The decision to film the FAI 3rd World Sailplane Grand Prix final in Chile was one happy consequence of the global economic downturn. The Vitacura club in Santiago had already demonstrated its organisational flair in 2009, and with other nations uncertain about whether or not they could host the 3rd Gliding World Grand Prix, it seemed logical to go with a venue that already had the infrastructure so freshly in place.
And, with apologies to the world’s other great mountain backdrops, what better place to showcase the pure natural beauty of gliding than the Andean Cordillera? The rest is history: a specialist film crew was assembled by Mario Hytten, and they recorded the glorious ups and downs of Sailplane Grand Prix that you see on the film. And if that’s the history, just imagine the future.