On March 24, 2026, Benedikt Hadersbeck completed the classic >100-kilometer flight - only his cell phone gave out due to freezing temperatures.
Starting from Brauneck, “Beppino” took off at 10:23 a.m. heading toward Seefeld in Tyrol, then along the Nordkette past Innsbruck - fortunately, his cell phone had still been working when he checked for airspace clearance - on to the Rofan at Achensee, and back against the wind to Lenggries. In total, he was in the air for 5 hours & 22 minutes and covered 124 km. In his own words:
"The forecast for the day was good, but in the morning it still looked very overcast with high stratus clouds. I stuck to my plan anyway and set off toward the Karwendel, since the thermals were strong and active early on despite the clouds. Others had already completed the triangle this year, but without crossing into the Rofan, so the plan was to make the jump over Lake Achensee. Everything went like clockwork, without any issues or fiddling around. It was only in the Rofan range that it got a bit more turbulent with strong thermals. Since there’s also a restricted airspace above this area, I left the updraft early. The MERU 2 impresses me with its easy-going handling in both light and stronger conditions, while still delivering good performance. That encourages you to keep the throttle open even in turbulent air and thus cover distance."
Congratulations on the great flight! You can find all the details on XContest.
PS: Inspired to try this FAI yourself? UP team pilot Yves Jonczyk has a video on the Karwendel triangle.