This is a paraglider that combines all the characteristics that have made UP famous: elegant and sporty appearance, an active and direct handling, and interesting construction details like the leading edge with wider cell openings on the centre that taper off to the tips, maintaining good characteristics of inflation and internal pressure. The factory based its construction on their competition models, with a different trimming. The new design of the glider aimed at obtaining maximum stability at speed, and the line attachments go on every third cell for low drag (a total of 152 lines) keeping the tension on the outer sail thanks to the internal V-ribs system.

Photos: © Ojovolador

When we received this glider we liked the combination of colors, orange and gray with the usual UP black stripe on the center, a sporty and at the same time smart appearance. Luckily, on the following day we could make the first flight with it from the west takeoff of Pedro Bernardo (central Spain), our local site. The wind conditions were a bit strong, with disorganized and difficult thermals.

As we did not know the characteristics of the Summit2 we had some doubts about how it would be to launch with it, but with wind gusts of 30 of k/h we found no problem: even in sometimes crossed wind and turbulence, the glider inflated well and easy by pulling the risers softly and controlling the canopy with the brake - as its DHV2 certification states.

A balanced glider
The first sensations we got from the Summit2 were of a very solid glider with a lot of internal pressure. It has an uncomplicated appearance that doesn’t look or feel aggressive. UP’s internal structure “Honeycomb-V-tape” system contributes to keep a high pressure inside the canopy and distribute the load efficiently among the cells, which at a practical level is translated into smaller losses of pressure caused by the air movements. In this flight I could also verify the easy use of the speed system and its effectiveness. It is somewhat hard to pull but you can use it with enough security even in strong wind or with some turbulence. In our flight some pilots remained grounded on the take-off while I could soar happily with the Summit2…

Regarding handling, in this first flight with inconsistent thermals I had to adapt to the particular piloting style of the glider, with a short brake travel, precise and with a feel of high pressure. In order to climb in these difficult lifts I had to try different speeds and ways to make the turns until I understood it and could stay in a spiral climbing at the best ascent rate. The process required some getting use to the use of brake and weightshift, especially because the day was very windy, but in return it gave me back good sensations and a good time of active paragliding.

Speed and dynamic control
Some days later, during a PG meet at El Bierzo (Leon, Spain) we could do 3-4 flight hours in good conditions, with thermals up to +4, small cumulus, base at 2800m and light wind. Again we confirmed the easy takeoff characteristics of the Summit2, although you need to guide the risers up until the canopy is above your head, otherwise the glider shows a slight tendency to stay back. But once it’s above you the Summit2 glides comfortably in the air. It has a trim speed at 37-38km/h that lets you enter comfortably in the thermals. The glider gives back enough information, and if you have a harness with low hangpoint it can be a real joy to fly it.
In summary, it has good thermaling qualities and it’s easy to move with it in the lift to find the best core: it shows no tendency to lose it or to return to straight flight, especially if banked.

Comfortable transitions
The Summit2 is docile in transitions, both at trim speed and pulling the speed bar. It is easy to keep a speed between 45 and 50 k/h. It gave a max speed (pulleys touching) of 52 k/h being on the higher half of the weight range. We had the chance to test the minimum speed in the slope of San Agustin (Leon), where a coming front gave us a floaty and dynamic soaring flight with which we had a lot of fun wagging and wing-overing the Summit 2, testing the behavior of the glider in these maneuvers.
It is possible to take the Summit2 to almost 22k/h but you need to put a good effort on the brakes because they get very hard. Strong and sensitive pilots will notice on each wing the warnings of the glider approaching its minimum speed, which will make difficult to stall it by mistake.