born to
fly

PATRICK VON KÄNEL

from childhood dream to lifetime mission –
always in search for #magicmoments

MY WAY

MY STORY

In the mid-1980s, when the first paragliders appeared in the Swiss sky, my parents were among the pioneers circling in the sky. I was born in 1994 – and almost from the moment I arrived, I felt drawn to the air. At the age of seven, I spent my summers working on alpine pastures to earn money for my training. When I was 14, I convinced my mother to give me her paraglider for ground training – and used the chance to make my first secret flight. Two years too early, but driven by pure curiosity.

Without my knowing, people from the scene were observing me from the Frutigen Hangar. My parents were shocked. My father insisted that I begin proper training. So I learned, practiced, flew – and in April 2010, I experienced my first real flight: fog, then sun, then clarity. At 16, I earned my license – and since then, the sky has been my home.

Flying has shaped me like nothing else. After my first takeoff at 14, I earned my license at 16 and later worked as a test pilot at ADVANCE. Since then, I’ve been in the air almost every day – either for work or for my own projects. I seek out the limits, but not at any price. Whether speed flying, cross-country flying, acrobatics, or hike & fly, I want to fly with style. Not recklessly, but with precision, flow – almost like dancing. For me, flying is more than technique – it’s an expression. When body, equipment, and wind fall into harmony, a unique aesthetic emerges. The blend of power, body awareness, and elegance is what fascinates me.
I fly because it makes me feel alive. Those moments of silence above a glacier, taking off from a peak, crossing the Alps in the Red Bull X-Alps – that’s freedom. I love adventure, but I’m not a risk-taker. My motivation doesn’t come from recklessness, but from the desire to push myself to the limit with precision. I want to become one with the motion, with the wind, with nature. And when everything aligns – technique, body, feeling, environment – those rare, perfect moments arise. It’s those #magicmoments that drive me - and keep bringing me back into the air.

MY SUCCESSES

MOMENTS FOR EVER

Some moments pass – others last forever.
These experiences have shaped me.

8th Red Bull X-Alps - successfully finished the race for the fourth time

Teaming up with my loyal partners for joint projects that are ready to take off
Self-sufficient home:
In collaboration with 3S Swiss Solar Solutions, I successfully converted my home to be self-sufficient

Tunnel flight:
World record in paragliding: a spectacular flight through a 152-meter-long road tunnel
Red Bull Athlete

3rd Eigertour

5th Red Bull X-Alps

Purchase and renovation of our new home
3rd place Eigertour Summer

2nd place Eigertour Winter with Nicolas Hojac
3rd place Swiss Championship

2nd place Red Bull X-Alps
1st place XContest National

1st place Eigertour (Switzerland)

3rd place Vercofly (Switzerland)

8th place Red Bull X-Alps

Personal best 556 km (Brazil)

1st place Dolomity Superfly (Italy)