The Zeolite 2 GT development process pulled technology from the Photon and the Zeolite 2 XD (2023 X-Alps Design). This potent DNA combination has yielded a comfortable and highly efficient tool for hike & fly, vol-biv, and serious XC.
The Design
The profile has evolved to include the latest progress we’ve made in the areas of speed and handling. Principally, the benefits have come from a new cell opening position.
The aspect ratio is slightly increased, but still moderate for the category and very has proved to be comfortable in strong alpine conditions. The cell count is increased by 7, but a new refined structure provides the resulting performance increase without adding weight.
In Flight
Passive safety and collapse behavior has been improved via better chordwise line support at the rear of the wing. Despite the improved support, total line drag is less than its predecessor. A new spanwise architecture is made entirely of 3-cell bridges, similar to the Photon. This allows the best diagonal panel ratio for the amount of line attachments, which maintains light weight while increasing efficiency.
Photon or Zeolite GT?
The Zeolite GT is a faster and more agile wing for more experienced pilots. The Zeolite GT’s arc and winglet-free design yields the best possible thermalling experience while maintaining good collapse recovery behavior, however the pilot workload in turbulent air is higher than the Photon. The Zeolite requires more precise inputs in strong conditions as it is less pitch & roll stable. It is 1kg lighter and lower pack volume than the Photon. The durability of both wings is similar.
