nuno virgilio
  • Country of Origin: Portuguese
  • Gender: M

NUNO VIRGÍLIO

Activity: Paragliding, Trekking
Achievement
  • 4x #1st in Portuguese Ranking and opinion leader in our flying community
  • 3rd at the Pre-World Championships (Valle de Bravo, Mexico)
  • 9th at the European Chapionships, (St Andre Les Alps, France)
  • 2nd at the Spanish League (El Bosque)
  • 2nd at the Iberian Open (Larouco)
  • 3rd at the Spanish League (Pedro Bernardo)
  • 6th at the Polish Open (Kobarid, Slovenia)
  • task winner at Paragliding world cup
  • the first and only Portuguese ever to be selected and participate at RedBull X-Alps, in 2011.
  • Portuguese xc record holder (248km)
Q&A

How do you know about this sport? Why did you get interested in it? 

My father was a skydiver and he always took us with him on his adventures. eventually in the '90s he started paragliding and it was a natural step for me and my brothers to follow. I still find it thrilling because of the challenge it means: to fly like a bird!

Have you ever come across any setbacks with this sport? How could you overcome it?

I never had any accident but it's true that freeflying has some risk associated. The way to stay safe is to learn a lot about the atmosphere and practice in different conditions so you can use your skills when you really need it. Ultimately you need to realize if your skill level is not enough, be humble and decide not to fly if the conditions are dangerous. 

 

Do you have any fantastic experience or achievement with this sport?

I’ve set the Portuguese cross country record with a flight of 248km starting in our mountains and travelling deep into the southern flatlands to almost reach the ocean. It took 6h, and I’ve reached 3800m altitude.

I’ve also had some good results in competitions, like winning a task in the Paragliding World Cup where I flew 100km in less than 3h and reaching goal in front of 120 other world top pilots.

What kinds of equipment are needed for playing this sport?

Flying at high altitudes requires the best insulation and wind proof clothes because of extreme temperature variations.

You have to rely on your gear in order to stay focused and get the best performance without any constraint. OnePolar has a wide range of the finest products for outdoor professionals and you can trust the gear without any compromise on your success. 

Onepolar provides the athletes with sponsorship and collect reviews for the purpose of product development. How do you view this?

It’s brilliant! It gives the experts out there the opportunity to develop the right gear for each occasion. This way product will definitely be tested under real conditions and clients can be assured they suit their needs and will keep them comfortable under the hardest situations.