An Aurora resident with ties to the Longmont skydiving community won the 2017 World Cup of Canopy Piloting in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, on Dec. 2.
Nicholas Batsch, 36, took the in the distance and accuracy events, competing against 93 other skydivers from around the world.
Canopy piloting is a specialized type of skydiving in which athletes fly high-performance parachutes that can generate high vertical and horizontal speeds. These professional skydivers can glide inches above the ground for hundreds of yards at speeds approaching 90 mph. The distance competition involves flying as far as possible across the ground and the accuracy competition includes points based on stopping on an exact spot.
Batsch was part of the 12-person U.S. Parachute Team, which took the silver medal in the team results.
Batsch has lived several places in Colorado since he quit his job and decided to make professional canopy piloting his career in 2006.
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