The Kolibri EVO in Nepal

Team pilot and travel photographer for National Geographic Expeditions, Max SEIGAL tells us about his last trip to Nepal, for which he chose to equip himself with the Kolibri EVO.

The new Kolibri EVO– the queen of bivouac flying
For as long as I can remember, I have always been drawn to free flight for the unique opportunities it offers. Paragliding allows you to climb a mountain and fly from its summit, cover long distances cross-country, or land at high altitude and bivouac with friends before continuing the flight the next day. I always thought that the Kolibri was the best harness fly-bivouac, but the original model with closed legs was a bit difficult to put on with nearly 40 kg of equipment and water. That was the most difficult part of the day for me: putting on the harness.

With the improvements made to the Kolibri EVO, all the minor "drawbacks" of the original version have been resolved! With a detachable thigh strap, putting on the harness now easier than ever, even when loaded with all your camping gear. I still love the HUGE rear compartment, which offers enormous space for a tent, backpack, water, and lots of other accessories (I've never found a comparable storage volume in any competing brand!). Other improvements are also very welcome, such as the new pocket under the emergency parachute for storing an external battery to keep flight instruments fully charged throughout the flight, the reinforced instrument holder, and above all the redesigned emergency handle, which prevents any unwanted snagging.

My three friends and I spent a month in Nepal flying and camping. After setting up our base camp near Pokhara, in the Annapurna region, we took advantage of every possible weather window. We regularly found ourselves above 4,000 metres, and once at cloud base we would explore the surrounding area, scouting for potential high altitude landings to set up our bivouac, which would allow us to take off again the next morning. This freedom offered by paragliding and bivouac flying in particular, allowed us to discover many peaks that were unknown to us, but also to spend a few nights on familiar peaks such as Mardi Himal (3500m) or Korchon (3600m). What a feeling of joy and freedom to be able to fly with all the necessary equipment (bivouac material, food, clothes), and to be able to explore a region for several days in autonomy, without needing to go back down to town to restock.

After spending this month flying-bivouac in Nepal with friends, we were all convinced by the new Kolibri EVO. Even one of my friends (with the original version) said he wanted to order the EVO version as soon as he returned home. The Kolibri EVO makes it possible to envisage new and formidable adventures in paragliding thanks to all the improvements made!!!