MINT / SKYWALK, XC Testing Day Fiesch Switzerland, 19.08.2023

Last EN-C 2 Liner test from my side.

I was almost decided on the Ozone Photon, but Beni Kälin from speedflyingschool.com recommended that I try the Mint.

I was pleasantly surprised by the entire package.
Launching the wing was very easy and reliable.
Thermal climb: The experience of climbing on thermal is pleasant. The wing gets pulled into the core and the turning capability is better than the Photon. Turbulence: The controllability of the wing in bumpy air absolutely blew me away.
Glide: Trim is unremarkable, but the bar feels solid and has a great sensation when riding on the B risers.

When gliding into turbulence, there is a pleasant feel with no alarming reactions.

Overall, my personal preference among ArtikR, Photon, and Mint is MINT!
I was very surprised!
https://www.xcontest.org/world/en/fli...

The Speedflying School provided an excellent description on their site.

"Skywalk Mint Review – Our opinionWe were very surprised of the Mint! It’s very agile, has a very intuitive handling and feels very solid on Bar. The brake pressure is rather hard, especially lower down, but you don’t need much travel to turn. It has a lot of roll, specially on Bar, but it’s easy to control with the B-handles. The pressures on the B’s are very light. You don’t need much force to pull. When you fly on full bar, the B1 and B2 lines are a tiny bit slack, only B3 has some tension left, that’s make it a little roll-instable. But it also means you can steer it really nicely on the B-handles while flying on bar. You can do wingovers and spirals easily with the B-handles while pushing bar. (be aware that this are potentially very risky maneuvers) It doesn’t go on rails like the Photon. But it is as stable on bar as the Photon, we really like this high stability of the Mint. The Photon looses it’s high stability quit a bit when you pull the brakes, the Mint is still surprisingly stable when you fly on brakes. Flying on brakes removes the reflex of the airfoils, thats why you loose some stability.It has a nice feedback, you can feel it well and stop it well with the brakes or the B’s. The Mint has a very good brake authority, you have the full control over the wing with very little brake travel. It’s exactly the opposite from the Photon in this case, which needs long brake inputs. We really like this sensation of flying with short brake travel! It also warns you before it want’s to collapse and leaves you time to react like an Ozone. Like all Skywalks it’s not pulling forward much, it tends to pitches back when entering lift. It feels like it does „yaw“ a bit in turbulence as well. It really feels a bit difference in turbulence like others. It’s not bad or dangerous, you just have to get used to.We think the Mint is a great wing if you are stepping up from the B class. It doesn’t feel like a wing with aspect ratio 6.4, it feels more compact. It’s surprisingly easy to fly! In normal thermals you don’t have to fly very active. The leading edge is very solid and hardly ever gets soft. Only in rough air you start feeling oh i have to catch it sometimes. If you do get slack lines or a real collapse, you can feel the reflex of the airfoil; The leading edge always wants to pull up, it’s amazing how it works. Small collapses reopen in a bang, you will be surprised how quick it inflates again. Once you are used to the comfort and stability of the Mint, you will find it hard going back on another wing that is not as solid.The brake travel you need to fly is very short, your hands always stay up high. But the stall-point is also quite high. In calm air it gets very hard and you can feel the stall really well. When you enter strong lift or fall into the downwind, the stall-point moves up even higher and one needs to be careful to not spin it accidentally there.The performance is very good, but it can’t quite keep up with the Photon or the Artik in glide, speed. But it’s very close and in a range where the harness model and the size of the wing makes a difference. The Mint has the best ratio from performance to pilot demand. There is no other such accessible 2-liner with this much performance. Plus it feels very safe and reassuring even in bumpy conditions!If you are afraid it might feel like a Cayenne or Spice; Don’t worry, it’s not an adapted Cayenne. It’s a completely different wing. It’s genes come from the X-Alps 5. If you look up, they look very similar.Interesting is its choice of lines: The top lines are unsheathed dyneema, which are very thin and help reduce line drag. Since it’s only the very top, it shouldn’t loose trim because of this too quickly. All other 2-Liners only have Kevlar lines apart from the brake lines. And it’s the first Skywalk wing that comes without the ugly holes in the back:-)"

music mixed by Miss Monique

Gear
Harness: Gin Genie Race 4
Vario: XC-Tracer GPS 2
Gloves: Basisrausch Onyx NG
Cam: Insta360 X3
Wing Size 105, flown at 103kg
Flightcomputer: Lenovo Tab M8