text: The small Alpine village of St Hilaire-du-Touvet hosted the annual Coupe Icare from 17-22 September. Spread across a whole week it started with a two-day testival where pilots could try-and-fly wings from manufacturers – although this testival side of the Coupe Icare hasn’t quite caught on yet, with only 136 pilots taking advantage.
  However, on Thursday the testival turned festival and the fun began. That fun included the famous flying masquerade, hike-and-fly, numerous display flights and air shows, the film festival and evenings spent partying in the big-top marquees. The new organising team, now centred around Thibault Lajugie, said they were already motivated to start preparing for the next edition.
  Organisers said 55,000 visitors had visited over the week, a drop from previous peak years where 90-100,000 have been claimed. Good weather meant the fancy-dress flying went off without a hitch – 140 pilots took to the air in costume.
  Inside the trade tents 130 manufacturers and free-flight businesses were kept busy all weekend. Here’s the A-to-Z of what we found at this year’s gear expo.
  New Paragliders and harnesses
  The Sigma DLS (Durable Lightweight Structure) replaces the Sigma...