the, what did the preparation up to the race look like? Because, you know, as a 500 hour pilot with just five, six years behind your belt, you're racing with like the elite of the paragliding world so

Aninder: what was your strategy what was your what was what was your brain like that how am i going to tackle this yeah i think it's probably like a naive mindset but i think i was i was thinking like yeah it's how hard can it be like just try to hang on to the to the top flyers and and it was like yeah maybe kind of delusional but i thought like yeah this is this is gonna go well and it's i never had a doubt actually it was like yeah just really optimistic how it would go so yeah that's my mindset when i went into it actually i think That's kind of cool, man, that you had so much

Guest: confidence in your ability that you were expecting a good outcome, which you eventually did. So let's talk about the race. Did you have a strategy? Did you have some kind of plan that you wanted to stick to? How did it materialize in the first couple of days once you went through the prologue and the first few turnpoints? Yeah, I mean, I had planned pretty much like looking at possible routes and stuff and where it's

Aninder: possible to hike and all of these things. But like you never know which conditions you will get once you're in the race and stuff. So it only gets you so far. But of course, you need to have some kind of plan and stuff. And yeah, for the team, like we had a pretty good understanding of how we should work together and everything. and what roles everybody had and, and stuff like that. And I think, yeah, like, like my team, I was really happy about it and how we worked together and worked for, yeah, following the plan and, and, going further but like i had a plan for my

flight on the first day it was like yeah i'm gonna fly here and here and here and then suddenly you get like over 4000 meter cloud base and then everybody just goes straight down towards the turn point and it's yeah you get so much better conditions that you thought you would get and and then it's yeah it's really a nice surprise and it's yeah for such a difficult crossing over the main chain of the alps it's yeah it's really a confidence boost when you get such good conditions on the first day actually I know. I mean, height is a lot, is a huge comfort factor,

Guest: comfort zone for us paragliders, you know, because once you get high, yeah, I can glide almost endlessly to wherever I can look forward to. But when did you actually think that, okay, now this is a race. Now it's just not as strong in the park. Like when did the pressure, if at all, there was any pressure coming in? yeah i mean like on the prologue it was the prologue is it's so fast you know it's it's just yeah really fast race but

Aninder: this year we got really slow conditions and i i did well on the hike up and then like when it was time to start flying and really racing the conditions were so slow and i actually bombed out or landed halfway down and had to hike back up and then had to kind of change the mindset to this is more of a yeah you have to be patient and yeah fly safe than land because I saw like Alan Delgatti and big other pilots like landed and yeah waste so much time so then it was just trying to be patient and and get the goal so that was yeah was the kind of a difference uh yeah it was it was not really

feeling as much as the race but for the main race was like the hike up to hong kong was so fast and we had to be fast to get before the um get in here and fly before the cold front came and the over development yeah Once we were in the air, it was like gaggle flying. It was two gaggles and really racing conditions at once. And yeah, now it's just time to push on and keep up with the other top pilots. Is there a lot of speed bar pushing as

Guest: well in these hike and fly races? Or is it mostly, you know, conserving your height and making sure that you don't land too low or choose something which makes you regret your decisions of pushing too hard? Yeah, I mean, when it's good flying conditions, it's a lot of speedbar.

Aninder: But on the weaker days, it's more about preserving your height and not landing. I'll tell you why I asked this question, because of course, you

Guest: know, prologue is one thing which is only kind of it matters for the top three athletes but later on the gaggle eventually split and there were like two or three groups which usually is a part of the excel scheme as we are seeing in the in the in the later few years where do the gaps start opening because once you're in the gaggle okay you can almost try and keep up with the leaders or at least you know where they're landing it's not like a world cup race that you know two minutes coming into the goal two minutes later will reduce your score are these races the advantage

Aninder: that has been gained in these races is it being gained on the crown or is it being gained in the air yeah i think it depends but like this year it was the hike up to the first takeoff really had a lot to say and where you ended up in the final results i think because the first gaggle really could fly fast and and they got a little head of of the second gaggle and the other guys and yeah they managed to keep this up actually for the whole race I think almost like of course Alvin Duigati he was in the second gaggle but he yeah he's so good at flying so he caught up with the first gaggle I think

and Yeah. And then later we had, in the first day, we had the Via Ferrata in the Dolomites. And that also, in this year, it was really making a big difference for... Yeah. Some guys were able to do it, and then the thunderstorms rolled in, and the Via Ferrata got closed. And then everybody who didn't do it had to wait at the hut. Then it was closed for the rest of the day. Yeah. so that really made the pilots who had done it they could run get a more of a lead and the other guys had to wait and then the guys from behind got up and everybody was kind of in that position

except from the guys who'd done it so and further on it was like yeah was kind of a lead gaggle and then group i was in and yeah it kind of stayed like that for the rest of the race almost i think Yeah, yeah. And that is what kind of gets me thinking that when it kind of stays, it's, you know, once

Guest: we see the groups being formed, and then we see that people find it easier to stick to those groups because they don't increase or reduce in numbers that often. often as they do while forming of the groups. So is it just like chances that, you know, some other athletes were a little bit faster in some sections of the ground or some section of the air that they got away? Or are we looking at the field becoming, forming bigger and bigger rivals and groups in time to come? Like how do you see this race progressing towards in time to come? Yeah, that's an interesting

Aninder: question. It's hard to tell because I feel like the sport is getting more and more professional, kind of. So everybody is training more for it. And it's, yeah, both the physical part and the flying part. And it's, I feel like... the playing field is much more level than before. Like, you see when, yeah, we finally get another winner, then TGL, I think it tells about that. It's really, yeah, like, the pilots are getting better at everything now, I think. Makes sense, makes sense. There are a lot of pilots who do bail out and, you know, drop in between the race did you have

Guest: any key strategy to making it to the finish or is it just your you know physical form that gave you an edge over the other ones who were bailing out earlier yeah like my number one priority in the competition was to stay safe and healthy So I really focused on, yeah, taking safe

Aninder: decisions and not doing anything stupid. Like there was, we saw some videos of people flying in really shitty thorn conditions. And me and Patrick Colbert walked down 1,100 meters and had to walk a lot further just because we didn't want to fly in these thorn conditions. Yeah, I think, yeah, just to stay safe gets you a long way on the way. I saw your infographic which said you hiked 81 kilometers, like the longest

Guest: distance by any athlete and Red Bull XLs. Was that in a day or was that cumulative? Yeah, that was in a day, but I think there are some

Aninder: calculation errors in their tracking or something because I only got 73 kilometers on my clock. So there's a difference there. yeah no but yeah it wasn't a day and it was a day where actually we fly every day we got some distance flight but on this day was a short flight and then a cold front hit and then it was walking rest of the day or running yeah but luckily we didn't get any like days just filled with rain or too much wind and stuff so was really not too much on the ground actually which was yeah was quite nice I don't know, man. 73 kilometers on ground seems a lot like... What

Guest: was your playlist like during those kilometers? What made you do 73 kilometers with a backpack for at least, I think, five to eight kilograms, depending on whatever your setup was? How does a human brain work when you have a task like that in front of you? Yeah, I kind of wanted

Aninder: to listen to music, but I broke my phone the day earlier. So I was borrowing my supporter's phone and I didn't have any music on it. So it was just me and my thoughts. Yeah, I was just enjoying the views, I think, running along and yeah just enjoying the moment and also i hiked a little bit with uh jared from the united states and yeah like talking with other athletes when you meet them it's it's just a really nice to catch up with them and yeah they're about their last days nice nice I mean, I was curious with respect to the body, like, you know, do you get any

Guest: injuries? Do you get any like, because a lot of people struggle with blisters, a lot of people have like muscle pains and, you know, inflammations and all of that. So how did you deal with physical aspect of this challenge when you're putting in such a Herculean effort in one single day? Yeah, I'm quite lucky I never get blisters. I can really feel it. I felt sore in my legs after that day, but it's not so strange maybe.

Aninder: But also I think before the competition, I tried to really get a lot of kilometers in my legs just to... be ready for these days because you know it's they're gonna come and yeah you kind of have to be ready for it so getting enough kilometers on the tarmac is i think it's smart to be ready for this okay now you're making it sound super simple so i'm gonna ask you the toughest question what was the toughest moment of the race that you had that you can share with our audience. Yeah, I think, yeah, I did some, I bombed out a couple of times. And I think when we were on the way back from

Les Deux Alpes towards Italy or to Ascona, Locarno, all the other guys were flying good. I bombed out in the middle of the day when it's at the best flying conditions. And Yeah, that was really hard. And yeah, just had to sit down for 10 minutes and just collect my mind. And yeah, just think, yeah, you just have to get back up to take off to get that mindset again. And yeah, when I got back up and I take off, it's just, yeah, you think, yeah, I'll just go fly again and try to do as good as possible now. of frustrating thoughts that linger on like you have this self-defense

Guest: mechanism that kind of allows you to block away that negativity and just focus on the next part and I think that's the key here right yeah yeah I think that's the key or at least for me it's don't linger with it just just keep going and and get back up and do it do as good as you can Wow, golden words said so simply. Erlend, a lot of people will be wishing to accomplish something that you have. What is your advice to people wanting to walk in your footsteps? Yeah, that's a hard question. But I think for me, like my whole flying journey has been just keep the joy of

Aninder: flying. Just keep that spark up, you know, don't force it and make it work. uh just enjoy the hiking flies you do and just yeah find the joy in the flying every time and yeah enjoy the moments i think that's that's kind of my main thing that that's yeah got me here you seem to be a man of few words but those words are filled with business yeah yeah and also of course like like do siv and get flying hours and stuff that's also important that's but that's i think people know know that that's I think a lot of us know what we want to do, but somehow we develop this facade of

Guest: confidence as well at a lot of times where we're like, I don't want to think about what I have to do. I just want to think about what I feel like doing. This is upgrading gliders or whatever. There is an inner voice which tells you that, yes, you should do three SIVs before upgrading. You should know how to full stall this one without shitting your pants before upgrading. But it's like, no, I don't want to think about it. i want to think about how cool the next wing will be those like if you can manage that little bridge where you don't switch over to the thoughts

which are giving you pseudo satisfaction but rather stay with the ones which are giving you the reality check i think that will accelerate your progression in a much faster manner like like you you have You know, 500 hours, you are six hours, six years of flying and you have pushed the limits, not just in Excel, you push the limits multiple times, but every time in a safe way. And yeah, I hope it stays that way, man. I think it takes a lot to have that kind of courage and develop a mindset around that courage, which got you where you are right now. Yeah, yeah, I agree.

What's coming next, Erland? Because so far, the way you have come, it's a very inspiring journey. So for the people who follow you out there, what can they expect from Team Erland in time to come? yeah i don't really have any big plans for the next a couple of months i kind of just want to do what i

Aninder: want like maybe some acro and some hiking fly in some really nice places and stuff and yeah just take it easy i think and relax a bit after this exhaust journey and uh yeah maybe i'll do some i really enjoy like mountaineering or alpine stuff combined with the flying so yeah Do you

Guest: have a strategy to have a mindset? Like, are you into meditation or mindfulness or any of those sorts of things? No, not really, actually. Okay, no, you sound super chill. So that's why I was like, just curious. Or maybe it's just the English because Norwegians are more comfortable speaking Norwegian and more expressive than that as well. Yeah, yeah, yeah, maybe. yeah cool man this has been quite an insightful talk that we you know I think we scheduled this much before Xouts because your Herculean world record attempt was inspiring enough for me to you know tell your story out to the audiences but i'm so glad that we waited until later on because now there's more data points to collect and talk yeah

yeah i agree yeah man thanks for your time thanks for your inspiration and uh keep rocking i would say and yeah uh let's let's have you back whenever you bring out this awesomeness to the world in a in another manner in time to go yeah yeah thank you so much for having me it was great talking to you likewise

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