In late June the PD Factory Team set off on a two-week, action-packed adventure to the Scandanavian wonderland called Norway. The primary objective was to compete in the European Swooping Tour (EST), one of the many sports being showcased on the Extreme Week billet. But the competition was merely the icing on the proverbially over-stuffed, cream-filled, triple-layer cake. Also on the docket for the PD guys: BASE jaunts to the famous rock walls at Gudvangen and Kjerag; some radically aggressive canopy flights along mountain ridges and waterfalls; and a myriad of high-profile team exhibition jumps into downtown Voss.

The Competition
For the third consecutive year the PDFT earned top spots at the Voss EST event, this time sweeping all three medals and the bulk of the $10,000 cash purse. Shannon Pilcher took the gold, scoring 785 out of 800 possible points. Teammates Jonathan Tagle and Ian Bobo were second and third, with 694 and 654 points respectively. Noticeably absent was teammate Jay Moledzki, who reluctantly had to cancel his trip at the last minute.

The turnout at this year's competition was smaller than previous year's, but that didn't stop Norway's national freefly team, the SkyWalkers, from bringing on the heat. In several rounds these talented pilots scored in the top percentile, proving that they will be serious contenders in the months and years to come.

Media Exposure
As Extreme Week participation and sponsorship have grown, so has the media coverage. This year's event was covered exclusively by Norway's largest television network, NRK (www.nrk.no), and the PDFT was fortunate to partner up with them for a special 2.5-minute television spot on the evening news.

Watch the NRK video here --> http://www1.nrk.no/nett-tv/klipp/266982

Several other Norwegian and European media companies covered the PDFT activities during the week, joining them on several BASE trips, and covering the competition from beginning to end. Some of the companies include: Rideguide (Canada, www.rideguide.ca), Aftenposten TV (Norway, www.aftenposten.no), One-2-One Sports (Sweden, www.121sports.se), Gus Hurst - Extreme Sport Photos (extremesportphotos.com).

Many thanks to everyone in Voss for always rolling out the red carpet. Special thanks to Bjorn Magne Bryn, Trude Sviggum, Vibeke, Alastair McCartney, Ditta Valsdottir, the SkyWalkers, Justin & Gus, the Nissan crew, and the Voss kitchen staff.

Visit the PD Factory Team website to view more photos from this event.
Photos of Norway 2007

One of Norway's greatest attractions is its massive granite walls, and the PDFT took full advantage of the opportunity, hitting several of the smaller local sites--Buddha and Skjarvet--and some of the more epic sites like Flam and Gudvangen. Shannon Pilcher and Ian Bobo recorded their first wing suit (BirdMan) BASE flights, while Jonathan Tagle and JC Colclasure pushed their BirdMan flights longer and farther.

Bobo, Pilch and Tagle spent an extra week in Lysebotn fjord in southern Norway, hoping to jump from some of its 3000-ft walls. Winds and rain prevailed, however, and the trio only managed two jumps before week's end.

It is worth noting an accident that occurred on the first day. After a short hike to exit point #1 (Smellveggan), the trio decided to attempt to fly their BirdMan SkyFlyer 6 wingsuits across the fjord. Tagle and Pilch succeeded, but then found themselves in a precarious landing situation. With only a small asphalt-covered dock to land on (or the water), both jumpers misjudged--overshooting--and barely avoided serious injury. Tagle walked away with road rash up the back of his left leg; Pilcher, a twisted ankle, three stitches, and a broken A-line. Bobo wisely opened high and flew back to the bottom of the cliff, landing safely in a grassy (albeit gnarly) landing area.

The lessons: Know your outs, know your abilities, and remember, water is usually softer than mother earth!

Special thanks to the Kjerag BASE Klubb for a warm welcome, and especially to Helin and Vibeke for tending to the wounded.

Visit the PD Factory Team website to view more photos from this event.
Photos of Norway 2007

In mid June, the Pro Swooping Tour's 2007 Air Festival and Mile Hi Canopy Cup took place in Longmont, Colorado. The event was very successful with 30 competitors at the competition. When the dust settled, Jay Moledzki finished 1st in the Ultimate Speed and Distance events. Moledzki earned the Canopy Cup Trophy and $3250 in winnings.

As reported by the Pro Swooping Tour Newsletter...

DISTANCE
Jay Moledzki from the PD factory team narrowly beat out Team Extreme member Nick Batsch in the Distance event. Jay's years of experience showed in the courses as his position in the gate was exact. The PST had FAI judges on hand so Jay's longest distance run of 494 feet will be submitted as the new FAI World record under the new weight restrictions.

ULTIMATE SPEED
Jay Moledzki beat out the field with a 1.83 and 2.2 second run. Once again his experience showed as he swooped his body at an angle to keep from popping up at times.

TEAM SPEED
There were twelve teams in this competition on Sunday morning with Jay Moledzki and Marat Leiras taking top honors.

OVERALL CANOPY CUP WINNER
The overall winner of the 2007 Mile Hi Canopy Cup was Jay Moledzki. Jay won a total of $3,250 including $625 for winning the speed event, $625 for winning the speed event and a $2,000 check for his canopy cup win!

For full details, scores and results on the PST 2007 Air Festival please visit the Canopy Piloting website: www.canopypiloting.com

Follow the PD Factory Team as they continue the dream of flight.

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