The BGD Kiss is an ultralight, small-packing wing for mountain adventures. Simple, safe and fun, its roots are in hike-and-fly but it’s an excellent soaring and thermalling wing for lighter pilots or loaded up in the hands of more experienced pilots, it’s an agile, big-grin machine, perfect for strong-wind soaring.

FEEDBACK
HnF with the kiss this morning. Epic!!! Super light and small packing (think I now need a smaller rucksack!) launch is too easy and the glider doesn’t like to be managed too much, better to let it do its thing and settle itself. Clipping in at around 80kg, and launching in around 2kts, it generates lift quickly and easily and even starts to climb nicely in a bubble coming off the upper Hinchies tree line. The rear riser steering is crisp and direct, but not at all heavy, it just right for me. The brake response is very progressive and it comes alive when you give it a little extra than is required to keep it steady. Brake pressure is sweet! Only had time for the one flight this morning, and it left me with a huge grin and wondering if I could run back up the hill and get a second flight and still make it to work in time I can’t wait for another rundown on it or some soaring time to throw it around! Malcolm Hughson - Bluey

Another sweet little Hinchies HnF this morning The Kiss thermals really well for something so small and zippy! Malcolm Hughson - Bluey

VIDEO

• Flying BGD KISS mini wing

PACK SIZE
The Kiss can be comfortably packed to the following dimensions:

• 16m: 30cm x 30cm x 13cm
• 18m: 35cm x 35cm x 15cm

TARGET
It’s 5:30am. The birds are singing and your sleeping bag is damp, speckled with droplets. The sun is just kissing the top of the cliffs above you; they are rimmed with gold. A few more minutes of snooze and it will start to warm your bivvy spot and dry the wet grass. Time for coffee. It’s a new day, the adventure continues!

The Kiss was made for pilots who love to wake up in the mountains with their paraglider; to hike hills or climb snowy peaks.

It’s mountain-hardy, made from light but durable materials with very wide weight ranges for maximum versatility. The smallest, 16m size can be flown by 50kg pilots with excellent passive safety; but it can also be flown at 90kg, where it will be fast and dynamic, the realm of experienced pilots.

SPECIFICATIONS

BRUCE'S NOTES
The Kiss was initially conceived for a group of BGD Team pilots who needed a light but rugged mountain wing for a project in the Alps this summer. They needed something easy to carry and simple to use in wide-ranging conditions, that could handle tough mountain terrain and tricky launches.

The Kiss is a unique design, not based on any other BGD glider. We wanted a simple and elegant structure, to give it the uncomplicated launch and outstanding ease of use. For the project, 16m and 18m sizes were ideal – small to carry, light and versatile to cope with different wind strengths. The sub-70kg pilots in the team will fly the 16; 70kg+ will take the 18.

We opted for Porcher 27 cloth for the sail and ribs, with 32 for extra durability on the upper leading-edge, and designed the leading edge with minimal use of plastic reinforcements to achieve easy launch characteristics without compromising its packability.

The structure was optimised to save weight, with new Twin B-tabs, developed with the help of our CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics) analysis software. Narrow webbing risers with a speed system and weight-saving low-friction rings, and unsheathed Kevlar top and middle lines complete the spec.

Note: As standard, the Kiss will be delivered with steel maillons, but pilots can shave a further 80g by replacing these with softlinks (which can be ordered separately).

PACKAGE INCLUDES

• Paraglider
• Concertina-packing bag
• Repair kit / Riser bag
• BGD T-shirt
• BGD stickers

You have to have the training and a licence to fly a paraglider. Check with your instructor if you are buying your first glider.