Gavin McClurg

Gavin Noll McClurg (born April 21, 1972) is an American paragliding pilot, adventurer and offshore sailor. As a paraglider, he pioneered a route over the Alaska Range along with Dave Turner,[1] and completed several expeditions over remote areas across North America.[2][3] As a sailor, he circumnavigated the Earth twice.[4]

Paragliding career

McClurg set the free-distance USA foot launch paragliding record at 387 km in 2013, taking off from Sun Valley, Idaho.[5] He was awarded the National Geographic Adventurer of the Year nomination in 2015 for an 18-day crossing of the Canadian Rockies from McBride, British Columbia to the US border with Will Gadd, documented in the film The Rockies Traverse.[6][7]

McClurg competed in the four Red Bull X-Alps races from 2015 until 2021, finishing in 8th place in 2015.[8]

On May 5, 2016 McClurg set out with Dave Turner to traverse the full length of the Alaska Range by foot and paraglider, unsupported. The 480 mile route had never been attempted by paraglider. McClurg completed the route solo on June 17, 2016 after 37 days.[9]

McClurg is one of the organizers of the XRedRocks: a multi-day hike and fly event that is held yearly since 2021.[10]

After retiring as an X-Alps athlete after the 2021 edition of the race McClurg returned in 2023 as official race reporter.[11]

Film and video

McClurg has been in a number of paragliding and adventure films. His latest, produced by the Red Bull Media House include The Rockies Traverse[12] and North of Known, which premiered at the Banff Mountain Film Festival in November, 2016.

  • The Rockies Traverse (video) Gavin McClurg and Will Gadd cross the Canadian Rockies to the US border.[13]
  • 500 Miles to Nowhere (video) Gavin McClurg, Nick Greece, Matt Beechinor and Nate Scales attempt a vol biv route across Utah and Wyoming[14]
  • The Higher You Get, the Higher you Get (video) paragliding in Sun Valley, Idaho[15]
  • Surfing the Sierras (video) Gavin McClurg and a group of paragliders completes a vol-biv route from south to north up the Sierra Mountains of California to the Oregon border[16]
  • They Paraglided 800 km in 34 Days and Camped on Mountain Tops from Banff Mountain Film Festival (video)
  • These guys paraglide to their campsites (video) released 2014, from National Geographic
  • The Dune Discovery (video) documents kitesurfing, surfing, paragliding and sailing around the world on a five-year expedition

Television

McClurg has been featured in several television shows such as "Locals" and "Dispatches" on Outside Television.[17] He has also done commercial work for Ford[18] and Subaru.

Cloudbase Mayhem Podcast

McClurg started his podcast Cloudbase Mayhem in March 2015 using footage from an interview with Bill Belcourt that was initially recorded for his video 500 Miles to Nowhere for his first episode. Since then he has released more than 200 episodes (as of 2023) of educational interviews.

The podcast earned him the Salewa Trophy for sportsmanship during the 2021 edition of the Red Bull X-Alps.[19]

Book

McClurgs first book Advanced Paragliding: What I've learned from the world's best pilots was published in April 2021. It is a collection of tips and stories taken from the first one hundred episodes of his podcast. It includes insights from Adel Honti, Alex Robé, Armin Harich, Bruce Goldsmith, Chrigel Maurer, Cody Mittanck, Dustin Martin, Honza Rejmanek, Jeff Shapiro, Jocky Sanderson, Kelly Farina, Maxime Bellemin, Nick Neynens, Pál Takáts, Rafael Saldini, Russ Ogden, Thomas Theurillat and Will Gadd.

References
  1. Fawn, DeSiree (January 13, 2017). "Local professional paraglider premieres film at Limelight Hotel Ketchum". KMVT.
  2. Keil, Laura (December 7, 2014). "U.S. border or bust: Will Gadd & Gavin McClurg paraglide 800km +VIDEO – The Rocky Mountain Goat News". www.therockymountaingoat.com.
  3. Behar, Michael (May 4, 2015). "Paragliding British Columbia". Outside Online.
  4. Coster, Helen (December 31, 2009). "Offshore Odysseys Is No Typical Timeshare Operator". Forbes.
  5. "Footlaunch paragliding record falls in the USA". 22 July 2013. Retrieved 22 July 2013.
  6. Cahall, Fitz (6 November 2016). "Will Gadd and Gavin McClurg, Adventurers of the Year 2014/2015 - National Geographic". National Geographic Society. Retrieved 17 April 2017.
  7. "Ketchum Resident named "Adventurer of the Year"". Retrieved 11 November 2014.
  8. "Results 2015 - Red Bull X-Alps". Red Bull X-Alps. 6 November 2016. Retrieved 17 April 2017.
  9. "A Paraglider's 'Crazy' Attempt to Fly Over the Alaska Range". National Geographic. 6 October 2016. Retrieved 17 April 2017.
  10. "Central Utah Hike & Fly Competition with Adventure & Pro Divisions for all skill levels". Retrieved 2023-08-09.
  11. Zooom. "Look who's back!". www.redbullxalps.com. Retrieved 2023-08-09.
  12. "The Rocky Mountains Traverse - Explorers: Documentaries S3 E5".
  13. "Rocky Mountain Traverse". Cross Country Magazine. 2016-04-29. Retrieved 2021-12-10.
  14. "Video: 500 Miles to Nowhere". Cross Country Magazine. 2014-04-25. Retrieved 2021-12-10.
  15. "The Higher You Get, The Higher You Get: A Paragliding Journey in the Pioneer Mountains - Patagonia". www.patagonia.com. 2013-11-19. Retrieved 2021-12-10.
  16. "In issue 146: Sierra Surfing". Cross Country Magazine. 2013-03-06. Retrieved 2021-12-10.
  17. "Base Jump with Gavin McClurg".
  18. "Uncharted Expeditions: paragliding in Wyoming".Ford
  19. Zooom, created by. "The Salewa Trophy". www.redbullxalps.com. Retrieved 2021-12-10.
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