UP team pilot Stefan “Boxi” Bocks took his MERU 2 (EN/LTF D) on XC for several days in a row simply because “experiencing this is a gift.”
Wallberg, Kronplatz, Lodron, Stubnerkogel… between May 23 and 29, 2026, Boxi was clearly determined to find out how many kilometers could be logged with the MERU 2 across Germany, Austria, and Italy. This can now be answered as 868.37. From the photos, we can see that, in addition to strong thermal conditions, at least one banana was needed as “fuel.”
In his words: “Servus and greetings from Zemmgrund. I’ll keep it short. Good weather was forecast, so the plan was to fly for a few days - and to do so without a car if possible. On the first day, I flew from my local mountain, the Kampenwand, all the way to the Gastein Valley. The next day, I flew back home from there against the wind. Just before that, I changed plans and headed back into the mountains to the Brixental Valley, spending the night at my rented cabin. On the third day, I flew back over the Kampenwand and then on to the Wallberg. A top landing on the fourth day - with the plan to fly a big triangle: Wallberg, Arlberg with wingman Basti Huber. Always at full throttle and maintaining a good pace. Then across the Ötztal with 20 vultures and a near-landing in Sterzing due to a strong north wind. After a bold jump into the lee, I crossed into the Dolomites and made my second turn over the Fanes Hut. Unfortunately, with the strong north wind, there was no chance of completing the 300. On the 5th day, from Kronplatz back against the wind over the Kampenwand to my place in Frasdorf. A short break to work. Then off again from Wallberg - this time over Gerlos and the Gastein Valley and back over the main ridge. The MERU 2 remained under control even in the most adverse conditions and always gave me a good feeling. There’s really nothing more to say about it."
Respect, and keep it up!
You can find an overview of Boxi’s flights on XContest: Pilot detail: Stefan Bocks [boxi] :: XContest.org - world of XC paragliding