FROM THE CALIFORNIAN DESERT TO FINLAND'S FROZEN LAKES

The four free-flight pilots and members of the Swiss National Free-Flight Team—Alfred Andrist, Dominik Andrist, Lauri Malila, and Urs Muntwyler, got off to a great start in the 2026 Free Flight World Cup season in February in Lost Hills, California—a four-hour drive south of San Francisco. Dominik Andrist won the Kiwi World Cup in F1A (gliders with high-launch), placed fourth in the North American World Cup, and second in the MaxMen World Cup. For Alfred Andrist, his 6th-place finish in the Kiwi Cup in the F1B category—amidst professionals from Ukraine and strong American competitors—stands out. In F1E, Dominik Andrist placed 5th in the Kiwi Cup. Urs Muntwyler took second place in the MaxMen World Cup in the F1Q category.

The World Cup scene is now shifting primarily to Europe. The first two World Cup events took place on March 6 and 7 in Säyskäla, Finland, on the frozen Lake Pyhäjärvi. Lauri Malila, the 2023 F1A World Champion from Le Sentier, won the “Moose” World Cup organized by the Swedish Free Flight Association in the second tiebreaker. In the “Bear” World Cup, organized by the Finnish Free Flight Association, he placed seventh in the second tiebreaker. He currently leads the world rankings in F1A. In the F1Q category, Urs Muntwyler placed fourth in the second round of the “Moose” World Cup and second in the “Bear” World Cup, and is now fourth in the world rankings.