ALP
Weight: from 1.58 kg
Color: Blue
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Alpine Flight
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On-site flight
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Cross Country
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Hike and fly
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Two-seater
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Casual
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Regular
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Professional
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Beginner
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Intermediate
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Seasoned
- EDELRID AURA Carabiners
- Carbon feetboard
- speed bar 3 rungs (convertible to 2 rungs)
- Emergency handle
- reserve bridle
- Sagging pockets
- Compression bag
- Repair Kit
- Shims for adjusting the foot plate
About the ALP
Inspired by the mountain range where it was born, the ALP is designed for ambitious athletes competing in the world of Hike & Fly and high-level cross-country flying. It features a cutting-edge design that redefines performance standards in the ultra-light harness category.
With the ALP, Supair’s design team aims to bring Hike & Fly up to the same level of performance as distance flying competitions, which currently benefit from the highest-performing products on the market. By combining ultra-lightweight design with a product engineered for pure performance, they are creating an entirely new category in the free flight sector: ultra-light, fully-fairing cockpits.
To achieve this goal, every component of the ALP has been carefully selected for its light weight, compact design, and technical performance. A streamlined combination of these different materials is the final step in creating a canopy that weighs as little as 1.58 kg, comes fully equipped, and is ready to fly.
From the initial idea put down on paper in 2022 to Pierre Rémy’s participation in the X-PYR 2024 with the final version of the ALP, countless hours of flight testing have resulted in a product perfectly optimized for competition, offering an unmatched combination of performance, lightness, and comfort.
FIND YOUR DEALER
The ALP is one of a kind in its category.
To ensure the safety and satisfaction of our pilots, a network of dealers has been carefully selected and trained by our design team to assist you with test flights, purchasing, and getting to know your ALP.
The first demo ALP models will be available for test rides at the ALP dealers listed below starting in late July or early August, depending on size.
Contact the ALP dealer of your choice to schedule a test drive.
ALP Resellers
- FLY LOOKOUT: 0017063831292
- CLOUD 9 PARAGLIDING: 001 80 15 76 64 60
- CHICAGO PARAGLIDING: 001 70 89 35 01 77
- BRAZIL:
- CANADA:
- ITALY
- JAPAN
- NORWAY
- PORTUGAL
- POLAND
- CHINA
- HONG KONG
When light harness meets its highest performance level.
AERODYNAMICS
A Design Focused on Performance
While “submarine”-style harnesses have revolutionized the world of XC competition, the ALP takes on the challenge of incorporating a full fairing into its design, featuring an inflatable envelope that takes shape in flight thanks to the relative wind.
The wing’s span and construction minimize drag generated by the pilot thanks to a smooth airflow over a streamlined profile. It also stabilizes the harness along the yaw axis, making for a comfortable flight over long periods.
The ALP series thus delivers the highest level of performance, all in a “featherweight” design.
LIGHT
The ultralight harness like you've never seen before
The characteristics of the selected fabrics, combined with the optimized frame design, result in a one-of-a-kind product. Weighing as little as 1.58 kg, this weight includes not only the harness but also all of its accessories.
Whether it’s the fabric of the cover or the frame structure, the ALP’s design ensures extreme compactness for ergonomic and minimalist storage in the rucksack. Its inflatable protector allows the harness to be fully compressed for minimal storage space.
HIGH-PERFORMANCE
Where Cross-Country Meets Ultralight
The ALP breaks new ground by combining an advanced aerodynamic design with ultra-lightweight materials.
This unique combination optimizes both in-flight performance and the pilot’s comfort on the ground. This synergy between the worlds of Hike & Fly and XC competition offers a smooth and efficient flying experience while reducing weight to the bare essentials.
This innovative approach sets the ALP apart from other lightweight or shell-style pod harnesses, setting new standards for lightness and performance.
"We believe the ALP is the future of high-end hike & fly , and we are proud to have taken on this innovative challenge that combines aerodynamics and lightness. The ALP marks Supair's return to the high-performance product segment."Yoann Chavanne - Harness Designer
The ALP and Its Design Challenges
Taking an interest in the ALP also means taking an interest in Supair's history. Many of our team members have been or are still racing at high level, and are very fond of performance-oriented equipment.
The bivouac flight, initiated by pioneers such as Pierre Bouilloux and now practiced by our team pilots, as well as Clément Latour and Benoît Outters' participations in the 2017 X-Alps, have forged a strong Supair legacy in the world of Hike & Fly.
Thanks to this history of competition and sporting challenge, and a market where Hike & Fly competitions are multiplying, the ALP gradually arose in the minds of our designers. The initial ambition was to create an uncompromising harness for Hike & Fly, based on three key concepts: performance, lightness and ease of use.
A Lightweight, Optimized Design
To make the right design choices, it's essential to analyze and understand the market and pilots' needs.
The first step was to develop the harness seat, focusing not only on weight, but also on comfort, handling and durability to suit intensive use in competition. Stress zones, pressure points, adjustment of reinforcements... Many hours of flight were spent with the seat structure alone to optimize its design.
The result of this development is a streamlined seat that provides the pilot with everything he needs during flight without compromising the design's lightness.
Aerodynamic and High-Performance Design
The design of the outer casing is the second step in the development of the ALP.
After extensive studies and analyses conducted using comparative flight tests and digital tools such as CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics), the “submarine” design emerged as the clear choice due to its superior aerodynamic performance. Numerous tests and prototypes were necessary to design the most aerodynamic shape possible while still being suitable for Hike & Fly.
In total, more than 30 harness configurations were tested and analyzed to identify all the factors—even the most subtle ones—that influence the harness's performance.
Material Optimization and Selection
Once the seat structure and envelop shape had been tested and validated, the challenge was to optimize the entire concept for a use in Hike & Fly competition.
Careful selection of materials, a rigorous choice of accessories, and the design of a specialized protection system that combines lightness, compactness, and safety are the final cornerstones for delivering a harness that excels in its three key areas: aerodynamics, lightness, and performance (ALP).
Getting Used to Hike & Fly
While the designing team was looking for the best choices for the external shape of the harness, the comparative studies carried out on existing models showed clear results: integral envelopes offer aerodynamic performance almost twice better than a standard lightweight pod harness.
To obtain these results, the designers developed an initial prototype envelope, which they compared with our current pod harnesses range thanks to CFD tool (Computational Fluid Dynamics).
With these results in mind, designing a harness with a cover seemed like the obvious choice, but a new question arises:
How can such an imposing and complex design be adapted into an ultra-light product?
To answer this question, the Research & Development team studied the needs of Hike & Fly athletes in order to offer tailored design solutions.
MAGNETIC ZIPPER
Making it easier to get in and out of the pod
The integration of a magnetic zipper to the ALP's envelope is a major innovation to guarantee theproduct's ease of usein a Hike & Fly context .
To get into the harness after takeoff, simply slide your legs into the pod harness and straighten them so that the zipper closes automatically using only its magnetic force. Once closed, an airtight seal is guaranteed, and the canopy inflates thanks to the relative wind.
To get out, simply slide your foot out or bend your legs and spread your knees to open the zipper.
Thanks to this feature, you can prepare your Landing as you would with a classic pod harness.
SIMPLE AND ACCESSIBLE COCKPIT
For comfort during flight and easier instrument operation
The cockpit is key to pilot comfort. To ensure it is practical and easy to use, the instruments are always accessible during flight without having to unzip anything.
The clear visor is removable to suit your needs.
A zippered pocket and a cable opening are provided so you can use a power bank connected to your instruments.
OPTIMIZED ENVELOPE
Combining Lightweight Design with Performance
Comparative studies of different types of pod harness carried out by the R&D team have proven the superior performance of envelope harnesses. Once this has been established, the next step is to identify the parameters that influence the performance of the envelope, in order to adjust it as effectively as possible for Hike & Fly use .
The designers developed an experimental plan involving no fewer than 30 different envelope designs to arrive at the final design of the ALP. This envelope design offers the best balance between aerodynamic performance, lightweight construction, and ease of use in the context of the hike & fly.
inflatable protector
Lightweight and compact for guaranteed safety
Adapting the concept of a full-body harness for Hike & Fly requires adjusting the protective gear.
To meet the needs of athletes, protective gear must be compact, lightweight, easy to handle and use, while also meeting safety and performance standards.
Numerous trials and tests were conducted to determine the optimal combination of thickness, shape, and weight for the protective covering, in order to ensure maximum safety without affecting the diameter of the airfoil—and thus its aerodynamics.
The ALP protection takes up no space in the pack and inflates in a matter of seconds during takeoff using a tube located on the left shoulder of the harness.
REINFORCED FRAME
Where comfort meets ultra-lightweight design
The ALP’s frame alone has undergone numerous hours of flight testing to achieve the best balance between lightness and durability. The materials used in its construction ensure that its weight is reduced to the bare essentials, while the load-bearing elements ensure optimal force distribution.
Although its design is streamlined to be as lightweight as possible, it offers all the adjustments you need to tailor the ALP to your body type: shoulder length, backrest angle, lumbar support, seat angle, and leg speedbag.
The frame is fully accessorized for an ideal Use for walking and flight thanks to its pole-holder pocket and two Pockets Flask . Two storage spaces are also provided, with an underseat pocket (3L) and a back pocket (between 12 and 15 L) equipped with a Flask and a passage for a hose.
Supair ALP - Performance at its lightest
Technical Specifications
| S | M | L | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pilot height (cm) | 155–175 | 172–185 | 182–195 |
| Pilot weight (kg) | 50–75 | 65–85 | 70–95 |
| Harness weight (kg) | 1.58 | 1.61 | 1.64 |
| Back Height (cm) | 57 | 63 | 68 |
| Backrest adjustment range (cm) | 31 | 35 | 38 |
| Seat length (cm) | 41 | 43 | 45 |
| Seat width (cm) | 35 | 35 | 35 |
| Height of attachment points (cm) | 40 | 40 | 40 |
| Distance between attachment points (cm) | 38 | 38 | 38 |
| speedbag length (cm) | 97 | 103 | 113 |
| Capacity of the back storage pouch (L) | 12 | 13 | 15 |
| Reserve parachute volume (L) | 2.0 to 4.8 | 2.0 to 4.8 | 2.0 to 4.8 |
Features
The ALP is designed for experienced pilots. It is a harness made from ultra-light technical materials and must be handled with care.
- Hammock-style frame, without a crossbar
- Stabilized behavior along the yaw axis
- The magnetic zipper makes it easy to get in and out of the pod harness
- Geometry optimized for Hike & Fly, offering excellent maneuverability in turns and controlled stability during cruising and transition phases
- inflatable protector sub-base
- Pocket reserve parachute
- Y-Type Elevators
- Back panel reinforced and stiffened with a fiberglass rod
- Loop-free design for easy handling
- Magnetic zipper for easy entry and exit from the pod harness
- Cockpit with access to the instruments and various pockets
- Back pocket
- Cane Holder
- under-seat pocket
- Battery compartment under the cockpit
- 2 Flask Pockets
- Adjusting the Shoulder Length
- Adjustment of the backrest inclination
- Seat Adjustment
- Lumbar Support Adjustment
- Adjusting the length of the speedbag
Chassis:
- 4mm Dyneema
- 7mm Dyneema HPME
- 12 mm Dyneema braided cord
- 210D Nylon
- MJ 38g
- RPU Film
Envelope:
- 210D Nylon
- MJ 38g
- MJ 32g
- Dominico 10D
- Aerodynamic Envelope
- foot plate
- Inflatable bladder bump
- Emergency handle
Take care of your harness
The ALP is designed with lightweight construction in mind. Although the harness is designed for maximum durability, it is made of ultra-lightweight materials and must therefore be handled with care.
Warning!
The ALP was designed exclusively for hike-and-fly and cross-country flying. Although the ALP is certified to carry a load of 100 kg, acrobatic maneuvers are prohibited, and the frame is not designed to absorb the energy from high-G maneuvers.
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Frequently Asked Questions About the ALP
For experienced pilots who engage in hike & fly and high-level cross-country flying, particularly in competition hike & fly. Pierre Rémy used it during the X-Pyr 2024. Its ultra-lightweight materials require careful handling.
1.58 kg in size S, 1.61 kg in size M, and 1.64 kg in size L. This weight includes the harness and all its accessories: carabiners, foot plate carbon, speed bar, handle, and reserve bridle.
The ALP features a full-body fairing: an inflatable envelope that takes shape in flight thanks to the relative wind. It reduces the pilot’s drag and stabilizes the harness in yaw. On the ground, the inflatable protector can be fully deflated for minimal storage space.
The ALP accepts reserve parachutes s ranging from 2 to 4.8 liters.
The back pocket has a capacity of 12 liters in size S, 13 liters in size M, and 15 liters in size L. The ALP also comes with pockets for water bottles.
The ALP is available through a network of retailers selected and trained by Supair designers, who provide support during the trial, purchase, and initial setup.