Cross Country Travel Guide 2010

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TRAVEL GUIDE
2010/11
The Perfect Year!
Follow the sun for 12 months
and fly 23 of the best sites in the world
EUROPE - NORTH AMERICA - SOUTH AMERICA - AFRICA - ASIA - AUSTRALASIA
CONTENTS
04 Editorial
06 Cusco, Peru
Ride the powerful thermals of the ancient Inca civilisation to 6,000 m
10 Laragne, France
The circuit-friendly peaks of the southern French Alps
14 Chamonix, France
Scream up the rock walls of Mt Blanc, Western Europe’s highest summit
18 Going Lightweight
The sub-10 kg flying kit: Ed Ewing looks at how to get your bag as light as
possible
20 Lightweight gear focus

A selection of great lightweight ideas
22 Chelan, Washington state, USA

Charge across the plains and ridges of arguably America’s best XC site
26 Kössen, Austria
Soar along the northern edge of the Alps from the perfect free flying site
30 Verbier, Switzerland
Tour the glaciers and snowy peaks of one of Europe’s premier ski resorts
32 Jackson Hole, Wyoming, USA

Fly with cowboys and film stars in the big-mountain arena of the Tetons
34 Have Glider, Will Travel

Air travel with a hang glider is tricky business. US team member Jeff O’Brien
reveals how to get onboard
36 Piedrahita, Spain
Fly monster XCs in the company of gaggles of storks in Europe’s flatland
nirvana
40 Interlaken, Switzerland
Thermal up above the famous Eiger, look out across the Alps and understand
why the Swiss are so damn good
44 Wish You Were Here

Marcus King looks at how best to record your trip for yourself and friends
back home
46 Andalucía, Spain
Mountains, plains, beaches and year-round sunshine, Southern Spain offers
the perfect flying holiday whenever you go
48 St Andre, France
Complex mountain XC flying or sublime evening soaring, the southern French
Alps delivers the Rubik’s cube of free flying
52 Annecy, France
Surf long sweeping ridges then glide serenely over the clear blue lake while
the high snowy peaks glisten behind at France’s most popular site
2 Cross Country Magazine Travel Guide 2010-11 / www.xcmag.com

56 Owens Valley, California, USA
Pumping thermals blast you to 6,000 m over the barren desert peaks of
America’s most legendary location
60 Oludeniz, Turkey
Thrash your glider senseless in SIV and acro heaven over the warm
Mediterranean Sea
64 Bir, India
Cruise the front of the Himalayas in the company of flocks of massive vultures
on an out-and-return to the Dalai Lama’s house
68 Quixadá, Brazil
Fly where records are slain in dawn-till-dusk raids across Brazil’s driest state
72 Porterville and Wilderness, South Africa

From high desert flying to chilled coastal soaring at two of Africa’s highest
calibre sites
76 Aguergour and Ait Ourir, Morocco

Sunshine soaring in the low-cost winter bolthole for European pilots
82 Pokhara, Nepal
Chill out and parahawk in the adventure capital of Asia with the eye-popping
backdrop of the highest Himalaya right in front of you
86 Manilla, Australia
Head Down Under to Mt Borah and the flatland mecca that’s hosted PWCs,
World Championships and the XC Open
90 Valle de Bravo, Mexico

Fly till your socks drop off in the world’s most consistent free flying site –
every day’s another classic!
92 Governador Valadares, Brazil

Fly circuits over the rolling green hills of Brazil in mellow thermals, then party
the night away in lively Latino bars
94 Bassano, Italy
End your season surfing the southern edge of the Italian Dolomites and eating
pizza and drinking Grappa in the historic old town
99 Travel Guide Directory

All the web addresses, emails and numbers you need to organise your trip
Cross Country Travel Guide is published by XC Media and distributed in the US by DSW, 75
Aberdeen Road, Emigsville, PA. 17318-0437.
Application to mail at periodicals publication rates paid at Emigsville, PA. Postmaster: send
address changes to
Cross Country, PO Box 437, Emigsville. PA 17318-0437.
Cross Country International is distributed in over 75 countries worldwide.
Global copyright laws apply. The opinions in this magazine do not necessarily reflect the opinions
of Cross Country.
COVER IMAGE - Flying, travelling: it’s all about finding the right lift...” Photo: Jerôme Maupoint. CONTENTS IMAGE - Photo: Peter Wolf
Cross Country Magazine Travel Guide 2010-11 / www.xcmag.com 3

I
magine you had nothing else to do for the next twelve months but fly. Your bank
balance is overflowing, your new wing is winking seductively at you from the
corner of the room and the family are all up for a round-the-world adventure.
Now what? All you need to do now is choose your destinations and off you go.
To help you decide where best to spend your time we’ve put together the Cross
Country Magazine Travel Guide to create the ultimate free flying year.
Ok, so it will cost you tens of thousands and your carbon footprint will be the size
of a small African nation, but hey, this is the ultimate guide to the ‘perfect year’ and
who lets reality get in the way of our dreams.
The Cross Country Magazine Travel Guide traverses six continents, immersing
itself in cu-peppered skies over the world’s greatest flatlands, erupting skywards
high above the finest mountains on the planet and leaves us gasping for drinks in the
best bars and restaurants. When your body and soul is fried by the hours of amazing
flying you’ve had, you can head to the beach and soar seductive sand dunes looking
out over warm lapping oceans.
So, throw caution and your gliders to the wind and dive into the 2010-2011
season’s best locations and fly your socks off. And if you can’t get away this year, sit
back and revel in the finest photography we can find for each site and dream of the
future.
Enjoy the 2010-2011 Cross Country Magazine Travel Guide.
Blue skies.
Bob Drury
Executive Editor – Cross Country magazine
CROSS COUNTRY THANKS

Creating a global travel guide like the one you have in your hands is a massive and
time-consuming job, and not one we could possibly undertake without the help and
support of a huge pool of people. The extensive roll call of those who dedicated their
time to produce the information and photos includes:
Adam Hill (Pokhara), Ary Carlos Pradi (Quixada), Bruce Goldsmith (Peru & Bassano),
David Owen and Rachael Evans (Laragne), Godfrey Wenness (Manilla), Jan Minaar
(Wilderness, SA), Jérôme Maupoint (Chamonix & Annecy), Jim Mallinson (Bir),
Jocky Sanderson (Governador Valadares and Olu Deniz), Kelly Farina (Bassano),
Kari Eisenhut (Interlaken), Linda Willemse (South Africa), Mark Taggart (St Andre),
Micky Von Wachter (Bassano), Nick Greece (Owens, Valle de Bravo, Jackson Hole
& Chelan), Olivier Laugero (Chamonix), Richard Gallon (Kössen), Richard Pethigal
(Peru), Rob Manzoni (Porterville, SA), Russell Ogden (Valle de Bravo & St Andre),
Shawn Kitchen (Quixada), Steve Ham (Piedrahita) & Stuart Belbas (Verbier)
The Cross Country Team

Editors: Bob Drury & Ed Ewing
Designer: Marcus King
Advertising: Verity Sowden
Proof Readers: Charlie King & Sarah Foley
Office Dog: Teddy Edwards

the ultimate guide to the 'perfect year'
Photo: Peter Wolf. Insert Bag image: Fred Gustafsson

APRIL
PERU
CUSCO
THE LURE ruin of Sacsayhuaman, a walled complex that dates

Get blasted to 6,000 m in back to 1100 AD.
powerful thermals and look The city lies at 3,300 m and is one of the major
down on the land of the tourist destinations in South America. Travellers flock
Incas. Then dine in historic to Cusco as it is the launch point for treks to Machu
Cucso before dancing the Picchu, so the city is brilliantly set up for visiting
night away in one of South pilots to holiday in. There is a fantastic selection of
America’s most popular tourist bars, restaurants and nightclubs to keep you happy
destinations. Once you’re flown through the evening and early hours and a wealth of
and partied out, use whatever interesting museums and ruins to occupy you through
energy you have left to trek the day. Be aware that Cusco is high, so take it easy
the famous Inca Trail to Machu the first few days as you acclimatise to the altitude.
Picchu, the mysterious Lost City The main launch is a half hour drive from town at
of the Incas. 3,600 m ASL and 900 m over the Urubamba valley
floor below, which leads towards Machu Picchu. It’s a
THE SET UP roomy, two-wing grassy launch staring straight at the
Cusco is a historic Peruvian Urubamba mountain range, which has three glaciers
city built on the remains of leading to peaks of over 5,600 m. Close by, Rachi
ancient Inca ruins. Just launch is further away but offers a beautiful grassy
above the town is the hillside looking into the same valley.

THE NITTY GRITTY
FLYING CONDITIONS
Cusco pumps in the heat and rarefied high altitude
air. 8 m/s climbs are the norm with 12 m/s often
lurking in the cores. Base is often at over 6,000 m
so if you are susceptible to altitude take oxygen. If
not, drink copious amounts of mata de coca like the
locals do.
At this altitude the heat and thermals create
a thermal breeze so expect winds of around 20
km/h in the afternoon. Overdevelopment will cause
excessive winds. Evening restitution often occurs
after 4 pm.
WHEN TO GO
April to November
Onboard with Olivier Laugero as he climbs out from launch above ALTITUDE
the start of the Sacred Valley that leads to Machu Pichhu. LAUNCH: 3,600 m ASL
Photo: Olivier Laugero LANDING: 2,700 m in the valley, 3,600 m on
the altiplano behind launch
CLOUDBASE: 5,000 - 5,500 m in May going to
AT A GLANCE 6,000 - 6,500 m in August
Thermal strength ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ HANG GLIDER ACCESS
XC Potential ★ ★ ★ Both launches are reached by car and are spacious
Fun Factor ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ enough for hang gliders
Logistics ★ ★ ★ MUST BE FLOWN

The 30 km XC back to Cusco is classic. Start in the
Sacred Valley, cross over the altiplano of the high
mountains and end up over the Sacsayhuaman
ruins and the city of Cusco. Land next to the White
Christ statue near the ruins. Do not land in the ruins
themselves, as it’s illegal!
Follow the Sacred Valley east to Pisac. A beauti-
ful flight over high grassy peaks with the option
of good landings in the valley should you have a
problem. Be careful of switching valley winds near
Pisac, as four valleys meet there.
WATCH OUT FOR

Although the Peruvian approach to airspace is very
relaxed due to the very small number of free flyers
in the country, there is still airspace to the south
and south west and over Cusco city itself, plus
airlines sometimes approach from the west. When
flying into Cusco, enter over the mountain range
between the lake at Chincheros and Cusco to be on
Photo: Bob Drury the safe side.

May
PERU
CUSCO
Fra nce
MORE NITTY GRITTY RAINY DAYS
Chamonix
You’d struggle to get bored in Cusco. Visit the Sacsayhua-
Watch out for cont’d man ruins, take a tour of the city, raft the Apurimac River,
Given the altitude and ferocity of the sun, thermic turbu- take the train to Machu Picchu or hike the Inca Trail. If
lence is always a danger in Cusco. Dust devils can start as you’re feeling lazy then hang in town and eat and drink in
early as 9 am and pilots should be wary of encountering the myriad of fantastic cafes and bars whilst Inca musi-
extreme lift and its associated turbulence during the day. cians serenade you.
ACCOMMODATION WEATHER INFO

Cusco has everything from $5 backpackers’ hostels to five Cusco is a micro-climate in a country with poor meteo
star luxury hotels. Chose somewhere within a few hundred information. You need your own judgement here.
metres of the Plaza de Armas, as it’s a nicer area and
where all the action is happening. GETTING THERE
Fly into Cusco from Lima or La Paz, Bolivia. Or beat your-
GUIDES AND COURSES self sore on a Peruvian bus with chickens and goats.
For great advice contact Richard Pethigal of Cloudwalker
Paragliding who has been running a tandem operation from USEFUL CONTACTS AND WEBSITES FOR THE AREA
Cusco since 2000. Richard is in Cusco from May until Oct. www.cuscoperu.com
[email protected]
Local pilot Leo Fantas owns the local paragliding school.
www.cusco.net/leo-paragliding/
EXPERT’S OPINION
“High altitude flying made easy, in a fantastic holiday loca-
tion that is only missing a beach.” Bob Drury
THE BIG TICKS

Flying over ancient Inca ruins.
TAKE THE FAMILY

Great for older kids with lots of cultural and historical
adventures to have. Many agencies offer tours around the
Inca ruins or go rafting, horse riding or trekking.
Kari Eisenhut crossing the high plateau behind launch enroute to
victory at the Cusco Breitling Open. Photo: Bob Drury
Taking the high route to Pisac. Photo: Bruce Goldsmith

The importance of small details
HOOK 2
www.niviuk.com
MAY
FRANCE
LARAGNE
Sailplane country: big skies and wide-open landings make

for one of Europe’s premier sites. Photo: Steve Blenkinsop
THE LURE or north into the much higher rocky peaks of Pic de
The dry skies of the French Provence provide a free Bure and eventually the impressive Ecrins, the largest
flying theatre of unparalleled quality. Booming thermals gathering of high peaks in France.
and lofty cloudbases cartwheel you high above knife On any good day the cloudbase is high above
edge ridges, vertical limestone walls and deep- the peaks allowing relatively secure flying over a wild
forested valleys in a circuit-friendly arena that is perfect landscape. Climbs are typically 3-5 m/s with the odd
for XC pilots of all levels. real ripper coming through. In general the valleys are
Laragne has hosted everything from FAI world open and wide making for safe landings and explaining
championships to the friendly and popular annual why the hang gliding and sailplane communities have
Chabre Open, when pilots compete to learn. With the held Laragne in such high esteem for many years.
landing field in the town campsite itself, Laragne mixes The main landing in Laragne campsite has a bar/
consistently brilliant flying weather and stunning XC restaurant and a lively flying scene throughout the
routes in a great atmosphere to deliver perfect flying season. A shuttle service runs at times from there, but
holiday. check first.
Laragne is a typical Provencal town and has a
weekly market, several good bars and restaurants,
THE SET UP supermarkets and all the amenities you’ll need.
Laragne is a small town in the western side of the
southern France Alps. Dry and arid in summer, the
terrain is a mixture of pine forests, sharp limestone AT A GLANCE
ridges and wide valleys.
Take off is from Montagne de Chabre to the west
Thermal strength ★ ★ ★
of the town, a partly metalled road takes you to the XC Potential ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
summit. From Chabre routes lead in almost every Fun Factor ★ ★ ★
direction: west along lower forested east-west running
ridges, south, hopping along a series of similar ridges, Logistics ★ ★ ★

Looking east to Chabre. The landing is in the foreground.
Photo: Fred Gustafsson
THE NITTY GRITTY

FLYING CONDITIONS
Strong, but generally smooth, mountain thermals in
a drier airmass than the northern Alps, gives high
bases and reliable XC flying. Chabre is affected by the
influence of air drawn in from the plains to the west
by the anabatic circulation of the day, so you need to
get away before the westerly arrives in the afternoon.
Chabre has take-offs facing south and north: the
south is an easy scrub launch, but the north is a
short steep cliff launch where deft ground handling
skills are essential. Nearby the sites of Bergies, Buc
and Aspres make up for days when Chabre fails you
due to wind direction or cloudbase height.
WHEN TO GO
April till October
Looking down and west on launch. Photo: Andy Busslinger
ALTITUDE
CLOUDBASE: 2,500 – 4,000 m
LAUNCH: Chabre 1,304 m
LANDING: Laragne campsite 735 m
HANG GLIDER ACCESS

Laragne is a famous hang gliding venue and both
launches are driveable by normal car.
MUST BE FLOWN
Take a trip north to the Pic de Bure, a moonscape
mountain with vertical cliffs and a table-flat top.
Once you’ve been blasted up the south face you get
to look down on the summit with its huge observa-
tory and collection of massive telescopes.
WATCH OUT FOR

Although there’s no major airspace close by, this is
sailplane country and the skies are humming with
them. The drop zone in Gap is also very active and
must be avoided and you need to know where the
active sailplane airfields are in the area.
ACCOMMODATION
Laragne has a selection of low to mid range hotels
and hostels to choose from. www.otlaragne.fr
Camping Monteglin is where many pilots stay as
you can land next to a bar and your tent. www.
camping-monteglin.com
Or try the very popular www.allez-up.com, a beautiful gîte
run by knowledgeable local pilots David Owen and Rach-
ael Evans, who offer a full pilot support package to boot.
May
France
LARAGNE
Fra nce
MORE NITTY GRITTY RAINY DAYS
Chamonix
Thankfully mid-summer rain is rare. In the event, though,
GUIDES AND COURSES Sisteron with its stunning citadel has much to offer or visit
Ex-world champion Judy Leden and husband Chris Dawes the local markets that France is so famous for.
offer thermalling and XC courses through www.airways-
airsports.com as does Jocky Sanderson through www. WEATHER INFO
escapexc.com. Daily forecasts are posted at the campsite, or use
www.meteofrance.com or www.para2000.org.
EXPERT’S OPINION
“Laragne is fantastic! It’s that rare ‘go anywhere’ site with GETTING THERE
inviting XC routes in every direction. All the trigger points Marseille Provence airport is the nearest airport, one and a
work as expected, so you learn a lot from flying there. quarter hours away and has good bus and train connec-
Plus you land smack in the campsite where the cold beer tions. Nimes airport is just over two hours drive, Grenoble
awaits. It’s right up there among my very special favourite and Nice both three hours. Many of the budget airlines fly
places in the world.” to them.
Mads Syndergaard – PWC pilot and delegate and UP PR A car is useful at Laragne, not least to access take off.
man
USEFUL CONTACTS AND WEBSITES FOR THE AREA
THE BIG TICKS www.flylaragne.com has lots of flying information and the
Head northeast over Pic de Bure and navigate your way local tourist office www.otlaragne.fr details other things you
through the deepest Ecrins, France’s densest collection of may need.
4,000 m peaks.
Or straight north and hook up with the big Grenoble valley
and ride it north to Mt Blanc 200 km away.
TAKE THE FAMILY

This is a great venue for a holiday in the sun. The Gorges de
la Méouge, the river valley beneath Montagne de Chabre,
has many pools to play in and there are several mellow
manmade lakes dotted around the place. Aerial rope parks,
excellent rock climbing, tandem skydiving, karting, horse rid-
ing, nature trekking and tonnes of water based sports on the
lakes make up a great holiday location. Not to mention visits
to culturally beautiful towns like nearby Sisteron.
Photo: Andy Busslinger
Chabre hosted the 2009 Hang gliding World Championships. Photo: Ed Ewing

www.gingliders.com GO FURTHER.
MAY
AT A GLANCE
FRANCE Thermal strength ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
CHAMONIX
XC Potential ★ ★ ★ ★
Fun Factor ★ ★ ★ ★
Logistics ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
THE LURE
Ice-capped mountains, glaciers, searing rock walls,
pumping thermals with fast cable car access: Chamonix is
one of the most dramatic and picturesque flying locations
in Europe and lies at the foot of Mt Blanc, western
Europe’s highest mountain.
THE SET UP
Chamonix is the adventure sports capital of Europe.
Situated at the foot of Mt Blanc the town is humming
with skiers and boarders in winter and climbers and flyers
in summer. It also attracts more tourists than any other
mountain location in France.
The town is totally set up for holidaymakers making
it a fantastic family destination. There’re no end of bars,
restaurants and even nightclubs for the night owls. The
only drawback is the price of it all: budget holidays are
difficult to come by in Chamonix.
THE FLYING
There’s flying on both side of the valley. Plan Praz is on the
southeast-facing side of the valley and opposite the huge
rockwalls and glaciers of Mt Blanc. The site starts working
as early as 10 am on a good day and is reached by the
Brevent cable car from Chamonix town. Plan Praz is a
perfect launch point for XCs going into the massive Wallis
valley in Switzerland, or westwards towards Annecy.
On the Mt Blanc side of the valley is Plan d’Aiguille,
reached by the Aiguille du Midi cable car from town. The
site faces northwest and becomes soarable after around
3 pm. Flying from here gives you access to the impressive
rockwalls of the Midi, the Blatiere, the Grepon and the
stunning granite pillar of the Dru. Flying on this side of
the valley is banned during July and August due to the
number of helicopters buzzing around.
Just outside the valley is Plaine Joux, a driveable
launch that generally offers mellower conditions than in
the valley itself. It works from midday until late and is a
perfect family site with cafes, horse riding and a treetop Soaring up the huge rock walls behind Plaine Joux launch
rope adventure park. Photo: Jerôme Maupoint

The impressive rock pillar of the Petit Dru.
Photo: Marcus King
THE NITTY GRITTY

FLYING CONDITIONS
Strong thermals and a brisk valley wind in summer.
Base is generally higher here than in the surround-
ing areas
GETTING TO LAUNCH
Cable cars to Plan Praz and Plan d’Aiguille from
Chamonix. Cable car to Les Grands Montets from
Argentiere. Drivable launch at Plaine Joux, just
outside the valley
The south side of the Midi is distinctly mountainous. Photo: Olivier Laugero
WHEN
April to September
ALTITUDE
CLOUD BASE: 2,000 – 4,000 m
LAUNCH: 2,000 m
LANDING: 1,000 m
HANG GLIDER ACCESS

Both cable cars will transport HGs with prior notice
or drive to Plaine Joux. All launches are suitable for
HG and there are good landings at both the
Chamonix sites and Plaine Joux.
MUST BE FLOWN
Launching from the Aiguille du Midi at 3,700 m.
Soaring the huge Petit Dru rock pillar in evening lift.
WATCH OUT FOR

Aggressive leeside conditions at the Brevent in a
north wind.
Turbulent valley winds in the afternoon.
Flying is banned on the Mt Blanc side of the valley
between Prarion and the Mer de Glace during July
and August.
ACCOMMODATION
Everything from camping to five star hotels.
GUIDES AND COURSES

There are six schools offering instruction and guid-
ance in the valley.
May
FRANCE
CH AM ON IX
France
Chamonix
WEATHER INFO
MORE NITTY GRITTY Posted all over town. Check chemist window in the square,
town hall or sports centre. Otherwise visit chamonix-meteo.com
XCMAG’s OPINION
“We have an office in Chamonix for a reason: it’s one of the GETTING THERE
most dramatic places to fly in Europe!” Fly to Geneva airport where many transfer companies run
buses direct from the airport to Chamonix town. See direc-
THE BIG TICKS tory for listings.
Le Tour de Mt Blanc: once reputed to a have crate of Buses and trains run in and out of the valley to Geneva,
champagne as a prize for the first to complete. Lyon, Paris and even London.
Annecy and back: 100 km classic XC route. By car via the A40 Autoroute Blanche, or the Mt Blanc
The Rhone Rider: into Switzerland and follow the huge tunnel from Italy. Or via the Col de Montets from Martigny
Wallis valley to the Furka Pass. in western Switzerland, often closed in winter.
TAKE THE FAMILY USEFUL CONTACTS, WEBSITES AND INFORMATION

Yes! Kids’ activities galore: horse riding, climbing, biking Vol Libre is a fantastic free booklet put together by the local
and the Parc de Loisirs, Chamonix’s kids’ mini pleasure clubs, school and tourist boards. It’s available from the Of-
park. Not much for toddlers though. fices de Tourisme of Chamonix, les Houches and Passy, and
at all the local schools
RAINY DAYS
Indoor climbing wall, swimming pool and sports centre, www.chamonet.com for general resort information
library with massive games room, cinema, art gallery.
Soaring in front of the Aigille du Midi. Photo: Jerôme Maupoint

Crossing on to the Aravis chain on the classic XC from
Chamonix to Annecy. Photo: Bob Drury
EN-B LTF 1-2
Trust the adventure

spot: Madeira, Portugal wing: Golden3 EN-B LTF 1-2 pilot: Axel Gudelius photography: Felix Wölk
worldwide: www.gradient.cx
EQUIPMENT
Going Lightweight
Photo: Charlie King
Cut the hassle and cut the weight – get flying for under 10 kg. By Ed Ewing
“
That’s a big bag.” Travel anywhere in the world descents, while the bigger ones can be used to soar,
with a paraglider and you soon hear those words. thermal and go cross country. Some manufacturers
Fresh-faced backpackers with light hearts and offer (for a price) lightweight versions of their entire
lighter luggage look at you in wonder, as you struggle range – just ask. Lightweight paragliders work just as
to push your “big bag” onto/into/under a space on the well as their standard counterparts – but they won’t
bus. They hop on, leaving you to struggle and sweat. necessarily wear as well, so take care on launch. That
“It’s a paraglider,” you explain through gritted teeth. “A said, many converted pilots now use their lightweight
wing in a rucksack.” glider as their main glider.
There was a time when your ‘wing in a rucksack’ really Weight: 4 kg
did fit under the bed. Then things changed and we
got bigger harnesses, more padding, heavier gliders HARNESS
and extra electronics. Our bags swelled to around the The choice here is nearly unlimited. You can get a
25 kg mark. Then, early this century, a slow revolution collection of straps at less than 300 g, or a full on
started. Lighter gliders made of lighter materials aimed bivouac harness with carbon seatplate and lightweight
at mountain pilots and travellers started to appear. pod attachment for around 4 kg. Many come with a
Harnesses got the lightweight treatment next – stripped reversible airbag / rucksack, which saves you a kilo on
back first to essential webbing only (ouch!) and then carrying an extra bag. Before choosing, think about
rebuilt with a bit of discreet padding so you can actually what you’ll use it for and what’s important. If you are
fly in them. Reserves came next. Now, the sub-10 kg climbing up and flying down, then go ultra lightweight; if
paraglider package is a reality. you want to stay up, go for a little more comfort. Check
So how do you do it? the wing manufacturer’s recommendations – many
make specific harnesses to go with their lightweight
GLIDER gliders. Others recommend your harness is set to a
Lightweight gliders are made of lighter material and certain width.
use skinnier lines in the upper levels. Risers look like Weight: 2 kg
bootlaces, and brake handles have been pared right
back. The result is a lighter glider, but also one that RESERVE
compresses to about half the size of a standard glider. Don’t skimp on your reserve. If you’re big you might
This is important as it is less bulk, as much as less find lightweight reserves aren’t big enough, so
weight, that makes travelling with your glider easier. check with the manufacturer. That said, you can get
Many manufacturers now offer gliders made out of such lightweight reserves rated to 120 kg all-up (that’s you,
lightweight materials, and they weigh in at between plus kit) that weigh 1.75 kg – about 700 g less than a
3 kg and 4 kg. The really lightweight ones – sub 3 standard reserve. Again, the lightweight material offers
kg – are often only meant for hike-and-fly mountain less bulk – as important as less weight. If you pair a

lightweight reserve with a lightweight harness, then take
specialist advice – it’s very easy to rig a reserve wrongly
so it becomes tangled, or deploys slowly. One of the
most important elements of a reserve is how quickly it
deploys – you don’t want it to be slowed down, even
by half a second.
Weight: 2 kg
THE REST
Lightweight doesn’t mean less flying: you can go
just as far on lightweight kit as you can on standard
equipment. But it does mean you have to choose your
aids carefully. Solar-powered varios combined with a
basic GPS are one of the lightest options: that way you
get the sound and flight information. Or consider an all-
in-one solution: the Ascent Watch Vario is an altimeter,
vario, barograph, flight log and thermometer in a watch
– it weighs 40 g, and it works. Your helmet is important,
and you can go lightweight here too – but again,
balance your desire to cut kilos with your need for
safety. You can get good quality EN966 airsports-rated
helmets that weigh less than 500 g. Don’t forget your
hook-knife, whistle and emergency / in-flight rations.
Weight: 2 kg
And there you have it –a fully functioning paragliding

package that weighs 10 kg or less. Result! If you are
going travelling with your glider for any extended time,
then consider taking the lightweight option. You’ll be
thankful the next time you’re getting on a bus. Lightweight specialist Martin Müller . Photo: Jerôme Maupoint
Wings Repair
Light Concept
EQUIPMENT
LIGHTWEIGHT GEAR FOCUS Going lightweight on your travels is all about getting the right gear. Here’s a
selection of great ideas to help you make up your mind.
Photo: Markus Zimmermann

APCO - MAYDAY SLT RESCUE ICARO - OXYGEN
The classic, ultra proven rescue parachute is now

available in a super lightweight form A perfect, easy to fly wing for mountaineering &
Sizes: 16 18 20 expedition paragliding and easy travelling
Weight: 1.22 kg 1.56 kg 2.08 kg Sizes: S & M (65 - 105 kg)
Max. Load 100 kg 115 kg 130 kg Weight: 3.9 kg (size S), 4.2 kg (size M)
Sink Rate: 6.15 m/s 5.1 m/s 4.48 m/s Colours: Red / Blue / White
Certification: LTF & EN Certification: EN A / LTF 1
Website: www.apcoaviation.com Website: www.icaro-wings.com
APCO - CHAIRBAG 2 SUPAIR HYBRID 2
Save kilos by making your glider bag and harness Performance orientated harness/bag combination
one and the same. Sizes: S, M, L and XL
Sizes: One size fits all (160 – 185 cm) Weight: 4.3 kg (M size)
Weight: sub 2.5 kg with carbon seat plate Colours: Black/Red - Black/Blue - Black/Silver
Colours: Black/Red or Black/Blue Features: Airbag back protection, under-seat
Features: Airbag back protection, under-seat reserve pocket, automatic buckles,
reserve pocket, straps for hiking footrest, carbon seat plate, radio
poles, lightweight carbon seat plate pocket with microphone attachment
(optional) connection & many pockets
Certification: LTF & EN Certification: LTF & EN
Website: www.apcoaviation.com Website: www.supair.com

JUNE
USA
CHELAN
THE LURE
Big, wide thermals and huge XC potential over the flats
of eastern Washington’s farmlands. Booming 10 m/s are
common, with a cloudbase 3,000 m above the deck.
The fine Chelan soil is pulled into thermals peppering the
landscape with dust devils to mark the way. Throw in
multiple spacious launches and landings and you have
one of the USA’s free flying heavens.
THE SET UP
Chelan Butte is in the foothills of the Cascade Mountains,
nestled between Lake Chelan and the Columbia River. It
is a transition area offering a wide variety of landscapes in
different directions. East over the Columbia River brings
flatlands, which spread south and east to the boundaries
of the state. North takes you along the foothills towards
Canada, west towards the Cascade Mountains and
spectacular views. Snow-capped volcanoes are visible
from the air. The top of the Butte is wide open and works
in all directions.
The flatlands offer nearly unlimited routes with
great landing options almost everywhere. Farmers are
welcoming as long as we respect their crops and much of
the land is publicly owned. With small towns throughout
the area hitching is easy, although typically pilots arrange
a retrieve driver.
Chelan is a popular summer destination because of
Lake Chelan, a pristine, glacier-fed lake. Golden hillsides
and pine-lined shores skirt the lake, and the surrounding
mountains rise dramatically 2,500 m up out of the deep
blue water.
As a vacation town, Chelan offers all the amenities
needed for a great holiday. Luckily the town is still relatively
small so the prices are reasonable. Along with numerous
water sports and great swimming areas at the lake, the
nearby North Cascades National Forest offers brilliant
camping, hiking, climbing, biking and of course flying.

THE NITTY GRITTY
FLYING CONDITIONS
The main launch is south facing and starts working
around 11 am. The terrain drops away steeply
for 600 m, then spreads into rolling fields that
continue to the river 915 m below. This generates
big, powerful thermals that are channelled right up
to the Between The Rock launch, so named due to
the large rock outcrops either side. There’s plenty of
room, but watch your heading until you’re clear.
WHEN TO GO
March to October, with the best XC conditions in
June to August.
ALTITUDE
CLOUDBASE: 2,700 – 3,300 m over the
Butte, but higher in the flats
LAUNCHES: 1,158 m
MAIN LANDINGS: Chelan Falls Park 244 m
HANG GLIDER ACCESS

Same as paragliders
MUST BE FLOWN
Brilliant everywhere! Most days the surface flow will
direct you north east across the flats towards the
town of Mansfield, and beyond.
WATCH OUT FOR

Dust devils on launch! Be very watchful once
hooked in. Watch the movement in the bushes and
pick your launch cycles well. No airspace until near
Spokane, 160 km east, but watch out for military
Heading north east into the big wide yonder behind launch - jets flying low and very fast!
perfect flatland flying. Photo: Stefan Mitrovich
ACCOMMODATION
Lots of decent and clean motels in Chelan for
AT A GLANCE around $100. Plus nice campgrounds and fancy
Thermal strength ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ resorts on the lake side. Visit www.cometothelake.
com for more info, camping is under ‘101 Things
XC Potential ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ to do’.
Fun Factor ★ ★ ★
GUIDES AND COURSES
Logistics ★ ★ Aerial Paragliding - www.paragliding.us.

May
USA
CHELAN
Fra nce
MORE NITTY GRITTY the easiest option. There are buses and trains, but it would
require 2-3 changes, the times are infrequent, and they
Chamonix
don’t go to Chelan on the weekends. You need a vehicle to
EXPERT’S OPINION get around in Chelan.
“I love Chelan! It’s mountain access to expansive flatlands.
Strong lift and high cloudbases with light enough winds to USEFUL CONTACTS AND WEBSITES FOR THE AREA
make huge triangles or downwind runs of over 200 km.” Aerial Paragliding, www.paragliding.us
Nick Greece – editor USHPA magazine Northwest Paragliding Club www.nwparagliding.com.
Stefan Mitrovich – www.cascadeskies.com
THE BIG TICKS
Long distances, out and returns and triangles. It’s all about
covering ground.
TAKE THE FAMILY

Yes! It’s a great family location. Water sports in the lake
and outdoor activities galore in the Cascades.
RAINY DAYS
What rainy days? If it’s not flyable in summer it’ll just be
too windy, but you’ll still have the sunshine. Go swimming
or play in the mountains.
WEATHER INFO
www.paragliding.us has a weather page. Look for Wenatch-
ee which has some local wind data.
GETTING THERE
Fly to Wenatchee, about 30 minutes drive away, if you can, Following a cloud street past Banks Lake.
although Seattle is just over three hours drive and usually Photo: Stefan Mitrovich
Heading east over the rim for the first glide of the day. Photo: Doug Stroop

JUNE
AUSTRIA
KOSSEN THE LURE
Rolling flatlands out front, steep mountain ridges running
left and right, cable car access and the Fliegerbar in the
landing to quench your thirst in after a great XC. If you sat
back and designed the perfect free flying venue it would
probably look like Kössen. Perched on the northern edge
of the Alps, Kössen has hosted FAI world championships
in both hang gliding and paragliding and is now the home
of the Super Paragliding Testival, an annual outdoor event
where pilots can test fly almost any paraglider they fancy.
THE SET UP
Kössen is a quiet little town on the Austrian-German
border. Whilst in the plains, just south of the town the
landscape rears up into the first ridges of the Alps where
the Unterberg lies.
Accessed by a 15-minute cable car ride, the Unterberg
has big wide grassy take offs towards the east, north and
west. Kössen lies in its own microclimate and is protected
from strong winds by the high mountains around it. Locals
say that statistically you can fly here more days of the year
than anywhere else in the Northern Alps.
There are XC possibilities for all levels of pilots from
the Unterberg, you can go 20 km or 200 from here. The
valleys are open, wide and friendly to land in too.
The main landing is in the Fliegerbar Arena, where the
Super Paragliding Testival is held each year. It’s a huge
and well-maintained area with golf lawns. The Fliegerbar
has a beer garden atmosphere and sells budget food and
drinks for pilots.
Pilots prepare to try out new gliders at the annual Super There’s even a glider repair centre in town and, being in
Paragliding Testival held in May. Photo: Michel Ferrer the heart of the European free flying scene, most brands
have either their businesses or representatives in the
region.

AT A GLANCE
regarding landing Thermal strength ★ ★ ★
procedures. These XC Potential ★ ★ ★ ★
should be adhered
to and can be Fun Factor ★ ★ ★
found at the Logistics ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
Fliegerbar.
The Fliegerbar. Photo: Michel Ferrer ACCOMMODATION

Kössen has a range of hotels and many guest houses
THE NITTY GRITTY offering rooms to tourists – look for the word ‘zimmer’.
The Euro Camping is 400 m from the main landing field
FLYING CONDITIONS and within walking distance of the lift.
Flatland and mountain thermals to choose from.
Common alpine breezes set up in the afternoons but, as GUIDES AND COURSES
the area is quite green the heating isn’t too intense so The Kössen Flying School and their partner schools offer
the winds rarely get unmanageable. paragliding tuition all summer. Tandem flights are also
offered and can be booked straight at the Fliegerbar. On
WHEN TO GO request, the Flying School is happy to provide assistance to
May until the end of September all guest schools, clubs and groups and can even arrange
group discounts for food, accommodation and lift tickets.
ALTITUDE
CLOUDBASE: 3,000 m
LAUNCH: 1,500 – 1,700 m
LANDING: 650 m
HANG GLIDER ACCESS

The cable car has special transport units for hang gliders
and will take them at no extra cost. Hang gliders have to
carry up 50 m to their take off.
WATCH OUT FOR

Kössen is as safe a place to fly as you can find in the
Alps. The only place to watch out for is the locally
known ‘Bermuda Triangle’, a landingless valley to the
west of launch.
There are certain regulations the locals have in place
The wide-open grassy launch and quick and easy cable car access make
Kössen a perfect flying location. Photo: Courtesy of Kössen tourist board

May
AUSTRIA
KOSSEN
Fra nce
MORE NITTY GRITTY WEATHER INFO
Chamonix
Official aviation weather forecast updated daily at the
EXPERT’S OPINION Fliegerbar.
“I love Kössen, not just because it’s flyable almost all of the
time and logistically it’s so easy to fly, but more because GETTING THERE
the atmosphere amongst the pilots is so good. It’s a no Fly to Munich, Salzberg or Innsbruck then hire a car or take
stress flying site.” - Richard Gallon, Kössen resident and a bus or train. If driving take the autobahn to Kufstein then
ex-PWC champion it’s half an hour to Kössen.
THE BIG TICKS USEFUL CONTACTS AND WEBSITES FOR THE AREA
Wrap up a monster FAI triangle. 200 km plus is possible www.fly-koessen.at
from here. www.kaiserwinkl.com
www.bergbahnen-koessen.com
TAKE THE FAMILY
Definitely. There’s tonnes to do around Kössen in summer.
Swimming, hiking, mountain biking, canoeing, rafting,
kayaking etc. The Fliegerbar will even provide special care
for kids while parents fly.
RAINY DAYS
Walk the rocky tracks in the “Wilder Kaiser”. Sightseeing
in Kitzbühel, Salzburg or Innsbruck or visit the famous
Swarovski Crystal Worlds in Wattens. Or make a date to
visit one of the many paragliding manufacturers in the
region – Airwave, Skywalk, Wings of Change, Nova and
Pro-Design all have their bases close by.
Contact the tourist office or get advice at the Fliegerbar.
Great architecture even better beer. Photo: Michel Ferrer
Peaceful soaring in a lush green landscape. Photo: Max Wiener

Bu er o M o n t an a . de
JULY
SWITZERLAND
VERBIER
THE LURE
Majestic snow-covered mountains, three stunning glaciers,
green valleys with chocolate-box Swiss chalets and friendly
grassy launch sites and landing fields. This is a true Alpine
flying experience suitable for every type of pilot.
THE SET UP
Verbier is on the south-facing slope of a deep wide valley
in the southern Swiss Alps. While flying here between
June and September is ideal for beginners who are
looking for a first taste of big mountain flying, it is also a
terrific flying site for experienced XC pilots.
With over seven beautiful grassy launches and five large
official landing fields, Verbier is flyable in virtually every
wind direction – and with its own microclimate it is said to
have over 300 flyable days a year.
The two main launch sites are Les Ruinettes, located
at the top of the main cable car and ideal for afternoon
thermal flights, and La Croix de Coeur which is perfect for
morning thermal flights (south-east facing) and evening
soaring flights along the length of the ridge. Top landing
at La Croix de Coeur is possible, even for relatively
inexperienced pilots.
Access to La Croix de Coeur is by car or local
navette. Les Ruinettes can be reached by cable car
– although local guiding outfit Verbier Summits are
allowed to drive up.
Verbier’s huge XC potential was recognised when
it was chosen as a location for the 1993 PG World
Championships. Pilots can choose to fly a 60 km triangle
over the glaciers without ever leaving the Verbier valley
and the safety of their familiar landing fields, or fly far up
the Rhone valley towards the Furka Pass, following the
train line that can always bring them back home.
AT A GLANCE
Thermal strength ★ ★ ★ ★
Fun Factor ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
Logistics ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ Experience flying in one of Europe’s premier ski resorts.
All photos: Stuart Belbas/Verbier Summits

Glaciers, rock walls and high peaks make Verbier a full on Alpine experience
THE NITTY GRITTY COMPETITIONS

None. Just a photo competition on the Verbier Summits
website to win a free holiday.
FLYING CONDITIONS
Good alpine thermals with a base that can often reach GUIDES AND COURSES
4,000 m+. Typical Alpine valley winds that aren’t Twin brothers Stu and Mike Belbas have been flying in Ver-
generally an issue in the main landing field at Champ bier for over 15 years. They run Verbier Summits, an FSVL
Sec where the valley is wide. Morning thermal flights and BHPA registered school, and offer guiding and luxury
are possible from SE facing launches Savolylere and chalet accommodation as well as courses to all levels.
Croix de Coeur, and afternoon flights from SW facing
Ruinettes. Verbier offers smooth 1,400 m sled rides or EXPERT’S OPINION
big mountain flying and everything in between. “The most diverse flying I have ever found.” Stu Belbas.
WHEN TO GO THE BIG TICKS

June to end of September. Around the Petit Combin.
Verbier to Zermatt.
ALTITUDE
CLOUDBASE: 3,000 – 4,000 m TAKE THE FAMILY
LAUNCH: 2,200 m Definitely! Fantastic outdoor swimming pool, great
LANDING: In Verbier 1,500 m, in the valley 650 m walks up to the glaciers, downhill mountain biking,
horse riding, 18 hole golf course, suspended forest
HANG GLIDER ACCESS adventure trail.
Easy launches for hang gliders with access only by car
or local shuttle / navette. RAINY DAYS
Visit the gorges with walkways bolted to the edge of the
MUST BE FLOWN cliffs or the St Bernard monastery where you can have
Fly over the Petit Combin and back along the Corbas- soup with the monks and see where the St Bernard
siere glacier. Absolutely breathtaking flight and possible avalanche dogs are trained.
in any wind direction when cloudbase is high enough.
XC to Zermatt or Fiesch needs west wind and is only for WEATHER INFO
experienced XC pilots. Daily updates posted at Verbier Summits flying school or
check www.meteo-suisse.ch.
WATCH OUT FOR
Angry farmers. Speak to local guides for advice on GETTING THERE
which fields to avoid Geneva airport with direct trains to Martigny then a
short mountain train to Le Chable. If driving head to
ACCOMMODATION Martigny, follow signs to Verbier.
Chalet accommodation with Verbier Summits, hotels
and unfortunately only one fairly poor camping site at ONLINE
Champ Sec. www.verbier-summits.com
www.verbier.ch

JULY
USA
JACKSON HOLE
AT A GLANCE
Thermal strength ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
Logistics ★ ★ ★
Flying to Ferry Peak above Alpine. Photo: Nick Greece
THE LURE town. In winter the world-renowned powder attracts

Jagged mountains, huge vertical faces, cable car throngs of enthusiasts. For the free flyer 6,000 m
access, and ripping climbs to 6,000 m! At the entrance cloudbases over high rugged peaks are the lure.
to Grand Teton National Park, and Yellowstone National
Park, this is one of the most picturesque and ‘Wild THE FLYING
West’ locations in the United States. Morning and mid afternoon you fly on the west side
of the valley in the Tetons, while the evening glass-off
THE SET UP sites are on the eastern side.
Jackson Hole is a magnet for the rugged adventurers The Jackson Hole Mountain Resort, with its aerial
of life – be prepared to run into climbing, kayaking, tram, and Phillips Ridge both hold state XC records.
skiing and snow boarding legends at the coffee shop, Both of these midday beauties ensconce you in the
or even Harrison Ford! The native wildlife 4,000 m Teton Mountains to begin your day. Both are
includes moose, HG and PG friendly.
bison, mountain Close by lies Curtis Canyon with its sunset views
lions and even grizzly of the Tetons and Beaver Mountain, some 45-minutes
bears and the skies south of Jackson, which with a west wind provides
are home to a wide some of the most stunning scenery in the country. On
variety of birds of prey. a decent evening it is possible to climb to 4,000 m in
In summer the stark smooth conditions and take in views of the Tetons,
beauty and huge tracts the Wind River Range, the Wyoming Range, the Salt
of protected national River Range and the great Snake River.
lands inspire millions to The Snow King Resort offers lift-accessed evening
visit this small western flying when a northwest breeze sets up.

On glide to Grand Teton from the Jackson Hole
Mountain Resort. Photo: Nick Greece Flying above town at the Snow King Resort. Olivier Laugero
ACCOMMODATION
THE NITTY GRITTY Everything from camping to five star palatial hotels. Free
camping is available on public land, but you need a car
FLYING CONDITIONS as it’s outside of town limits.
Strong thermals and leeside midday conditions in a high
alpine environment. Stratospheric cloudbases allow you GUIDES AND COURSES
to cross unbelievably remote terrain. A host of mountain Jackson Hole Paragliding offer a guiding service and
flying opportunities for newer pilots round off an courses. www.jhparagliding.com
amazing site. Cowboy Up Hang Gliding offer advice, tuition and a
towing service www.cuhanggliding.com
WHEN TO GO
July - September EXPERT’S OPINION
“Whether it’s the midday rippers to 5,500 m, crossing
ALTITUDE beautiful valleys, flying remote 4,000 m ranges or
LAUNCH: 2,500 - 3,200 m evening epic glass-offs in smooth conditions, Jackson’s
LANDING: 1,890 m terrain and community of pilots are world class!” Nick
CLOUDBASE: 4,000-6,000 m Greece, USHPA editor and Jackson resident.
HANG GLIDER ACCESS TAKE THE FAMILY

The Aerial Tram at the Jackson Hole Mountain Resort Absolutely yes! Millions of families come to Jackson
will take HGs. Phillips Canyon is a drive-up site. Aer- every year to enjoy the spectacular nature and outdoor
otowing is offered by Cowboy Up Hang Gliding close by. activities. Jackson’s wood-lined sidewalks, daily re-
enacted old time shootouts, and Million Dollar Cowboy
MUST BE FLOWN saloon produce a true western nostalgia.
Tour the Tetons: from the Jackson Hole Mountain Resort
Village north over the Grand Teton and back. RAINY DAYS
The Pinedale Run: For an amazing taste of Wild West Expect to get wet. This is an outdoor lover’s paradise so
flying and culture, cross the valley from the Village to make sure you bring a coat!
Snow King Resort. Then continue on over the Gros
Ventre mountains into the flats to land in Pinedale. WEATHER INFO
Fantasy Ridge: Tour the Wind River Range, one of the http://www.jhffc.org/weather/
wildest mountain ranges in the lower 48 states, along http://www.jhparagliding.com/Weather-to-Fly/
the famed Fantasy Ridge. A local classic! http:// www.xcskies.com
WATCH OUT FOR GETTING THERE

This is a leeside site, so if the wind is strong over the Jackson Hole has an airport, but it’s often more
back early in the day, go check out the myriad of other economical to fly into Salt Lake City, Utah and drive the
outdoor activities Jackson offers. 4½ hours north to Jackson. There is a daily bus from
National Parks are illegal to land in so only make transi- Salt Lake and Idaho Falls.
tions over them if you are sure you will make it. If you
are forced to make an ‘emergency’ landing in them, USEFUL CONTACTS AND WEBSITES FOR THE AREA
pack up quickly and get out fast as the fines can be Jackson Hole Mountain Resort
heavy. It’s not uncommon for pilots to hide their gear in www.jacksonhole.com
the forest at a marked GPS coordinate and return for it The Jackson Hole Free Flight Club offers free oxygen
after nightfall to avoid being prosecuted. refills with membership.
www.jhffc.org

TRAVEL
HAVE GLIDER, WILL TRAVEL US Team member Jeff O’Brien explains how to travel with a hang glider
A
irline travel can be a stressful experience for some, the particular airline, and when I’m asked at the counter
and trying to wrangle a hang glider on a commer- how much the glider weighs or how long the glider is, I
cial flight might seem too daunting to undertake. state something close to, but under, the maximum.
There certainly are nuances to travelling with your wing,
but it can be done with relatively little additional hassle
and the reward is worth the logistical considerations. RESEARCH THE AIRCRAFT
Let me help you stack the odds in your favour. Even if your airline has provisions to carry hang gliders,
the aircraft might not be large enough to fit the wing in-
side its cargo hold. In general, if the interior of the cabin
BEFORE YOU GO has at least six seats across the fuselage, a glider will
Research the airline. Each airline has different baggage fit. Four seats across may or may not accommodate
limitations, and some even have provisions in their lit- your wing. Some airplanes have baggage holds with
erature for hang gliders. Print out this literature and take ‘curtains’ or partitions. These curtains must be closed
it with you to the ticket counter. Call the airline a day or during flight. If personnel try to turn you away for this
two in advance and make a reservation for your glider reason, urge them to put your glider in the ‘cargo’ hold
and have the agent note the baggage fee. Research the instead. This hold is for much larger items unrelated to
baggage weight and size limitations. In the US, most passenger travel.
airlines have an absolute limit of 45 kg (100 lb). There
are some airlines with an absolute limit of around 32 kg
(70 lb), so research your airline in detail. When packed, PACK PROPERLY
my gliders have always exceeded maximum limits. I It will be necessary to ‘short pack’ your glider so see
memorize the maximum weights and dimensions for your manufacturer’s owner’s manual for instructions.

MAIN SHOT: Setting up in front of Mt Blanc at the Plaine Joux launch just outside Chamonix Valley.
BOTTOM LEFT: “Regardless of where you’re going, you’re on the National Team travelling to the World Championships!”
BOTTOM RIGHT: “At some point you have to release any stress over it and hope for the best.” All photos: Jeff O’Brien
Once you’ve disassembled the glider, there are a few more, be as argumentative as you feel is warranted.
supplies that will help protect your wing: Sometimes you’ll get your glider on for free. Sometimes
you’ll be charged hundreds of dollars. A reservation
1 PVC plastic caps for the end of the leading edges. doesn’t guarantee the amount. Keep smiling and hope
Two-inch caps usually fit snugly and these should for the best. If heads start to shake, and you feel it’s
be padded with a bit of closed cell foam. likely you’ll be turned away, remain calm and pleasant.
Mention your reservation again and explain that you’ve
2 Closed cell foam pads. Half-inch closed-cell foam been out of this particular airport on this particular
camping mats are very cheap. I tape several of flight and aircraft in the past without difficulty. In short,
these mats together to form a foam blanket which don’t take no for an answer. Be pleasant, yet firm, and
encases the glider before bagging it. explain that you’ve done it all before without problems.
In addition to staying calm and wearing a perpetual
3 Shrink wrap. Sold in hardware stores, or moving smile, be creative. Usually gliders are too awkward to
supply stores, this stuff is THE BEST for holding weigh, but if staff insist, help them ‘hold’ the glider on the
everything together and creating a tight package. scale. Put one end of the glider on the scale and keep a
straight face as you strain to lift a portion of the weight
Once the glider is disassembled, the sail is rolled, and all off the scale. After the baggage tag is on the glider, offer
parts have been tucked inside, pad any sharp components to help baggage personnel carry the glider to security
or bolts that might wear on the sail. I used to pad quite a bit and as far as they’ll let you. Tip them and thank them
internally, now I pad only the most obtrusive brackets. profusely. On one trip through Vancouver airport, after
Place a ‘cam strap’ or velcro strap around the wing our gliders were tagged and paid for, security personnel
every couple of feet to make a tight cylinder. Now use discovered our gliders wouldn’t fit on the freight elevator
shrink wrap to pull everything together and wrap the down to the ramp. We’d befriended the supervisor by
glider mummy tight as you remove the cam straps that point, and even though it was illegal, he ordered a
during the wrapping process. pickup truck to drive our gliders from the terminal around
After shrink wrapping the glider, I place one or two and down to the tarmac. We got lucky, but it was only
layers of foam pads around the glider. Even with this because we showed excessive amounts of gratitude for
padding, I’m able to get the glider back in its normal bag. everyone who helped us along the way.
If you travel often, you may want to invest in a padded Once the glider has been checked, tagged, and
travel bag, but it’s still feasible to get a fully padded glider transported to the tarmac, the situation is most likely out of
in its original bag. The key is tight shrink wrapping. your hands. There’s no guarantee the baggage handlers
won’t damage your wing in transport, but at some point
you have to release any stress over it and hope for the best.
AT THE AIRPORT I’ve been lucky to arrive with undamaged gliders at my
You’ve done your research. You’ve packed and planned. destinations, but there are always horror stories.
Now it’s time to work your magic. As soon as you step in One last item that will make transport through the
the doors of the terminal, people with wide eyes will be airports easier is a tie-down strap to hold the glider
gawking at your gigantic luggage. Airline personnel may on luggage carts. Strapping the glider to a cart helps
start shaking their heads before you ever speak to them you wield the awkward package as you wind through
saying words like, “That has to go to cargo.” Remain customs or to transport.
unfazed wearing a wide smile that conveys calmness. As
you approach the check-in counter, look for the friendli-
est face and saunter up to them uttering, “Excuse me AND FINALLY
(their name), can you please help me?” Seeing a new part of the world from the air for the
Try to develop a rapport with the counter agent by first time is an incredibly rewarding experience. An
explaining you’re on your country’s National Hang Gliding experience that easily eclipses any difficulties or costs
team travelling to the World Championships. Regardless associated with travelling with your wing. If you exude
of where you’re going, you’re on the National Team a calm, confident, friendly demeanour, and realise that
travelling to the World Championships. Tell them you’re there’s much more to the adventure than just the flying,
so excited to be representing your country and you’ve your trips will almost always be successful.
been preparing for this day for years. Thank them for
helping you bring your dreams to fruition.
Explain that you’ve made a
reservation for your glider and
state the quoted price. If the
ticket agent attempts
to charge you

AUGUST
SPAIN
PIEDRAHITA
THE LURE Classic XC flying can be had from April to the end of
Europe’s flatland mecca! A laid back Spanish September with the most booming conditions from
village, a tarmac road to a groomed launch and you mid June towards the end of July. August tends to be
can ping off into some of the finest big distance very reliable, but with a later start (the inversions break
XC skies in the world. Hit the fabled convergence later)… not so bad for those dedicating themselves to
and you can be a long way from home very quickly. late nights and fiestas! The classic route follows the
Piedrahita is one of the world’s most reliable XC N-110 highway towards the NE in the flatlands and
competition venues and host to the next FAI World parallel to the mountains. A flight of 50 km eastwards
Paragliding Championships. to the medieval walled city of Avila is a regular run for
even inexperienced XC pilots, and 100 km out-and-
THE SET UP returns and even 200+ km open distances are regularly
Piedrahita is a small, ancient town on the edge of the achievable.
Castillian tablelands where they abruptly rise up to the Fast and easy access makes for quick re-flights and
Gredos mountains. It is in the perfect spot to latch the big smooth magic air that sets up over the valley
onto the 300+ km convergence line that sets up here. on most evenings is the prefect antidote to anyone
A lively market town, Piedrahita doubles in population feeling blue because of an early bomb out.
during August when it hosts a series of fiestas. Although famed for long distance flatland flying there
The principal launch, Peña Negra, is directly above is also great potential for mountain flying in the Gredos
the town and easily reached in 20 minutes by tarmac mountains to the west and south. However, be aware
road. It faces NW yet the shallow slope of the mountain that the area is isolated and bombing out can involve
allows heating and thermals from late morning. lengthy retrieves.

THE NITTY GRITTY
FLYING CONDITIONS
Good thermic conditions with little breeze in the
open flatlands, though generally stronger at the
pass some 20 km from launch. Base in August is
generally above 3,000 m, and often in excess of
4,000m. You need to be in the air by 1.30 pm
as the thermal breeze at launch can become very
strong by mid afternoon. Normally reliable thermals
start from 11.30 am, later in August.
WHEN TO GO
April to October offer good thermal flying and XC
potential. May to September for epic cu-filled skies.
August tends to be bluer and hotter but reliably
flyable.
ALTITUDE
Cloudbase: 3,200 m
Launch: 1,900 m
Landing: 1,000 m
HANG GLIDER ACCESS

Easy. Tarmac road to launch and large car park right
next to the rigging area. The site was dramatically
improved in 2009 with the launch slope angle
increased for improved light wind launches.
MUST BE FLOWN
Fly amongst huge gaggles of migrating storks in
July. Lose yourself in the vast flatlands of Castilla
chasing the convergence clouds to the NE. Look
down first on the castle of Avila then later the Ro-
man aquaduct in Segovia and know you’ve flown a
long way
Winging it down to Piedrahita town after another big XC day.
SITE RECORDS
Photos: Jerôme Maupoint
PG: 281 km
HG: 326 km
WATCH OUT FOR

With strong easterly winds the take off is sheltered
but winds further out can be strong and turbulent.
With a westerly the wind will be stronger at the
pass and in the next (Ambles) valley. For both strong
east and west winds the safest area to land is in
the flatlands near to Piedrahita. The winds increase
as you move towards the pass with a westerly,
and beyond the Col at Santiago de Collado with an
AT A GLANCE easterly.
There is airspace beyond Avila which can be easily
Thermal strength ★ ★ ★ avoided by flying further to the north.
XC Potential ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
Fun Factor ★ ★ ★ ★ ACCOMMODATION
There are four hotels, many houses to rent but no
Logistics ★ ★ ★ official camping site.

May
AUGUST
SPAIN
PIE DRAHITA
France
Chamonix
RAINY DAYS
MORE NITTY GRITTY Salamanca, 60 km to the north, is the cultural capital of
Spain with its historic university and range of monuments.
Likewise the historic towns of Avila and Segovia are well
COMPETITIONS
worth visiting. In spring the River Tormes offers the best
Pre-World PG Championships, 11 – 17 July 2010
white water kayaking and rafting in central Spain. The area
XC-Open World Series, 28 August – 4 September 2010
is bordered by a number of regional parks with excellent
FAI Paragliding World Championships, 2 – 16 July 2011
walking trails.
GUIDES AND COURSES
Steve Ham has lived and guided in Piedrahita since 1991 WEATHER INFO
and is meet director for the forthcoming Worlds in 2011. For a seven day local forecast visit tinyurl.com/y96bdtm.
www.flypiedrahita.com
GETTING THERE
EXPERT’S OPINION Madrid (Barajas) airport is 200 km away. You can get a
“Easy flying with a great mix of the best of flatland and big bus from Madrid direct to Piedrahita for €14. (Take the
mountain flying.” Steve Ham metro from the airport to La Estacion Sur de Autobuses –
metro stop is called Mendez Alvaro). By car Piedrahita lies
THE BIG TICKS on the National highway N-110, some 50 km east of Avila.
Breaking the 100 km barrier with ease, or the 200 km if Hitch hiking in Central Spain is uncommon and takes time!
you’re really good!
CONTACTS
TAKE THE FAMILY Local flying club, www.cornejadegredos.es/pages/inicio.
Piedrahita is a popular summer destination for Spanish html
families escaping the oppressive heat of the cities in August. Steve Ham, www.flypiedrahita.com
There are many mountain rivers and forests or there is an FAI Worlds 2011, www.piedrahita2011.com
open air swimming pool in Piedrahita built in the grounds of Town hall and accommodation, www.aytopiedrahita.com
an 18th century palace, modelled after Versaille.
Red Bull X-Alps hero Martin Muller climbing out from Peña Negra launch

Read by hang glider and paraglider pilots in over 75 countries worldwide
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Subscribe to the world’s favourite hang gliding and ‘It’s by far the best free flight magazine’
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pilots in the world are reading. ‘It’s simply the best English-language
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XCSHOPCOM DVDs ~ BOOKs ~ GEAR ~ Everything a pilot needs

Justin Bramlette, USA, started paragliding in 2009
AUGUST
SWITZERLAND
INTERLAKEN
mountaineering circles with the stunning peaks of the

THE LURE Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau attracting pioneers of the
Soar the legendary north face of the Eiger, or set off sport long before hang gliding and paragliding were
on one of Chrigel Maurer’s monster 200 km alpine born.
triangles, before gliding down to swim in a choice of Situated in the transition between the Swiss
two of Europe’s cleanest lakes. flatlands and the Alps, Interlaken offers 15
Interlaken is home to paragliding champions Chrigel different launches for pilots of all levels! On a
Maurer, Andy Aebi, Stefan Wyss, Steve Cox, and Kari stable summer day you can take off in the high
Eisenhut to name a few. Advance themselves are in mountains around the Schilthorn or Grindelwald
Thun at the other end of the lake. In fact, Interlaken is in big mountain thermals. Or for easy, light
probably the reason the Swiss are so good! thermal conditions launch around Interlaken from
Amisbühl, the Niederhorn or take an evening flight
THE SET UP from Schynige Platte.
Interlaken is in the Bernese Oberland on the northern A huge grassy landing field sits in the centre of
edge of the main Alpine chain. The area is legendary in Interlaken and is reachable by all 15 takeoffs.

Open grassy launch with the Eiger in the far left
THE NITTY GRITTY

FLYING CONDITIONS
Everything from powerful high mountain flights
to low level soaring above the lake. Interlaken is
famous for its perfect flying weather. Protected
from stronger winds by high mountains all around,
statistics show you can fly here on around 300 days
a year! The stronger the wind is forecast, the lower
the takeoff you choose.
WHEN TO GO
Flyable all year, but best between March and
October.
AT A GLANCE ALTITUDE
Thermal strength ★ ★ ★ ★ CLOUDBASE 1,800 – 3,500 m
XC Potential ★ ★ ★ ★ LAUNCH 1,000 – 3,000 m
LANDING 570 m
Logistics ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ HANG GLIDER ACCESS
Yes, reach Amisbühl by car or the Niederhorn by
cable car
Interlaken: easy access to stunning high mountain terrain,
and the world famous Eiger. No wonder the Swiss are so MUST BE FLOWN
good! All Photos: Markus Zimmermann Soar in front of the legendary north wall of the Eiger
then fly down to land in the centre of Interlaken and
drink a beer at Hooters.
WATCH OUT FOR

Strong winds - when there is more than 5 HPa of
pressure difference between south and north of the
Alps you should stop flying. The Föehn wind gets
to Interlaken late, but it can still come all the way
down to the ground.
Lake Thun is open to the northwest, so when the
wind is from that direction it can blow out. Luckily
northwest wind is very rare.
The rescue helicopter base REGA is at Wilderswil
airfield so landing there should be avoided.
A Low level launch. Photo: Kari Eisenhut

May
SWITZERLAND
INTE
Fra nceRLAKEN
Chamonix
MORE NITTY GRITTY TAKE THE FAMILY
Interlaken is a great family destination with lots of outdoor
ACCOMMODATION sports and activities. Check www.interlaken.ch for details.
All levels are available. Try the Backpackers Paragliding
Villa directly located at the landing field in the centre of RAINY DAYS
Interlaken for friendly cost effective accommodation. Don’t miss the Trümmelbach waterfalls when it rains or
www.villa.ch the view from the Jungfrau Joch, which at 3,454 m is the
highest railway station in Europe.
GUIDES AND COURSES
Kari Eisenhut’s Chill Out Paragliding Centre offers you all WEATHER INFO
kinds of flying support from friendly advice for visiting pilots www.chilloutmeteo.com has a special flying forecast twice
through to comprehensive thermal and XC courses and a week for Interlaken and the surrounding area. Or www.
guided holidays. Kari also runs an Advance test centre. The soaringmeteo.ch for detailed charts of this area of the Alps.
paragliding shop is in the Backpackers Paragliding Villa.
www.chilloutparagliding.com GETTING THERE
Fly to Zürich or Basel (Easyjet) and get the train to Inter-
EXPERT’S OPINION laken (two hours – change at Bern).
“Interlaken is unique! You can fly high above glaciers or low down
by the lake in just 30 km. It’s spectacular!” - Kari Eisenhut USEFUL CONTACTS AND WEBSITES FOR THE AREA
www.chilloutparagliding.com for paragliding info
THE BIG TICKS www.interlakenadventures.com for info on Interlaken’s
Take off at Grindelwald in front of the north face of the adventure sports.
Eiger. Fly north to the Faulhorn, cross to the north of the
ridge at Bira, then make a long final glide along the Brienz
lake to land in the centre of Interlaken.
Interlaken sits between two lakes, making it a perfect holiday location

Winding down into town after a trip around the high peaks
TRAVEL
Wish you were here! Make a movie, take a photo, blog it … your trip deserves showcasing.
Marcus King on how to get the best out of technology
N
owadays recording your trip isn’t just about Sony Bloggie
taking a few snaps to show off when you get All three models of the Sony Bloggie
back home. Technology allows us to do so much shoot HD video, take 5 mega-pixel
more: become a movie director, network on social me- photos and have a colour LCD
dia, Tweet from the goal line or report live from on the screen to see what you are
road. But if you want to show off your travels to their shooting (something the Go Pro
best you’ll need some tools. Here are some of the best. HD doesn’t have – yet).
The two basic models have a
lens that swivels, so you can use
it to record those all-important
blog intros. The only difference
between the two models is
that one comes with a clip-on
lens that allows you to take
360-degree video.
All come with a built-in USB
connector – no extra cables
needed – and built-in software
that you can run from your
computer to share your pictures
and videos on the web.
Bloggie costs approx. £ 190 / € 220 / $ 290
Go Pro HD
You’ve almost certainly seen one of these tiny devices
attached to someone’s helmet at a flying site near you.
They are simply the easiest way to capture your flying
antics. A tiny, solid-state camera not much bigger than
a matchbox but capable of capturing high definition
(HD) video and taking still images. Phone Home
What makes it so perfect for our sports are its super- Most up-to-date phones include a decent quality
wide-angle lens, tough sports housing and a whole camera. With lenses not much bigger than a pinhead
collection of mounts. Together they make it easy to get they’ll never be as a good as a decent SLR, no mat-
the camera into some really interesting places: in your ter how many mega pixels they claim to have. But
lines, by a wing tip, on your boot. that’s missing point – the quality is fine for sharing
The camera outputs great quality files in a format with your friends back home and they’re always to
that’s easy to edit. Just make sure your computer is up hand. Many phones record video and some smart-
to the job of editing HD – if it’s more than 12-months- phones let you edit in the phone without download-
old you may well be better off buying the standard ing to a computer.
definition Go Pro. iPhones and other smartphones also let you
upload images and video direct to the internet. You’ll
Available from www.xcshop.com for £ 309.99 / also find a plethora of add-on apps that allow you
€ 339.99 / $ 462.99 – prices may change due to to edit your photos or take photos in new ways: two
exchange rate fluctuation. The original non-HD version great examples for the iPhone are Hipstamatic and
is still available for £ 179.99 / € 199.99 / $ 268.99 TiltShiftGen

power to sort and publish your photos or edit your
Phones cost upwards of £ 1 / € 1 / $ 1 depending on blockbuster.
where you are in the world and the deal you get! Just Macs and PCs both come with bundled photo and
be careful of those data roaming charges. video editing software – these are fine for most people.
Live Photo Gallery and the Mac equivalent, iPhoto, can
be used to organise and edit your photos. For video,
Windows comes with Live Movie Maker and Apple has
iMovie. Both work well and use templates to help you
turn your rough-cut into a mini masterpiece. Publishing
to DVD or the web is easy from both.
Publishing to the Web

Once you have the perfect image you’ll want to show
the world. Luckily publishing video and photographs
online has never been simpler. Facebook, Twitter,
Blogger, YouTube and Vimeo all allow you to publish
to the web instantly. If you don’t ‘get it’ yet, here’s
a crash course. All these sites are free but need ac-
cess to the Internet to use (your smartphone will do).
Privacy controls exist on all sites, which means you
Getting Serious can show as much or as little of yourself to the world
If you plan to sell the story of your trip to Cross Country as you want.
or other magazines you’ll need a decent digital SLR
and some good lenses. But unless you are a serious Blogger.com: an online diary where you can publish
pro you don’t need to go for top of the range cameras. words, photos and video. A simple WYSIWYG (what
The ‘prosumer’ models are good enough and are also you see is what you get) interface means it can be
much lighter than their expensive siblings. A perfect updated as often as you like, with as much content as
base kit for a traveller would be the Canon EOS 550D you like. Perfect for documenting your travels.
with a good wide range zoom such as the EF-S 18-200
mm although the reduced range of the EF-S 17-85 is Twitter.com: online post-it notes, where short updates
maybe easier to fly with. Don’t forget to add a UV filter: of 140 characters or less can be posted to your per-
not only will it improve your images it will help protect sonal Twitter page via text message or the web. Great
your precious lens from grime and travel scrapes. for posting instant updates, (‘I won!’), linking to a blog
post, reporting who’s first across the goal line, or follow-
Digital SLRs cost upwards of £ 300 / € 350 / $ 450. ing minute-by-minute action from a comp.
Lenses are extra and the sky’s the limit when it comes
to price. The more you pay the more you get, so let Facebook.com: like an online postcard stuck to the
your budget decide. fridge Facebook lets you post photos, video, and short
notes to your own page, which can then be seen by
your Facebook ‘friends’. Privacy controls let you set
who sees what, but the general rule is the more friends
the better. You also get to see what your friends are
up to.
YouTube.com and Vimeo.com: upload your short

videos to these sites and they’ll be searchable and
viewable by the world. Your masterpiece might only get
100 hits among your friends, but hit a nerve and you’ll
be seen by tens of thousands or maybe millions.
Flickr.com: the world’s biggest photo-sharing site. Per-

fect for hosting your own photos and sharing them just
with friends or with everyone. Shared-interest groups
mean good photos get shared around, while comments
Editing let you know how you’re doing.
Unless you are only using your phone you will need a
computer to edit your images and video. Netbooks are Once you’re set up, let us know where you are on the
perfect for travellers, but if you plan to edit HD video web so we can help tell the world. Search for ‘Cross
make sure your choice is up to the job. Here at Cross Country magazine’ on Facebook, Tweet us at Twitter.
Country we are Apple fans and the MacBook 13 makes com/xcmag, or post a link on www.xcmag.com.
a perfect travelling companion with more than enough Happy travels.

SEPTEMBER
SPAIN
ANDALUCIA
Flying at Hermita de la Crux, Huecija, where Europe’s only

desert meets the sea. Photo: Ed Ewing
reach 3,478 m. The peaks fall rapidly to the coast at

THE LURE Almunecar, another popular paragliding base, and
Andalucia offers sunshine and thermals when it’s still big XC flights from mountain to sea are common.
winter in the rest of Europe. Easy access and good Further inland the terrain can be either flat, hot,
infrastructure completes the adventure. dry and dusty, or, towards Jaen and Pegalajar,
covered in olive trees as far as the eye can see. Slot
THE SET UP in between the groves or land on the road.
Andalucia is flyable all year. As a region it offers two The Spanish scene is strong, and most sites will
dozen established flying sites, all within four hours see local pilots at the weekend and have a school
or less of Malaga airport. That makes it a perfect or club attached. Pilots, schools and clubs flock
destination for a one-week dash for the sun, or a here from central and northern Europe in winter to
longer road trip. take advantage of the open access and open skies,
El Yelmo in the northeast of the region is the but it’s still best to check with locals before you fly
spiritual home of the Rodriguez brothers - natives or use a site. Some sites have restrictions – you are
of nearby Albacete, it was in El Yelmo that they not allowed to launch from inside the Sierra Nevada
first spread their acro wings. From there the 20+ National Park, for example. But otherwise, the
sites of Andalucia are spread out in a triangle, with name of the game is hire a car and explore. You will
Algodonales in the south west in one corner, and discover the Spain of your imagination really does
Huecija on the coast to the south east on the other. exist.
In between are the big mountains of the Sierra
Nevada, the ‘Snowy Range’, where the mountains
AT A GLANCE

THE NITTY GRITTY
TAKE THE FAMILY
FLYING CONDITIONS Andalucia is one of Europe’s busiest tourist destinations.
Andalucia is flyable all year. The south sees thermals On the coast there are beaches, aquaparks and resorts.
from February, while the north stirs in March. Expect Inland it is much more rural. The towns and cities offer
summer to be strong. history and culture.
WHEN TO GO BLOWN OUT DAYS

Whenever you can! Mountain biking, trekking, medieval village exploring,
horse riding and fiestas can all fill a blown-out day. On
ALTITUDE the coast the beach calls.
Cloudbase: Can be over 4,000 m
Launches: Around 1,200 m WEATHER INFO
Landings: Down to sea level The standard meteo websites for Europe. The TV fore-
cast gives the general picture.
HANG GLIDER ACCESS
The main sites have road access and often ramps. GETTING THERE
Route-finding on the access roads can be tricky. Budget airlines fly to Malaga from across Europe.
Cordoba and Seville are other options. You’ll need a
MUST BE FLOWN car – competition is fierce so hunt around online for the
El Yelmo, Pegalajar, Sierra Nevada, Almunecar, Valle best deal before you go.
de Abdalajis and Algodonales would make a good two-
week trip. ONLINE
www.flyandalucia.com, www.flygranada.com,
WATCH OUT FOR www.hotelcaliforniaspain.com,
Although historically locals have ignored it, airspace www.vuelolibreandalucia.es,
does exist in Spain. Check your maps. www.andalucian-experience.co.uk,
www.transandalusia.com
ACCOMMODATION
From camping to luxury paradors – grand old buildings
turned into smart hotels – everything is on offer.
GUIDES AND COURSES

There are guides in all the main locations. Under Span-
ish law they should be registered, this is not to say they
all are.
XC MAG’S OPINION
Offers accessible adventure without breaking the bank
at a time when the rest of Europe is wrapped in winter.
THE BIG TICKS

Boom out of Cenes de la Vega in Sierra Nevada, along
the high mountains and fly to the beach, 70 km away,
and Cenes de la Vega to Baza, a 90 km jaunt over the
Sierra and out across the desert-like plains. Both flights
The castle of Segura de la Sierra, El Yelmo. Photo: Felix Wölk
need 3,500 m to 4,000 m cloudbase.

Algodonales in the evening. Photo: Felix Wölk

SEPTEMBER
FRANCE
ST ANDRE
THE LURE
Ride rockets high over the barren landscape of the
Gliders climb away from the south-west launch
into another epic sky. Photo: Benoit Morel
southern French Alps as you knock off another brilliant

circuit riding the complex valley winds of this maze of
a flying area. Then land at the lake with a grin on your
face, grab a beer and plunge into the refreshing turquoise
water. St Andre combines everything you need to have a
stunning Alpine flying holiday in one sunny package. It’s
considered by many to be one of the best flying sites in
the world!
THE SET UP
Steeped in flying legend, St André-les-Alpes is a small
village at the head of Lac de Castillon in the southern
French Alps. Host to innumerous competitions over the
years, including FAI Cat 1 events, St André is blessed
with not only reliable flying weather but all the necessary
ingredients to give you the perfect flying holiday: a tarmac
road and shuttle to take offs that work from nine in the
morning to last thing at night and intriguing and exciting
terrain worthy of any XC pilot’s dreams. Better still, as you
blast yourself into orbit in powerful thermals, the family can
while away the day in the cool waters of the lake.
Aerogliss, the local school, offers a great support
service for pilots including daily weather reports, a navette/
shuttle to launch, experienced tuition and guiding and,
most importantly, a bar when you land.
St André itself is a lively place in summer with a thriving
village square serviced by two bars and several fêtes
Booting it down the Dormillouse motorway on the
throughout the season to entertain visitors.
route back to St Andre. Photo: Marcus King

AT A GLANCE
Thermal strength ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
Logistics ★ ★ ★ ★
Evening soaring the south-west take off. Photo: Benoit Morel
THE NITTY GRITTY HANG GLIDER ACCESS

Both take offs are drivable and excellent for hang gliders.
FLYING CONDITIONS
Booming thermals carry you high above a complex set MUST BE FLOWN
of valleys that offer sublime circuits through spec- Surf the shear walls of Cheval Blanc before tiptoeing
tacular and sometimes remote terrain. Understanding across the boonies to the north to the lunar landscape of
valley wind circulation is paramount to your success Tête de l’Estrop and the motorway to Dormillouse.
and safety in St André. Once you have that knowledge
you are free to explore a stunning mountainous area WATCH OUT FOR
laced with valley wind convergences that form invisible Thermic turbulence in the heat of summer: St André has
bridges to help you hop from ridge to ridge. a powerful reputation, the classic T-shirts that read “I
Mt Chalvet sits just above the town to the north-west survived St André” that were available from Aerogliss for
and has take offs facing south-east and south-west. Use many years are testimony to its well-earned reputation.
the south-east early in the day. Once the valley wind The main launch gets blown out during the heat of the
starts blowing from the Digne basin to the south-west afternoon, making launching dangerous.
you have to use the south-west-facing launch. Be The valley wind in the landing can switch 180 degrees
aware, once the valley wind combines with the thermals in seconds as the two valley winds fight each other.
the south-west launch blows out. This can be as early Watch all the windsocks as you approach, give yourself
as 1.30 pm. plenty of room and be prepared to run it off if necessary.
Land in the big field at the end of the lake next to
Aerogliss. Watch out for switching valley winds in the ACCOMMODATION
landing, which catch people out all the time, especially St Andre has several hotels and gites run by locals. See
hang gliders. www.ot-st-andre-les-alpes.fr for details.
Mark Taggart, a very experienced pilot, runs www.alit-
WHEN TO GO tlepieceofheaven.biz, a beautiful gite just a few hundred
April till October metres from the landing.
St André has two great campsites: the municipal
ALTITUDE campsite is 100 m from landing and has a lively flying
CLOUDBASE: 3,000 – 4,000 m scene during the summer; Camping De L’issole is more
LAUNCH: 1,540 m secluded and quiet and at the bottom of the take off
LANDING: 883 m road just out of town.
Looking north from take off along the route to Cheval Blanc
and the route to Dormillouse. Photo: Aerogliss.com

May
FRANCE
ST ANDRE
Fra nce
Chamonix
Aerogliss post daily weather at the school. Or go to
GUIDES AND COURSES www.meteofrance.com or www.para2000.org
Local school www.aerogliss.com offer guiding and courses
as does Jocky Sanderson www.escapexc.com GETTING THERE
Fly to Nice or Marseille. From Nice, a narrow gauge railway
EXPERT’S OPINION winds its way slowly through stunning countryside and
“Best place to race paragliders in the world! Bar none!” sets a tone for your flying adventure. Trains also run from
Russell Ogden, ex-British champion and 2009 PWC Super- Marseille or hire a car form either airport.
final vice-champion
THE BIG TICKS For flying information go to www.aerogliss.com
The Dormillouse run: 100 km out-and-return north from St For general information go to www.ot-st-andre-les-alpes.fr
André, past the brooding mass of Cheval Blanc, across the
boonies to the sheer shale cliffs of the Tête de l’Estrop and the
motorway to Dormillouse. Getting home in the evening takes
you back over the boonies to wrap up a satisfying 100 km.
The Montagne de Coupe 50 km triangle: head north to
Cheval Blanc then west to connect with the Montagne de
Coupe and surf the sheer cliffs on a long glide back home.
TAKE THE FAMILY

St André has lots to offer families with the lake to play in,
tennis, mini-golf, rafting and plenty of fun in the forests.
RAINY DAYS
Visit the Verdon Gorge, a 700 m deep limestone canyon
that stretches for 25 km and has some of the best rock
climbing, canyoning and rafting in the world.
Take the narrow gorge railway to Nice and bask in the
sunshine of the Riviera.
Crossing on to Pic de Chamatte and the Crête des Serres that leads
back north to St André town. Photo: Benoit Morel
Heading back south along Côte Longue into the Thorame

Haute valley and on to St André. Photo: Bruce Goldsmith

EURO 2012
St Andre
Paragliding
les Alpes
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aerogliss.com flystandre.com
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SEPTEMBER
FRANCE
ANNECY
THE LURE west-facing ridges make for easy XC routes and allow
Surf up searing limestone escarpments, cross the big triangles and out-and-returns.
azure waters of Europe’s cleanest lake, and soar for The lower take off at Planfait, a man-made cutting
miles along ridges that seem almost purpose-made in the forest above the landing at Perroix, starts
for XC flying. Land, take a dip in the lake then peruse working a bit earlier and takes you straight on to
the local paragliding shops for the latest gear. Annecy the Dents de Lanfon. For an even earlier start it’s
is a free-flyer’s paradise and arguably the Alps’ most possible to launch from a small, east-facing take off at
popular flying area, for very good reasons. Entrevernes. However, the launch is tiny, only a wing’s
width wide, and it’s difficult to get away from.
To the west of the lake lies Semnoz, a sublime
THE SET UP west-facing ridge that runs for 35 easy kilometres to
Annecy sits on the north-west corner of the Alps. The the south, giving you possibly the easiest 70 km out-
valley opens out on to the plains and allows fantastic and-return in the world.
flying opportunities, particularly when the conditions The XC potential of Annecy is limitless. The basic
are too unstable to fly deeper in the mountains. Petit Tour du Lac is a first step for many pilots on their
The picturesque city of Annecy sits at the top of the XC careers. The longer Grand Tour du Lac crosses
15-km-long lake, which has take offs on both sides. over the edge of Annecy city itself and is a fantastic
Pilots flock here throughout the year as the easy day out. Other longer routes take you south towards
access and simple XC routes offer an unprecedented Grenoble or east towards Mt Blanc.
flying experience. The presence of the lake The main landing is at the southern end of the lake
makes it perfect for SIV and acro courses and for near Doussard in a huge field next to the sports hall.
manufacturers to test their wings. A smaller landing at Perroix, just north of Talloires,
The main take off is high above the southern end of enjoys a great bar and not one, but two, well stocked
the lake and faces west. It starts working around 1.30 paragliding shops and a repair centre. The local
pm on a good day. It’s a simple soar north along the community and authorities are as pro-free flying as
west-facing ridges to the Dents de Lanfon, a fantastic anywhere in the world.
limestone pinnacle. From there, pilots either head Shuttles service both launches from Perroix landing
across the lake, north to Annecy town or east into the and hitching is a breeze as everyone knows what’s in
bigger mountains and towards Mt Blanc. Continuous your big bag.

AT A GLANCE
MAIN SHOT: Contemplating crossing the Thermal strength ★ ★ ★
lake back to Montmin during a Tour du Lac. XC Potential ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
ABOVE RIGHT: High over Tailloires, the
landing at Perroix is in the green fields Fun Factor ★ ★ ★ ★
to the right. Logistics ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
All Photos: Jerôme Maupoint
MUST BE FLOWN
THE NITTY GRITTY The tours of the lake are simple but exceptional XCs. A
late afternoon jaunt down the impressive Aravis chain
FLYING CONDITIONS to the east is a fantastic evening run for pilots of any
Easy mountain thermal flying, giving access to XC routes level.
of all size and grandeur. A valley breeze sets up down
the lake from the north west every day - if it’s coming WATCH OUT FOR
the other way something is wrong. Annecy can be There is a small airport in Annecy and the airspace
strong in spring but tends to mellow in mid summer as for nearby Chambery touches the very northern end of
the area becomes more stable. Then the nearby site of Semnoz
Grand Bornand is a better option. Cu Nims to the north can send strong gusts down the
lake, keep an eye on the water for indications.
WHEN TO GO
April till October ACCOMMODATION
Annecy town has hotels and hostels of every variety.
ALTITUDE Camping is available close to the Perroix landing and
CLOUDBASE: 2,000 – 3,500 m at the end of the lake near Doussard. Ex-pat Brit
LAUNCH: Montmin 1,240 m, Planfait 960 m Irwyn Jehu runs www.maison-du-moulin.co.uk, a
LANDING: Doussard 460 m, Perroix 540 m pilots’ B&B, from just near Doussard at the end of the
lake. The Last Resort operate a great pilots’ service of
HANG GLIDER ACCESS accommodation, transport, site guidance and advice
Both main launches are driveable and hang gliders are from nearby Grand Bornand – www.paraglidingholi-
catered for with ramps at Montmin. days.com

May
FRANCE
ANNECY
Daily forecasts are posted at both the shops in Perroix, or
GUIDES AND COURSES use www.meteofrance.com or www.para2000.org.
There are a wealth of courses and guides operating out of
Annecy. Try www.lespassagersduvent.com, www.parapente- GETTING THERE
annecy.com or www.flyeo.com for experienced local guides Geneva is the closest major international airport. Take a
and instructors. train into Geneva then on to Annecy, or hire a car.
EXPERT’S OPINION USEFUL CONTACTS AND WEBSITES FOR THE AREA

“I taught XC in Annecy for ten years, as it has everything Try any of the schools’ websites for flying information. Go
pilots need to learn in beautiful surroundings and with easy to www.lac-annecy.com for general information.
logistics.” Bob Drury
THE BIG TICKS

The tours of the lake and the route to Chamonix via the
Aravis.
TAKE THE FAMILY

Oh yes, they’ll love it. Not only is the lake beautiful, warm
and clean, there are no end of activities, both outdoor and
inside in Annecy. A walk around the city itself with an ice
cream by the canal is a must for every visitor.
RAINY DAYS
Peruse the well-stocked flying shops, then wander the old
parts of the city or head into the hills for a big stomp.
Throwing down some shapes over the Lanfonnet. Photo: Jerôme Maupoint

Gliding back to the unmistakable razor sharp ridge of Roc des Boeufs on the
other side of the lake from the take offs. Photo: Jerôme Maupoint
“Since 1987 Shop and School, advice, equipement and ServiceS”
ZA de Perroix
F 74290 Talloires
+33450607121
Open all year.
OCTOBER
USA
OWEN's VALLEY
Heading down the White Mountains. Photos: Andy Roberts
THE LURE The main launches close to town are Flynns,

Owens is the stuff of legends: America’s gladiatorial Paiute and Gunter in the White Mountains on the
ring where only the toughest dare tread. Pick your east side of the valley. 4x4 access only. Facing
season right however, and the valley’s rocky peaks west they work in the afternoon. Paiute and
only pump powerful climbs up to a 6,000 m cloud Gunter start first as they are 800 m higher than
base over the deepest valley in the United States. Flynn’s. Flynn’s offers easier access, great XCs and
Owens is top end stuff, but simply unmissible on a trip beautiful glass offs.
to the States. On the other side of the valley is one of America’s
XC jewels: Walt’s Point. The first ever 100 and
THE SET UP 200 milers in the United States originated here on
Bishop is a quaint western adventure town which both paragliders and hang gliders. The launch is
thrives on skiers heading to Mammoth Mountain in the a road cutting sitting precariously at the back of a
winter, and climbers, hikers, and other tourists who canyon. Launching a paraglider is always an intense
come to spend time in the Sierras in the summer and experience: it’s often difficult to get your wing into the
fall. The rock climbing clean cycles that swirl up and over the road cutting,
and bouldering is the glide out is questionable and the climb right off
world class in the launch can be throttling.
Alabama Hills. However, using Walt’s allows you to start deep in
Amenities the Sierras from where you can fly by Mt Whitney, the
are substantial tallest peak in the lower 48 states. Eventually you can
in relation to leave the Sierras and cross Owens Valley to the White
how close visitors Mountains from where you can follow the range until it
are to vast tracts of ends, leave California and enter the Nevada desert - a
wilderness. glorious life experience.

Exhausted after another big flight in Owen’s
THE NITTY GRITTY

FLYING CONDITIONS
Strong mountain thermals and mountain desert
flying. Light winds are critical. Only go flying during
the suggested months as the desert floor heats too
much in mid-summer for sane, or safe piloting.
WHEN TO GO
Spring
AT A GLANCE
May – Early June (HG survive into July) Thermal strength ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
August: Jedi only!
Autumn
Sept – Mid October Fun Factor ★ ★ ★
Logistics ★ ★
ALTITUDE
CLOUDBASE: 4,000-6,000 m Gearing up at Gunter looking towards the Sierras
LAUNCHES: Flynns 1,500 m,
Gunter 2,407 m,
Paiute 2,419 m,
Walt’s Point 2,743 m
LANDINGS: Valley Floor 1,219 m
HANG GLIDER ACCESS

All the sites are drive up
MUST BE FLOWN
Launch off the White Mountains and head north
along the range to the Nevada border (approx 60
km / 40 miles). There’s something about crossing
state lines that just makes you smile.
Advanced XC pilots: Take advantage of the small
window of opportunity in late spring or early fall for
a breathtaking flight through the Sierras from Walt’s.
Heading north it’s 60 miles to Bishop, and 100
puts you in Nevada. It’s a ride you’ll never forget.
WATCH OUT FOR

Extreme thermic turbulence in the height of sum-
mer.
High winds! Winds typically run perpendicular along
the valley floor and form strong rotor behind spines
and in canyons.
Strong prevailing west winds can spill over the tops
of the Sierras. Check the weather carefully before
flying there.
Bishop has a small airport, with class E airspace, a
couple miles east of town.
May
USA
OWEN'S VALLEY
Fra nce
Chamonix
Only if they’re into nature and outdoor activities.
ACCOMMODATION
Low key, but consistent. Book whichever of the Super RAINY DAYS
8/ Holiday Inn places has a deal when you’re there. The Hot springs and a visit to the world famous Schat’s Bakery
Townhouse Motel is where many pilots stay as it’s central in Bishop.
and well priced.
Camping with showers at Browns Camp Ground on WEATHER INFO
Highway 395 at the south end of town and plenty of other Weather.com for a general forecast including wind direc-
campgrounds throughout the valley. tions on the valley floor. Or www.XCskies.com.
www.brownscampgrounds.com Check the NOAA winds aloft for BIH (Bishop) and FAT
(Fresno). Checking FAT gives a hint as to how much west
GUIDES AND COURSES winds you can anticipate when flying on the Sierra side of
Triple HG world champion and X-Alps athlete Kari Castle is the Owens.
based here and runs courses and guides. For real time winds go to www.wrh.noaa.gov/mesowest/
www.karicastle.com index.php and select ‘Hanford CWA’
Eagle Paragliding - www.eagleparagliding.com
GETTING THERE
EXPERTS OPINION Fly to Reno, Nevada and rent a 4x4 for the 3½ hour
“Owens thermals can send you into orbit at speeds that journey. Internationally, Los Angeles/Ontario airport in
can turn your knuckles white. Personal bests are set in the California is the closest city to fly into.
Owens all the time.” Nick Greece, USPHA Editor
THE BIG TICKS For flying info: www.karicastle.com
Walts Point past Janie’s Ranch to the Nevada border. For tourism info: www.bishopvisitor.com
Gunter or Paiute to Boundary Peak and beyond.
Riding the Sierra Nevada from Walt’s Point. Photo: Jonathan Dietch

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OCTOBER
TURKEY
OLUDENIZ
THE LURE THE FLYING

Acro and SIV heaven! Launch from Babadag in shorts At 1,900 m Babadag is very much a mountain and
and T-shirt and arrive a kilometre and a half above the it feels higher because it’s so close to the sea. Take
warm Mediterranean Sea, ready to wring the living offs have been graded and there is matting on some
daylights out of your wing and loop until your eyes launches. However, it is very rocky and pilots must
bleed. Land on a beach, eat, drink then head straight make committed and positive take off runs. The most
back up for another go. commonly used and biggest launch is 1700 where the
trucks always stop first. 1800 and 1900 are smaller,
THE SET UP steeper and have more reliable wind.
Set on a Mediterranean cove in the south west of Once airborne the lift is above the peaks of the
Turkey, Oludeniz is a beautiful and reliable place spineback mountain and in the house thermal, which
to fly. The season starts in April and goes through is just to the right of the 1,700 m launch. There are
to November, with July and August being very hot often bumpy inversion layers, but once through you
and stable. can often climb to over 3,000 m.
Oludeniz is a tourist resort with all the Big XCs are difficult. The most common route is
infrastructure, hotels, cheap flights and package across the Kemer Valley to the north east of Babadag.
deals that go with that, but with the added bonus of A second climb on Mendos, the mountain just north of
a 1,900 m mountain. Babadag comes straight out Babadag, takes you over Kemer town to the NNE or
the sea and provides a perfect flying site for every go more E towards Akdag, an obvious 3,000 m peak
direction. Light winds, and cloudbase at 2,500 – on the east side of the wide Kemer valley. Once you
3,500 m are normal during the day, with smooth connect with the other side, soar the ridge north onto
sunset flying in the evening. the higher plateau and onto Denizli (NNE) or over the
mountain range toward Antalya to the E.

AT A GLANCE
XC Potential ★ ★
THE NITTY GRITTY

FLYING CONDITIONS
Coastal mountain with 1,900 m top to bottom land-
ing on the beach
GETTING TO LAUNCH
Trucks run from Oludeniz to the summit of Babadag
all day throughout the season. The road has been
paved for 2010 and now minibuses are expected to
be able to do the trip in 30 minutes.
WHEN
April to November. Mid summer is stable and Sep-
tember and October dry and reliable
ALTITUDE
Cloudbase: 2,500 – 3,500 m
Launch: 1,900, 1,800 and 1,700 m
Landing: the beach
HANG GLIDER ACCESS

Easy. HGs can be put on the trucks and taken
straight to launch with minimal carrying. There was
a rule in high season that the Oludeniz beach was
closed to HG from July and August, and pilots were
High above Olu Deniz beach at sunset asked to land up on the Hisarano plateau – check
All Photos: Markus Zimmermann with Skysports. (www.skysports-turkey.com)
MUST BE FLOWN
West along the coast: over the lagoon and over the
deserted Greek Kayer village beyond. Fly back or
land in the many fields on the plateau and get a
minibus (dolmus) back.
Butterfly Valley: 7 km SE of launch is a narrow
gorge with a tiny looking beach. Don’t worry, it’s big
enough. Land at the E end of the beach away from
the restaurant, not in the fields behind the beach
otherwise you will be fined. Once down, soak up the
chilled hippy vibe and enjoy the tranquility before a
30-minute sea voyage home.
SITE RECORDS
140 km by PG towards Denizli by Bernie Kelly (AU)
WATCH OUT FOR

No immediate danger zones or airspace, but north
of Fethiye is Dalaman CTZ. Careful not to crash into
holiday makers on deck chairs when landing. Sand
gets everywhere and in everything. If the wind is
strong on launch don’t go in the lee side and don’t
follow the tandems blindly. They are either good or
A Turkish bus is never full! mad.

May
France
Chamonix
The house thermal right of launch

TURKEY
OLUDENIZ
Definitely! Oludeniz is one of Turkey’s premier holiday destinations!
ACCOMMODATION RAINY DAYS

There are hundreds of hotels for all budgets and tastes. The ancient ruins of Tlos and Saklikent gorge are a good
Package deals abound online. day trip. Also Butterfly Valley and Kayer village, or a daily
boat trip around the coast.
COMPETITIONS
Acro comps usually take place at the end of the season, WEATHER INFO
around October. The Oludeniz Air Games – Turkey’s St The best local knowledge is from Skysports or any other
Hilaire – is in mid October. professional operators along the beach.
GUIDES AND COURSES GETTING THERE

There are many instructors who bring groups from all Dalaman is the nearest airport. From there it is an hour by
over the world. If you are independent then pop into airport/hotel transfer. Taxis from the airport are expensive.
Skysports or any of the tandem operations and make
friends. USEFUL CONTACTS AND WEBSITES FOR THE AREA
Skysports (www.skysports-turkey.com) are the most estab-
EXPERT’S OPINION lished tandem operators. Skysports is run by Murat Turser, a
“I’ve been running SIV and XC trips to Oludeniz every May well respected local pilot who will always give sound advice.
and September since 1991, and have used the scenery Hackan and his team at Re-action who operate from Bel-
and height as a location for all three of my films. It’s a fun cekiz beach resort are very pro-active with visiting pilots.
place to fly and a great place to combine a flying trip with a Most tandem operators will also give helpful advice and
family holiday.” Jocky Sanderson lifts up the mountain.
For mountain transport then Halil Halibol operates Ba-
THE BIG TICKS badag Mountain Transfers. His trucks leave from Comsal
Landing in the Kemer valley. It may be a short XC but you Pide, where most free flyers land, which is away from the
land a world away from the tourist resort of Oludeniz. tandem landing areas at the eastern end of the beach.

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NOVEMBER
INDIA
BIR-BILLING
Bir offers alpine style flying, but in the

Himalaya. Photo: Marcus King
AT A GLANCE

Chaca Ji’s chai shop on launch. Photo: Jerôme Maupoint
THE LURE
Ride the front ridge of the fabled Himalayas
accompanied by your own gaggle of Himalayan
Griffin Vultures, the famous HGVs of the bird world,
to the Dalai Lama’s exiled home in Dharamshala.
Bir offers a fantastic and relatively safe
introduction to flying in the biggest mountains of
the world in an adventure that immerses you in one
of the most diverse and fascinating countries and
culture on the planet.
THE SET UP
Bir is a small Tibetan colony that sits at the bottom
of the first ridge of the Himalayas. The ridge runs
continuously for almost 100 km and offers a great
out-and-return adventure on even a half decent day.
Take off is a 40-minute taxi ride away at a
beautiful grassy meadow serviced by Chacha
Ji’s chai shop where food and refreshments are
available. Top landing is simple, but nevertheless
take care as you wouldn’t be the first to crunch in
a bit too hard. Indian hospitals are as appealing as
a dose of typhoid and to be avoided as much as
possible.
The main route heads west along the main ridge,
with a choice of soaring the higher back ridge or Gliding down over terraced fields to land in Bir. Photo: Marcus King
hopping spine to spine alone the front. Every flight is
accompanied by a flock of vultures who play happily
around your wing.
Behind the main ridge the high Himalaya glisten
THE NITTY GRITTY
and gleam painting the horizon with an inspirational
backdrop, reinforcing the feeling that you are flying FLYING CONDITIONS
in the Himalayas. Classic mountain flying in good thermals that form
Most pilots head west towards Dharamshala (50 on almost every spine with a cloudbase that’s
km away) Whether you make it that far or not you normally around 4,000 m, but often drops during
can ride the afternoon westerly back to Bir with the day as the moister air from the plains is drawn
much greater ease than the journey out. in. The plains out front are very stable and harder
The landing in Bir is often crowded with kids all to fly in.
keen to pack your wing for a few rupees, then a Heading northeast towards Manali offers fantastic
2-minute stroll into town for a chai and a bite to eat. but committing flying in high mountains with dif-
ficult retrieves on foot or by mule.
WHEN TO GO
Pre-monsoon in March – May when it’s stronger,
higher, but less reliable.
Post monsoon in October – November when it’s
more stable but very consistent.
ALTITUDE
CLOUDBASE: 4,000 – 5,000 m
LAUNCH: Billing 2,428 m
LANDING: Bir 1,525 m
Indian sunset. Photo: Fredrik Gustafsson

May
INDIA
BIR-BILLING
Fra nce
MORE NITTY GRITTY GUIDES AND COURSES
Chamonix
Himalayan Sky Safaris is the guiding service run by well
HANG GLIDER ACCESS known Himalayan pioneer John Silvester with longtime Bir
Taxi’s will take HGs to launch and the take off is suitable. resident and Hindi speaker Jim Mallinson and UK instruc-
tor Eddie Colfox - www.himalayanskysafaris.com
MUST BE FLOWN Steve Purdie of Airworks runs lower level courses every
Dharamshala and back for a simple but satisfying 100 km year. www.airworks.co.uk
out-and-return.
Cross the high mountains to Manali – wild and committing TAKE THE FAMILY
but a flight-of-a-lifetime. Trekking, horse riding, monasteries and temples and all the
other crazy cultural experiences India has to offer!
WATCH OUT FOR
Overdevelopment has led to several accidents here with RAINY DAYS
pilots going missing. Treat big clouds in Bir with great Visit Dharamshala and meet the Dalai Lama, or wonder the
respect. temples and monasteries nearby.
Don’t over fly the Dalai Lama’s residence in Dharamshala
and the Yol military base nearby get a bit shirty if you land WEATHER INFO
there. You’re on your own here. Look out the window and make
Be very careful going over the back as the terrain is com- an assessment or try a local pilot.
mitting with gorges, big walkouts and often strong valley
winds. GETTING THERE
Delhi is the nearest international airport. From there it’s a
ACCOMMODATION 14 hour bus ride to Mandi followed by an hour and a half
There are several cheap Indian and Tibetan lodges and by taxi.
some rooms in local houses. Better accommodation is Dharamshala has a small airport serviced by Deccan Air,
found at the Colonel’s Resort www.colonelsresort.com, a but tickets can be hard to book without an Indian credit
traditional local-style place in a tea garden. Or the new card, or through an Indian travel agency. Or take the train
French place www.namlanghimal.com, right next to the to Pathankot and a four-hour taxi ride.
traditional landing field. Half an hour away is the Taragarh
Palace, a stunning ex-Raj residence owned by the Prince of USEFUL CONTACTS AND WEBSITES FOR THE AREA
Kashmir. www.taragarh.com. www.himalayanskysafaris.com has lots of information on
flying in Bir.
Top landing for a bivouac. Photo: Jerôme Maupoint

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himalayan sky safaris

specialists in himalayan flying
the biggest mountains, the best weather,

the most experienced guides*
bespoke xc and vol-bivouac tours

based in Bir, India
“on several occasions we had to remind ourselves

that it was all real and not something out of a
travelling paraglider’s fantasy”
Greg Walsh, HSS Pilot
* John Silvester, Eddie Colfox, Jim Mallinson, Debu Choudhury www.himalayanskysafaris.com

NOVEMBER
BRAZIL
THE LURE
QUIXADA
Extreme flying! Quixada is where records are broken.
make it safer to launch, but also more difficult to break
the 300 km barrier.
It’s flatlands in strong wind from 7 am until sunset. The environment can be hostile. Temperatures can
Launching is scary and you have to pick your day to hit 40oC and winds regularly blow at over 50 km/h in
fly far, but when it comes together you can go a long, November and December.
long way – 500 km will be broken here soon. For pilots on their own Hotel Pedra dos Ventos is the
place to go. The owner is a hang glider pilot, speaks
fluent English, has maps and waypoints, and will
THE SET UP monitor your SPOT for you during the day. He can also
Traditionally the domain of the organised expedition, arrange launch handlers (essential in the strong wind)
competition or world-record camp, Quixada can in fact be for $10 a day, and retrieve drivers (more expensive).
flown independently. Canadian pilot Shawn Kitchen spent There are two launches: the comp launch, and a
December 2009 there and flew alone most of the time – launch at Pedra dos Ventos 15 km away. On launch
he saw two other pilots the whole month. “I flew almost your hired handler will ball the glider and help open it
every day, and every time I went cross country,” he said. during the 10-20 second lulls between 50 km/h gusts.
Paragliding here is not for the fainthearted, but it is This is standard practice and everyone appreciates the
a place to test your advanced skills. The strong winds help. Their local knowledge is invaluable; they’ll help
that mark November slacken off in December, and get you into the air much more safely and efficiently, as

AT A GLANCE
Logistics ★
THE NITTY GRITTY

FLYING CONDITIONS
Strong winds and committing flatland XC early on,
winds slackening after 3pm when 100 km is still
possible, sunset soaring in the evening.
WHEN TO GO
The dry season from September to December for
long XCs.
June and July for shorter XCs and easier flying.
ALTITUDE
CLOUDBASE: to 3,500 m in November
LAUNCH: 460 m
LANDINGS: 300 m
HANG GLIDER ACCESS

Yes, with a wooden ramp on launch.
MUST BE FLOWN
200 km to 300 km east to west following the
roads (Quixada – Quixeramobim – Taua – Picos; or
Quixada – Nova Russa – Pedro II).
SITE RECORDS
423 km, Betinho Schimidt (HG)
461.8 km. Frank Brown, Marcelo Pietro and Rafael
Saladini (PG)
Big distance country: Quixada offers high bases, strong climbs and WATCH OUT FOR
conditions that work from dawn till dusk. Photos: Roland Maeder Landing away from the roads in the hot, dry and in-
accessible sertao (outback); strong winds on launch
well as acting as a fixer on the ground. and again on landing.
Once up there are two main routes, depending
on the wind. One is wilder and for longer distances, ACCOMMODATION
the other follows the road. Landing is not as easy Hotel Pedra dos Ventos, www.pedradosventos.com.
as it looks from the air: green fields can be swamps; br, Tel: +55 88 3451 2028. Run by a hang glider
harvested fields have impaling corn stalks. pilot.
Retrieve can be complicated, but is part of the
adventure. The interior here – one of the Brazil’s COMPETITIONS
poorest states – is a friendly, helpful place. People The classic XCeara is from 21 – 29 November in
look out for you, buses come along and everyone 2010, www.goup.com.br
hitches (expect to pay a few Reals).
If you fly 200 km or more it can be simpler to sleep GUIDES AND COURSES
where you land and return the next day, or buy a local Chico Santos (www.goup.com.br) runs XCeara every
flight or bus ticket to Fortaleza and return to Quixada year.
from there. If you share a retrieve driver he will chase
the pilot who goes furthest – so try to make sure EXPERT’S OPINION
that’s you! Roads are poor and an average driving “For the last five years I’ve averaged 250 km there.
speed of 40 km/h is normal. You have been warned! It’s amazing.” Frank Brown.

May
BRAZIL
QUIXADA
Fra nce
MORE NITTY GRITTY
Chamonix
THE BIG TICKS
Head west for 500 km. If you hit the edge of the Amazon
rainforest you have a new world record. Congratulations.
TAKE THE FAMILY

The landscape is interesting but there is not a lot for
children or non-flying partners. Canoa Quebrada, 200 km
east on the coast, is a famous chill-out beach spot (with
soaring!).
RAINY DAYS
Canoa Quebrada and the beaches, dune buggying on the
coast, Fortaleza city and Serra de Ubajara and its caves are
the (quite distant) highlights.
WEATHER INFO
Nine-times Brazil champion Frank Brown’s advice is: “How
do you know the best days? We never know! You must be
in the air.”
GETTING THERE
From Fortaleza international airport Quixada is 160 km
away. There are two buses a day.
USEFUL CONTACTS
www.cearavoolivre.com.br
A low save carries two pilots away from a difficult

retrieve and back on their way to a big distance.
Record breaking flying! The previous PG world record was set here when
Frank Brown, Marcelo Pietro and Rafael Saladini flew 465 km from here.

DECEMBER
SOUTH AFRICA
Porterville Looking north along the main Porter-
ville ridge. Photo: Greg Hammerton
& Wilderness
THE LURE Porterville now has a second launch at
Africa’s big distance game park! South Africa has held Pampoenfontein, three kilometres from Dasklip Pass
more XC records over the years than any other country and 200 m higher.
in the world. Booming upwards on another desert Rob Manzoni runs The Flyers’ Lodge in Porterville,
rocket into a cumulus-peppered sky and heading off offering both accommodation and support for visiting
on your way to another personal best you’d be hard pilots. The Flyers’ Lodge is a focal point for visiting
pressed not to understand why. This is one of the and local pilots with Rob offering excellent and
planet’s flatland nirvanas. knowledgeable advice on flying and the conditions.
Yet South Africa’s not just the theatre of XC dreams, Wilderness, in contrast, is a sublime coastal soaring
its widely varying terrain can actually serve up so much site; the place to come to after the interior has served
more than committing big distance desert flying. This you up far too many late night retrieves after epic XCs.
year the Cross Country Travel Guide focuses on two There are 15 different soaring sites close by, six of
of the country’s most popular, yet most diverse, sites: them within ten minutes’ drive.
Porterville and Wilderness. Wilderness itself is a seaside town on the Garden
Route, a scenic section of the south east coast of the
country, and is a popular tourist destination, being only
THE SET UP five hours drive from Cape Town. The area is famous
Porterville is now arguably South Africa’s best for its dolphin and whale watching as well as many
known free flying location having hosted several big outdoor sports, including flying. Most of the sites are
competitions. The main launch at Dasklip Pass sets low soaring sites and many have an airspace ceiling of
you up perfectly on a hundred kilometre long west 465 m ASL. Du Toits however is an inland site facing
facing escarpment from which great out-and-returns north, from which local guru Jan Minnaar has flown
can be made with relative ease. Out front to the west 93 km.
lie flat plains that lead 80 km to the coas; heading east Jan and partner Khobi Bowden run the excellent
behind launch opens up wild African terrain that only Cloudbase Paragliding school which offers advice and
the bravest dare challenge. pilot support for locals and visitors.

AT A GLANCE
Thermal strength ★ to ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
Logistics ★ ★
ACCOMMODATION
Sublime coastal soaring at Wilderness. Photo: Jan Minnaar Porterville: Rob Manzoni’s renowned Flyers’ Lodge -
www.porterville.co.za - sleeps 20 in eight private,
air-con rooms and offers a refreshing pool and even
THE NITTY GRITTY more refreshing bar. The Flyers’ Lodge offers a com-
plete holiday package for pilots including guiding,
retrieve, airport transfer and even laundry.
FLYING CONDITIONS There is great camping at the Waterfall campsite,
Porterville – Typically strong South African inland which also has cottages. The Twin Trees and The
desert flatland and ridge flying along the main Palms offer self-catering apartments nearby.
north-south running ridge, foot launched from Wilderness has excellent pilot accommodation with
Dasklip Pass. the Cloudbase B&B, run by local pilots Jan Minnaar
Wilderness – Mellow coastal soaring looking out and Khobi Bowden, which has five rooms. Cloud-
over the ocean and landing on the beach. base also offer a full pilot support package - www.
cloudbase-paragliding.co.za
WHEN TO GO Cloudbase aside, Wilderness is a tourist destination
Porterville: Nov to March for best conditions. and so offers accommodation of all levels.
Wilderness: November to mid-April. Avoid mid-
December to early January as sites and accommo- GUIDES AND COURSES
dation get crowded. For courses, guidance and pilot support see Rob
Manzoni in Porterville - www.porterville.co.za - and
ALTITUDE Jan Minnaar at Cloudbase - www.cloudbase-parag-
CLOUDBASE: Porterville – mainly blue thermals liding.co.za in Wilderness.
stopping at inversions between
1,200 – 1,800 m. 4,000 m is the THE BIG TICKS
agreed legal ceiling. Porterville: North to Renosterhoek and back - 90
Wilderness - coastal soaring and km. A thermal ridge run, but getting back can be
airspace restricts anyway. tricky if the wind swings too much to the south.
LAUNCH: Porterville To Clanwilliam - 100 km. Head north along the
Dasklip - 713 m ridge past Teanage. Cross into the back valley at
Pampoenfontein - 900 m Bumpy peak, over Cirtusdal, north in the valley
Wilderness - 18 m to 150 m to the constriction, then continue up the valley to
LANDING: Porterville - 233 m Clanwilliam Dam.
Wilderness – The beach Wilderness: Any of the classic coastal runs, particu-
larly Paradise Ridge.
HANG GLIDER ACCESS
Porterville – drive up to a HG ramp TAKE THE FAMILY
Wilderness – some launches are HG friendly Porterville: has lots of waterfalls to explore and wild-
life galore to experience, or head to the coast – an
MUST BE FLOWN hour and a half – and lounge on the beach or play
Porterville: head out into the flats and climb above in the sea, Strong coastal winds in the afternoon
remote homesteads in the company of some of make for great kite surfing. Cape Town is two hours
Africa’s finest birds. away.
Wilderness: Paradise Ridge. An easy 20 km out-
and-return in a sea breeze with plenty of photo Wilderness: This is a family holiday paradise.
opportunities and a chance to see dolphins, whales Sports-wise there’s golf, fishing, surfing, sailing,
and sharks. diving, horse riding and tons more. Or hop on a boat
and go whale and dolphin watching, or just chill on
WATCH OUT FOR some of the world’s most beautiful beaches.
Porterville: Bombing out in really remote places and
meeting some of South Africa’s diverse fauna. RAINY DAYS
There is an air force training area to the west. Porterville: If there are any - this is a desert area
Wilderness: Chilling out too much and having too - head to the beach or take a trip around the wine-
good a time. lands and sample the excellent local produce.

May H AFRICA
SOUT
Porterville
ncelderness
FraWi
&
Chamonix
MORE NITTY GRITTY
Or chill at the Flyers’ Lodge pool and Speed Bar.
Wilderness: The area is well known for its wonderful
climate; the region receives only 700 mm of rain a year.
If you catch a rainy day head out dolphin and whale watch-
ing or visit the nearby national park.
WEATHER INFO
Porterville: Rob Manzoni gives daily weather briefings at
the Flyers’ Lodge.
Wilderness: Cloudbase are the best source of all flying
information here, including weather.
GETTING THERE
Both locations are best reached from Cape Town. Porter-
ville is two hours away and Wilderness five.

Porterville: Rob Manzoni and the Flyers Lodge -
www.porterville.co.za
Wilderness: Jan Minnaar at Cloudbase Paragliding -
www.cloudbase-paragliding.co.za
General flying in South Africa: SAHPA, the national associa-
tion – www.sahpa.co.za
Greg Hammerton’s sites guide to South Africa -
www.eternitypress.co.za/siteguide.htm Looking back at the Porterville ridge from the
flats out front. Photo: Greg Hammerton
Fly, land, swim, beer… What more do you want from Wilderness? Photo: Marko Wramen

XC, SIV AND ADVENTURE
Laragne, France • Oludeniz, Turkey • Annecy, France

St Andre, France • South Africa
Bright & Manilla, Australia
SOUTH AFRICA
The land of big skies
S A H PA L O G O
May only be used in one of these formats, NO other variations are acceptable
The South African Hang Gliding and

Paragliding Association (SAHPA)
E-mail: [email protected]
To assist with temporary licenses, flying, training and site advice all visiting pilots
should make contact with SAHPA at [email protected]
Tel: +27 12-6683186
**It is illegal to fly paragliders, hang gliders and paramotors without an official Fax: +27 86-6111005
SAHPA license in South Africa.
A full site guide to South Africa can be found at www.eternitypress.com
PO Box 191, Celtis Ridge, 0130
Remember to ask for a copy of the latest XC Africa Magazine www.sahpa.co.za
Photos: Walter Neser and Riaan Nieuwoudt
DECEMBER
MOROCCO
AgUERgour
& Ait Ourir
High above Aguergour: the plains to the right offer a remote and committing
XC route to the main Atlas range. Photo: Jerôme Maupoint
THE LURE through Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia, reaching a height

Head to Morocco, North Africa’s free flying paradise, of 4,167 m. The terrain is dry and sandy with the Anti-
and soar the beautiful rocky escarpments of the lower Atlas foothills to the south of the main range petering
Atlas mountains in warm blue thermals, dressed only out into the vastness of the Sahara.
in shorts and T-shirt. Then immerse yourself in the Marrakesh, the cultural and tourist capital of the
fascinating Islamic culture of the city of Marrakesh and country, lies in the plains just north of the Atlas. Two
its enthralling souks and haggle yourself some real fantastic sites are within easy reach of Marrakesh:
bargains in the evening. Aguergour and Ait Ourir. Both sites offer fantastic
Morocco offers a great winter bolthole for the weather soaring and thermal flying.
beaten free flying community of Europe at an affordable price. Aguergour is 35 km south west of Marrakesh and
reached by first a metalled road, then a dirt track that
leads right to the launch itself. The site faces north-west
THE SET UP and looks out over the plains with a high plateau behind
Morocco is in the north-west corner of Africa. The launch. XC routes extend in all directions, although
country is sliced in half by the impressive Atlas going over the back takes you into the boonies where
Mountains that stretch for 2,500 km across North Africa you’ll need your own retrieve for sure.

Photo: Charlie King
THE NITTY GRITTY

FLYING CONDITIONS
Ridge soaring and desert flying in warm dry air. Due
to the warm stable air the thermals are gentle most
of the time. However, things get rowdy in spring –
April to June – and mid summer gets too windy due
to the air being sucked into the landmass of Africa.
WHEN TO GO
October to April: the conditions become fairly
benign in the dead of winter – Nov to Feb - when
many pilots visit, either side the condition can be
feisty and the winds strong. Mid summer the winds
are often unmanageable.
ALTITUDE
CLOUDBASE: 1,500 – 2,500 m
LAUNCH: Aguergour 1,258 m
Ait Ourir 946 m
LANDING: Aguergour 400 m
Ait Ourir 654 m
HANG GLIDER ACCESS

Aguergour is a drive up with easy HG launch and
AT A GLANCE landing. Ait Ourir will make you sweat though!
Thermal strength ★ ★ ★ MUST BE FLOWN

Just being in the air hovering over Berber villages in
XC Potential ★ ★ Morocco is enough for most, and any kind of XC is a
Fun Factor ★ ★ ★ ★ full-blown adventure.
Logistics ★ WATCH OUT FOR
Dust devils and con men.
Ait Ourir is a beautiful north-westerly-facing shark’s fin ACCOMMODATION

that lies 35 km south east of Marrakesh. The ridge offers Marrakesh has such a wide range of accommoda-
fantastic soaring all afternoon and XC routes once the tion that you can find something to fit everyone’s
thermals get going. Like Aguergour, heading over the taste and budget. Get a Lonely Planet guide and
back leads to some isolated places and potentially difficult take your pick.
retrieves, unless you follow the N9 road that carves its way Closer to the sites, Chez Ahmed is a small, but
through the Atlas, or follow the road system that leads beautiful local residence underneath Aguergour
west. Pilots regularly fly between the two sites. specifically built for pilots. www.club-ahmed.com
Morocco offers an amazing experience to travellers The little town of Ait Ourir has a couple of small
and pilots alike. The Islamic culture is more relaxed than hotels.
in many parts of the world and the locals are generally
relaxed and welcoming. Marrakesh has long been a GUIDES AND COURSES
focal point for world travellers due to its fascinating street Many of the French schools operate guided trips
life and markets. If you are fresh out of western culture, to Morocco. Or look up Toby Colombé and Passion
Morocco is a great introduction to travelling in other, less Paragliding who have been running trips there for
familiar cultures. several years. www.passionparagliding.com

May
MOROCCO
AgUERgour & Ait Ourir

France MORE NITTY GRITTY
Chamonix
TAKE THE FAMILY
Morocco is a fantastic cultural adventure for adults and
children alike. You’ll not find theme parks and playgrounds,
but immerse yourself in Moroccan life and children of every
ages will be entertained.
RAINY DAYS
Delve into the souks and markets of Marrakesh. You can
lose yourself in the labyrinth of covered walkways and
stalls for many days, and certainly until the rain stops.
WEATHER INFO
The weather charts of Europe generally cover Morocco,
and a search of the Internet will produce many maps with
sunny or rainy symbols on them. Otherwise, looking out
the window and making your own assessment is by far the
best option.
GETTING THERE
Marrakesh has a busy international airport that is serviced
by not only many major carriers, but budget airlines
easyjet.com and Ryanair.com now operate a service there
from Spain, France, Italy and the UK.

www.morocco.com
The razor sharp shark’s fin on Ait Ourir looking north.
Photo: Oliver Guenay
Photo: Charlie King
Soaring in front of Aguergour, looking across the plains

towards Marrakesh. Photo: Fredrik Gustafsson

Winging it down over a classic Berber village. Photo: Felix Wölk
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JANUARY
NEPAL
POKHARATHE LURE
hemisphere migrants seeking an escape from the
winter blues.
Fly against the backdrop of all backdrops: the Sarangkot (1,500 m) is the most accessible launch
mighty snow-clad Himalaya! Warm weather, winter in Pokhara, situated at the south eastern end of an 8
thermals and a super-chilled travellers’ scene in an km long ridge. A 20 minute ride from Lakeside (800
unbelievable setting combine to make Pokhara a m) brings you to the numerous launches, all taking the
must-stop on any serious pilot’s world tour. daily light thermic breezes, which can start as early as
9 am. With three clearly defined landing zones along
the lakeside road, getting back to your favourite bar is
THE SET UP all too easy.
Pokhara (800 m) is the adventure centre of Nepal. Dickie Danda (1,520 m) is 6 km north of town and
Originally a hippie hangout in the 1970s it still a 40-minute ride brings you to this, the best XC site
retains its laidback vibe while catering to the in Pokhara. Set at the base of the Green Wall (2,700
mountain thrillseeker and all the adventure m) it is the go-to site if conditions are stable. Works
activities you can think of. best after the day has heated up. Use the terrain to
Cheap and plentiful hotels, lakeside ride dynamic lift through the inversions and then enjoy
restaurants and bars make Pokhara the incredible views of three of the fourteen 8,000 m
an attractive destination for long-term peaks in the world.
seasonal bums of the flying, kayaking, Korchon (3,100 m) is a day’s walk north from
and mountain biking variety. With the Pokhara and is a huge grassy plateau above the tree
flying season between late September line. At the base of Machapuchare (6,993 m), this is a
and early May, the sub-tropical climate site everyone must fly once, either for an early morning
never drops below freezing and an average ride down to the valley floor (1,000 m) or later on for
daytime temperature in the mid-20oCs the high altitude junkies for who getting boosted above
makes it perfect for those northern 5,000 m is all in a day’s work.

Jerôme Maupoint and Scott Mason enjoy parahawking
above the lake. Photo: Jerôme Maupoint
AT A GLANCE
The stunning fishtail of Machaphuchare (6,993 m)
XC Potential ★ ★
dominates flying in Pokhara. Photo: Peter Wolf Fun Factor ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
Logistics ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
THE NITTY GRITTY
FLYING CONDITIONS
September to December is easy and suitable for all levels WATCH OUT FOR
of pilot (2-3 m/s). From January to May it picks up and Bureaucracy. Nepal is full of it. In Pokhara, the no-fly
the spring thermals (Feb-April) in the mountains are as zones are to the south and south east of Sarangkot. Due
you would expect in the Himalayas, strong. Being closer to the proximity of the airport from Sarangkot, (less than
to the equator than the Alps the sun is directly overhead 4 km) there is no flying allowed over Lakeside and the
and the days are short. A typical day sees flying between, city. Crossing the lake is also not allowed as it is on the
10 am and 3.30 pm, less in the dead of winter. flight path.
Rotor low along the Sarangkot ridge is only an issue on
WHEN TO GO those few days when the valley winds pick up during
October and November for cloud flying in shorts and the spring.
T-shirts; March and April for big air and XC.
ACCOMMODATION
ALTITUDE Everything from $2 budget to luxury. $10 a night gets
CLOUDBASE: 2,500 m - 5,500 m you basic but comfortable.
LAUNCHES: 1,500 m
LANDINGS: 800 m COMPETITIONS
Nepal Open is in February.
HANG GLIDER ACCESS
No HG launches in Nepal GUIDES AND COURSES
Adam Hill has guided there for 13 years, www.nepal-
SITE RECORDS: paragliding.com.
PG 110 km

May
NEPAL
KHNITTY
POMORE A
ARGRITTY
France WEATHER INFO
“If it’s not raining then we fly.” But you could try
Chamonix
www.expeditionweather.info for winds aloft and
EXPERT’S OPINION www.accuweather.com for general synopsis.
“Nowhere else can you fly so close to the biggest moun-
tains on Earth in such easy conditions.” Adam Hill GETTING THERE
Kathmandu is Nepal’s only international airport with good
THE BIG TICKS connections from Delhi, Bangkok and Europe. Pokhara is a
Korchon Circuit: Once you’ve done it clockwise, try anti- stunning 25-minute flight from Kathmandu, otherwise it’s
clockwise! 5-7 hours by bus or taxi.
Sirkot to Besisahar: Starting in the low foothills hopping
from one ridge to the next, a few committing glides brings CONTACTS
you face to face with the big walls, then spur-hopping www.nepal-paragliding.com
along the main Himalayan chain before ending in the www.nepalairsport.org
shadow of Manaslu.
TAKE THE FAMILY

Nepalis love kids. Take the family trekking, elephant back
safaris, jungle walks, microlighting, hot air ballooning,
mountain biking, white water rafting, chilling by or on the
lake - it’s a great family destination.
BLOWN OUT DAYS

Pokhara is a new city, so no funky temples to visit on those
rare rainy days. There are some Tibetan monasteries just
outside the city and a peace pagoda on the ridge south of
the lake.
Getting to launch Nepali style. Photo: Peter Wolf
Nowadays Pokhara hosts a lively tandem operation introducing adventurous travellers

to the sport in stunning surroundings. Photo: Peter Wolf

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JANUARY
AUSTRALIA
MANILLA
The big open skies of Manilla where Godfrey Wennes pushed the
world record to 335 km in 1998. Photo: Martin Scheel
BELOW Waiting on launch to the moment. Photo: Valéry Chapuis
THE LURE
Safe, easy and relaxing XC for all levels of pilots over an
interesting mixture of flatlands and low ridges and hills.
Reliable weather and XC routes in every direction.
Personal bests get shattered and pilots log extraor-
dinary amounts of airtime and kilometres in an average
week in Manilla. Local guru and site owner Godfrey
Wennes broke the world distance record from here with a
flight of 335 km in 1998.
THE SET UP
Manilla is a typical small Aussie country town with a selec-
tion of classic pubs and friendly locals. Some 12 km away
is Australia’s premier flying site: Mt Borah, a purpose-de-
veloped world class launch site in a world class XC area.
The hill is 500 m AGL and was extensively developed for
the PG Worlds in 2007. Access is possible by 2WD car to
most areas. The four astro-turfed launches are within short
walking distance of each other, the landing zones are easy AT A GLANCE
to reach and it is ridge soarable on all sides. The relatively Thermal strength ★ ★ ★
flat 2 km sq mountaintop allows for safe top landings. It is
surrounded by easygoing flatlands and low ridges/hills.
86 Cross Country Magazine Travel Guide 2010 / www.xcmag.com

THE NITTY GRITTY
FLYING CONDITIONS
Flying from Mt Borah is all day long with ridge soar-
ing into the sunset and late evening a regular occur-
rence. Conditions vary from light and variable (great
for triangles) to windy and one direction (for open
distance) over a mixture of flatlands and low ridges/
hills. Thermals are generally smooth compared to
alpine and dry desert areas. A good average day
sees thermals between 3-5 m/s and heights up to
3,500 m (the ground is at 300 m ASL)
WHEN TO GO
For 100 km+ XC the best time Oct to late April.
The most consistent period for weather is Oct/Nov
and Jan-April.
ALTITUDE Pilots climb out at the start of a task in the 2007

Cloudbase: 2,500 m – 3,500 m world championships. Photo: Martin Scheel
Launch: 790 – 880 m
Landing: 350 – 450 m
HANG GLIDER ACCESS

Easy! Drive up in your own vehicle or put your glider
on the Borah Basher roof rack.
MUST BE FLOWN
With a light to moderate S-SW fly north to Bingara
following the highway for a 90 km milk run of small
ridges, mini flatlands and valleys with easy retrieve
and a few pubs with cold beer on the way.
In light to moderate E-SE fly west to Wee Waa. A
120 km flight which takes you over the ancient Mt
Kaputar volcano lava fields then into the endless
flatlands spotted with green squares of cotton fields
and past a huge deep-space telescope facility.
SITE RECORDS
PG FAI World Record Open Distance : 335 km
(1998)
PG Tandem: 223 km (2000)
HG: 380 km (2004)
WATCH OUT FOR

The only areas to watch out for are 16 km CTA
around Tamworth airport 60 km south; compres- World Records World Championships
sion on entry to the tablelands 30 km east when World Class Site… and a World of Personal Bests
flying in strong westerly winds; and blue holes on
generally good XC cloud days (meaning easy to sink Safe and easy XC flying for all levels of pilot is waiting for you in Manilla - Australia
and bomb out).
www.flymanilla.com
Since 1993
May
AUSTRALIA
MANILLA
Fra nce
MORE NITTY GRIITTY
Chamonix
ACCOMMODATION TAKE THE FAMILY
Cabins and camping at Manilla Paragliding on site at Mt Full resort style facility at Mt Borah (swimming pool,
Borah are good value with swimming pool, bar and kitch- lounge, bar, coffee lounge, internet). Horse riding nearby,
ens (cabin €12 p/p and camping €6 p/p). This eliminates pristine national parks and shopping in Tamworth.
the need to drive in and out of Manilla and means you can
land on your doorstep. There are also pubs, a caravan park BLOWN OUT
and a B&B in Manilla town. Choose from: the Warrabah National Park (granite gorge, river
swimming, coloured cliffs, native wildlife); the Golden Guitar
COMPETITIONS in Tamworth; cinema in Tamworth; Moree Hot spring baths
XC Open World Series, Manilla, Feb 12-19 2011 150 km away; horse riding; glider flights at Lake Keepit.
NSW State HG Championships Feb 20 to March 5 2011
WEATHER INFO
GUIDES AND COURSES www.flymanilla.com for weather links and
Training, thermalling clinic, XC courses, XC guiding and webcam
tandem endorsements from Manilla Paragliding are offered Phone or email Godfrey Wenness
by Godfrey Wenness, www.flymanilla.com. directly - see directory p99
EXPERT’S OPINION GETTING THERE

“Safe, easy to do XC kms, multiple launches for nearly all Tamworth airport connects to Sydney
wind directions, reliable weather (300+ days per year fly- and Brisbane. CountryLink bus from Syd-
able), and no airspace limits.” Godfrey Wenness ney to Manilla every day; five-hour drive
from Sydney or seven from Brisbane.
THE BIG TICKS
Manilla to Bingara – the ‘pub run’ heads north 90 km CONTACTS
Manilla to Wee Waa – the flatlands run west 120 km www.flymanilla.com
Manilla to Bendemeer – the pretty valley run east, 60 km www.visittamworth.com
Onboard with Bruce Goldsmith on his way to being crowned 2007

World Champion. Photo: Bruce Goldsmith
88 Cross Country Magazine Travel Guide 2010 / www.xcmag.com

Manilla serves up a fascinating classic flatland flying with small
ridges as trigger points. Photo: Martin Scheel

FEBRUARY
Site of the 2009 paragliding world championships for a

very good reason: it’s always flyable in Valle!
MEXICO
VALLE DE BRAVO
THE LURE
Simply, THE most consistent flying site in the World! In
season, every day in Valle is flyable giving you a variety of
mountain, flatland and convergence lift to fill your boots
with. A chilled lakeside bar will nourish your sky shrivelled
body and mind after you land. Valle was the site of the
2009 paragliding world championships for very good
reasons.
THE SET UP
Valle de Bravo is a picturesque lakeside town west
of Mexico City. Pilots and tourists flock to this winter
paradise from December to March to take advantage
of the amazingly consistent weather. The town swells
every weekend with the Mexico City elite, there to take
advantage of the wealth of outdoor sports and pumping
nightlife.
El Penon, the main launch, is a 45-minute drive from
Final glide over town to the lakeshore
town and starts working as early as 11 am. There is
and a beer . Photos: Nick Greece
a witching hour depending on the day where take off
becomes unruly. However, like clockwork the valley cools
as the sun fades and patient pilots are rewarded with
glorious evening glass-offs.
AT A GLANCE
There is a great ridge soaring site directly above the Thermal strength ★ ★ ★
lakeside landing zone called La Torre. The original free XC Potential ★ ★ ★
flight site utilised by hang gliders in the late ‘70’s is a steep
ramp which is flyable almost every afternoon and only Fun Factor ★ ★ ★ ★
needs a 12 km/h west wind. Logistics ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

De Hombre www.alas.com.mx, www.flymexico.com or Raoul
Carvalho [email protected]
EXPERT’S OPINION
“Arguably the best place in the world to fly! Quality flying
guaranteed!” Russell Ogden – triple British PG champion and
2009 PWC Superfinal vice-champion.
THE NITTY GRITTY THE BIG TICKS

El Penon to Divisadero and back to the lake.
FLYING CONDITIONS El Penon to Saucos then Sacamacate and back to the lake.
Valle serves up a bit of everything: pumping moun-
tain thermals kick off the day before you transition TAKE THE FAMILY
to classic plateau convergence flying and flat land Great family holiday location in a quaint Mexican town. Play
crossings. Your day culminates at the lakeside on the lake, swim in pools, hike in the mountains or visit a
landing zone conveniently located close to the town butterfly sanctuary and see hundreds of thousands of Mon-
centre. arch butterflies that migrate there every year.
WHEN TO GO RAINY DAYS

November to February for PGs Unlikely to be any!
January to March for HGs
WEATHER INFO
ALTITUDE If it’s not raining it’s flyable.
CLOUDBASE: 3.500 m
LAUNCH: 2,340 m GETTING THERE
LANDING: 1,790 m Toluca is the nearest airport where taxis transfer you to Valle.
Mexico City is an hour and a half further east and buses run
HANG GLIDER ACCESS daily from the central bus terminal. Or organize a pickup from
Both El Penon and La Torre are reached by car and one of the local operators in Valle who will await you at either
suitable for hang gliders. airport – the cost-effective option for groups.
MUST BE FLOWN
The Valle convergence: from El Penon hop to the
G-spot and gain enough height to cross the valley
to the Three Kings. Take this line to the Divasedero
turnpoint then follow the convergence line back
across the mesa to the Monarch butterfly winter
nesting area above the town of Saucos. The conver-
gence needs a chance to set up so launch early, but
wait until after 12:30 pm before you head off. After
you’ve taken in the views of Nevada Toluca return
to the lake through the mountains and use Cerro
Gordo to gain the necessary altitude for your victory
glide to town and the cold beer waiting for you in
the landing zone.
WATCH OUT FOR

Launch conditions can blow out once the midday
heat overwhelms the valley floor.
Avoid the saddle behind the El Penon at all costs.
Many fields have hidden power lines.
Other pilots: especially around the house thermals
of the G-spot and the Crazy Thermal Place.
ACCOMMODATION
From palatial Mexican estates replete with maids
and cooks to sparse ‘posada’ digs.
GUIDES AND COURSES

There’s no shortage of guides in Valle and several
respected US schools go there every year. Try www.
eagleparagliding.com, www.superflyinc.com, Alas
FEBRUARY
BRAZIL
Governador
Valadares
THE LURE
Governador Valadares speaks for itself. Smooth, reliable
climbs to a warm 27 oC cloudbase, over a rolling
landscape of green hills that extends as far as the eye can
see and the pilot can fly. A great place to perfect coring
skills and speed-to-fly with other free flyers or in friendly
local comps.
THE SET UP
Pico do Ibituruna (911 m) is the only take off in GV. There
are large grassy launch slopes on both sides of the
summit ridge, with a cobbled road between, leading to
two cafés and the toilets. The wind is often very light and
it gets hot so keep protected. A club bus goes to launch
from the centre of town, plus there are several private
shuttle operators.

flatland XC flying. Climbing over towns, small hills
and land features either side of the road. Head
over Engenheiro Caldos, then Dom Cavati. At the
big road junction, get to base, which will be at its
highest, and it’s an evening cruise from Inhapin to
Caratinga. Nice!
WATCH OUT FOR

There is an airport W/SW of GV. Do not fly over the
river unless you are landing in the official field, Via
Dapas in GV, even then you must stay less than
300 m above the field and not fly over the town.
Also, don’t scratch low in front, or in the steep
valleys leading up to the main cliff face. If you get
flushed after launch, fly out with as much height as
possible to work the fields or road.
ACCOMMODATION
All sorts: from four star to cheap sweat boxes and
stylish B&Bs. There are also companies that offer
accommodation and transport packages for pilots.
GUIDES AND COURSES

Many international guides run trips here, including
Jocky Sanderson, www.escapexc.com. Local and
ex-pat pilots also offer packages.
EXPERT’S OPINION
“Where else can you fly at cloudbase in shorts and
T-shirts in such reliable and smooth thermals, over
beautiful scenery?” Jocky Sanderson
MAIN SHOT: Racing above the lush green rolling hills of Governador
Valadares, with the town and launch in the background. THE BIG TICKS
Photos: Martin Scheel GV to Ibituruna is about 105 km
BELOW LEFT: Looking down on the double-sided launch of Pico do
Ibituruna. TAKE THE FAMILY
GV is not great for the family, although there are
THE NITTY GRITTY private clubs and pools that welcome pilots and
partners. They will be bored after a few days.
FLYING CONDITIONS RAINY DAYS

Thermals are light and often in the same place, you Pilots head for the shopping centres or there are lo-
just have to get the cycles right. It’s good to get up cal waterfalls to swim in, but little else of interest.
to launch about 11 am and take off at around 12
noon to 1 pm. WEATHER INFO
Wifi is everywhere and the local TV stations give
WHEN TO GO good forecasts with clear pictures. It can over-
February to March develop and it is important to keep an eye on the
clouds if they are growing.
ALTITUDE
Cloudbase: 1,500 m to 2,300 m GETTING THERE
Launch: 911 m GV has a small airport with flights to Belo Horizonte
Landing: 150 m and onward connections to Rio and Sao Paulo. The
best way in from the big cities is by bus: cheap and
HANG GLIDER ACCESS comfortable overnight
Hang gliders can go on the buses and there are they arrive into the
ramps on both sides of the summit. centre of town early AT A GLANCE
morning.
MUST BE FLOWN Thermal strength ★ ★
The 100 km milk run is south, down the road ONLINE XC Potential ★ ★ ★ ★
towards Caratinga. Once you have cleared the pull www.avvl.com.br
of Ibituruna, which is the highest mountain for www.xcbrazil.com
miles around, you settle into a steady pattern of www.escapexc.com Logistics ★ ★ ★ ★

MARCH
ITALY
BASSANO
Looking across the main ridge of Bassano with the

village of Semonza below it. Photo: Kelly Farina
THE LURE Bassano, but Semonza is where most pilots operate

Jump from spur to spur catching climbs off from, as seven excellent launches are close by. The
picturesque Italian villages along the southern edge of road to the main take offs on Monte Grappa also goes
the Alps, while the rest of the Alps has either ground up from there. There’s also an official landing, a bar, a
to a winter’s halt or not quite dragged itself into spring. flying shop and Tilly’s, a flying-friendly hotel and bar,
Bassano opens and closes the European thermal 100 m from the landing.
season from its beautiful grassy slopes in a warm Facing south over the Italian plains, routes head
climate and convivial Italian atmosphere that sees east and west along the front ridge. The heat low of
pilots from northern climes flock here every spring and the Alps turns the wind west in the afternoon making
autumn. If conditions are on then a drive one valley an eastward return journey easy later in the day. On
north to Feltre opens up even better XC potential. more unstable days, head out into the plains and look
A metalled road to take off, big open launches and down on stunning Italian architecture as you climb out
the historic town of Bassano del Grappa to immerse over the towns.
yourself in when not flying, round off a fantastic flying Bassano is connected to the main Italian rail
experience and a must-visit venue on any pilot’s network so getting home is easy even if you bomb
European tour. out, and the locals are very used to pilots anyway so
hitching is a cinch.
THE SET UP
Bassano is on the plains just a couple of kilometres AT A GLANCE
from the first foothills of the southern edge of the main Thermal strength ★ ★ ★
Alpine chain. The flying takes place on the southern
facing edge of the Alps from several take offs within XC Potential ★ ★ ★ ★
easy drive of town. Fun Factor ★ ★ ★
There are many good launches reachable from

The picturesque town of Bassano. Photo: Micky von Wachter
THE NITTY GRITTY

FLYING CONDITIONS
Mountain ridge surfing in often strong spring ther-
mals with little valley wind. Or dive into the plains
for some classic flatland cloud-to-cloud circuits.
WHEN TO GO
March – May when it’s stronger, but more prone to
inclement weather.
September to November when it’s more stable but
very consistent.
Mid summer the plains get very stable and swamp
Bassano with hot, but poor quality, air.
ALTITUDE
CLOUDBASE: 1,500 – 2,500 m
LAUNCH: 800 – 1,550 m
LANDING: 190 m
HANG GLIDER ACCESS

All the take offs are easily reached by car and most
have ramps.
MUST BE FLOWN
A big out-and-return: head west first as far as you
dare, then head back past Bassano and go east as
far as you dare before working back west and home.
Whether it’s 20 km or 200, a ride along the front
ridge of the Alps is a fantastic start or end to your
year.
WoodyValley Voyager Plus
WATCH OUT FOR
Getting stuck in unlandable valleys as you head Rucksack Harness
along the ridge – there are a few. Get high before
you cross them.
Overdevelopment in the big mountains behind can
cause the main valleys to draw a lot of air.
May
ITALY
BASSANO
Fra nce
Chamonix
Monte Grappa Airpark post daily weather reports to their
ACCOMMODATION site or use www.para2000.org or www.meteo.it
Bassano has an excellent selection of hotels and hostels,
but to be closer to the flying you need to stay in Semonza GETTING THERE
where there is a smaller selection. Tillys offers great value Milan is the nearest major international airport. Venice is
B&B right next to the landing and has been a favourite of reachable from most European cities, but try and fly to
pilots for many years. Venice Treviso airport, as that is actually in Treviso, not
There are two campsites close to the landing and a couple Venice, and only half an hour from Bassano.
of B&Bs. Bassano is also easily accessible by rail and bus, and is
just east of the A31 autoroute.
GUIDES AND COURSES
The Monte Grappa Airpark www.montegrappa-airpark.com USEFUL CONTACTS AND WEBSITES FOR THE AREA
offers local instruction and guidance. Kelly Farina and www. www.montegrappa-airpark.com
austrianarena.com run guided XC weeks there too.
TAKE THE FAMILY

Italians are big family people, so children are really well
catered for.
RAINY DAYS
Wander the old town and find bullet hole ridden walls from
the Second World War, or take a day trip to Venice and
feast on ice cream whilst singing “Just a one Cornetto, give
it to me!” at the top of your voice from a gondola.
Stunning Italian architecture everywhere.

Photo: Micky von Wachter
Flatlands one side, mountains the other: racing along the ridge in the
annual Monte Grappa Cup. Photo: Bruce Goldsmith

Just behind Bassano lie the mighty Dolomites. Photo: Martin Scheel

DIRECTORYLearn to fly!
Résidence
www. .co.uk
Florimontane
For our ninth year in Bir
30/9/10 - 15/10/10
&
14/10/10 - 1/11/10
Himalaya
with Y2K British Champion, Steve Purdie
Fly Annecy - Stay in self catering apartments.
Close to flying sites - Wifi
01273 858108 www.airworks.co.uk www.florimontane.fr
Alpine XC Courses & Holidays

Mayrhofen - Bassano - Dolomites
www.austrianarena.com

PAGE SITE COUNTRY COMPANY NAME ACCOM GUIDING WEBSITE CONTACT TELEPHONE
06 Sacred Valley Peru Cloudwalker Richard Pethigal no yes [email protected]
12 Laragne France Allez-Up Holidays David Owen / Rachael Evans yes yes www.allez-up.com 0033 4 92 62 20 53
12 Laragne France Escape Jocky Sanderson no yes www.escapexc.com 0044 (0) 17687 71442
12 Laragne France Airways Chris Dawes / Judy Leden no yes www.airways-airsports.com 0044 1335 344 308
16 Chamonix France Alpine Flying Centre Dennis Trott yes yes www.flyers-lodge.com 0033 6 10 63 45 58
16 Chamonix France Absolute Chamonix Caroline Brille no yes www.absolute-chamonix.com 0033 608 239 265
24 Chelan USA Aerial Paragliding Doug Stroop no yes www.paragliding.us 001 509 782 5543
24 Chelan USA Cascade Skies Stefan Mitrovich no yes www.cascadeskies.com 001 206 819 0962
28 Kössen Austria Fly Kossen Sepp Himberger no yes www.fly-koessen.at 0043 537 56 559
32 Verbier Switzerland Verbier Summits Stuart Belbas yes yes www.verbier-summits.com 0041 079 313 5677
34 Jackson Hole USA Jackson Hole Paragliding Scott Harris no yes www.jhparagliding.com 001 307 690 8726
34 Jackson Hole USA Cowboy Up Hang Gliding no yes www.cuhanggliding.com 001 307 413 4164
38 Piedrahita Spain Fly Piedrahita Steve Ham yes yes www.flypiedrahita.com 0034 920 360550
42 Interlaken Switzerland Chill Out Paragliding Kari Eisenhut no yes www.chilloutparagliding.com 0041 33 826 71 71
42 Interlaken Switzerland Backpackers Villa yes no www.villa.ch 0041 79 33 99 3 88
48 Andalucia Spain Hotel Califonia Dirk Bormans yes yes www.hotelcaliforniaspain.com 0034 958 88 10 38
48 Andalucia Spain Trans Andalusia Mark Petiot yes yes www.transandalusia.com 0034 630 368 891
51 St Andre France Aerogliss Philippe Lami no yes www.aerogliss.com 0033 4 92 89 11 30
51 St Andre France A Little Piece of Heaven Mark Taggert yes no www.alittlepieceofheaven.biz 0033 4 92 89 09 41 Mob 0033 6 76 57 56 08
54 Annecy France Passager du Vent Pierre Naville no yes www.lespassagersduvent.com 0033 450 60 71 21
54 Annecy France The Last Resort Al Swindles yes yes www.paraglidingholidays.com 0033 450 02 36 71
54 Annecy France Maison Du Moulin Irwyn Jehu yes yes www.maison-du-moulin.co.uk 0033 6779 759 57
54 Annecy France Paratroc Michel Falzone no no www.paratroc.com 0033 4 50 64 02 32
58 Owen’s Valley USA Kari Kastle Kari Kastle no yes karicastle.com
62 Olu Deniz Turkey Escape Jocky Sanderson no yes www.escapexc.com 0044 01768 771 442
66 Bir India Himalayan Sky Safaris John Silvester no yes www.himalayanskysafaris.com
66 Bir India Airworks Steve Purdie yes yes www.airworks.co.uk 0044 01273 858 108
70 Quixada Brazil XCeara Chico Santos yes yes www.xceara.com.br
74 Everywhere South Africa SAHPA Louise Liversedge no no www.sahpa.co.za 0027 12 668 3186
74 Wilderness South Africa Cloudbase Paragliding Jan Minaar yes yes www.cloudbase-paragliding.co.za 0027 44 877 1414
74 Porterville South Africa The Flyers’ Lodge Rob Manzoni yes yes www.porterville.co.za 0027 22 931 3416
78 Everywhere Morocco Passion Paragliding Toby Colombe no yes www.passionparagliding.com 0044 208 123 7427
84 Pokhara Nepal Sunrise/Frontiers Paragliding Adam Hill no yes www.nepal-paragliding.com 00977 98041 25096
84 Pokhara Nepal Parahawking Scott Mason no yes www.parahawking.com 00977 98066 47917
88 Manilla Australia Fly Manilla Godfrey Wenness yes yes www.flymanilla.com 61 2 67856545
92 Valle de Bravo Mexico Parasoft Granger Banks no yes www.parasoftparagliding.com 001 303 494 2820
94 Governador Valadares Brazil Escape Jocky Sanderson no yes www.escapexc.com 0044 (0) 17687 71442
94 Governador Valadares Brazil XC Brazil Steve Barton no yes www.xcbrazil.com 0055 33 3277 9282
96 Bassano Italy Monte Grappa Air Park Andreas Breuer no yes www.montegrappa-airpark.com 0039 0423 91 04 45 Mob 0039 329 159 79 44
96 Bassano Italy Austrian Arena Kelly Farina no yes www.austrianarena.com 0043 676 9313 500
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BUY THE P

£6.50 / €6.95 / $8.95 APER

20 Lightweight gear focus

22 Chelan, Washington state, USA

32 Jackson Hole, Wyoming, USA

34 Have Glider, Will Travel

44 Wish You Were Here

2 Cross Country Magazine Travel Guide 2010-11 / www.xcmag.com

72 Porterville and Wilderness, South Africa

76 Aguergour and Ait Ourir, Morocco

90 Valle de Bravo, Mexico

92 Governador Valadares, Brazil

99 Travel Guide Directory

Cross Country Magazine Travel Guide 2010-11 / www.xcmag.com 3

Enjoy the 2010-2011 Cross Country Magazine Travel Guide.

CROSS COUNTRY THANKS

The Cross Country Team

4 Cross Country Magazine Travel Guide 2010-11 / www.xcmag.com

Photo: Peter Wolf. Insert Bag image: Fred Gustafsson

Cross Country Magazine Travel Guide 2010-11 / www.xcmag.com 5

THE LURE ruin of Sacsayhuaman, a walled complex that dates

6 Cross Country Magazine Travel Guide 2010-11 / www.xcmag.com

Logistics ★ ★ ★ MUST BE FLOWN

WATCH OUT FOR

Cross Country Magazine Travel Guide 2010-11 / www.xcmag.com 7

ACCOMMODATION WEATHER INFO

THE BIG TICKS

TAKE THE FAMILY

Taking the high route to Pisac. Photo: Bruce Goldsmith

8 Cross Country Magazine Travel Guide 2010-11 / www.xcmag.com

Sailplane country: big skies and wide-open landings make

10 Cross Country Magazine Travel Guide 2010-11 / www.xcmag.com

THE NITTY GRITTY

HANG GLIDER ACCESS

WATCH OUT FOR

TAKE THE FAMILY

12 Cross Country Magazine Travel Guide 2010-11 / www.xcmag.com

14 Cross Country Magazine Travel Guide 2010-11 / www.xcmag.com

THE NITTY GRITTY

HANG GLIDER ACCESS

WATCH OUT FOR

GUIDES AND COURSES

TAKE THE FAMILY USEFUL CONTACTS, WEBSITES AND INFORMATION

Soaring in front of the Aigille du Midi. Photo: Jerôme Maupoint

16 Cross Country Magazine Travel Guide 2010-11 / www.xcmag.com

EN-B LTF 1-2

Trust the adventure

18 Cross Country Magazine Travel Guide 2010-11 / www.xcmag.com

And there you have it –a fully functioning paragliding

Photo: Markus Zimmermann

20 Cross Country Magazine Travel Guide 2010-11 / www.xcmag.com

The classic, ultra proven rescue parachute is now

APCO - CHAIRBAG 2 SUPAIR HYBRID 2

Cross Country Magazine Travel Guide 2010-11 / www.xcmag.com 21

22 Cross Country Magazine Travel Guide 2010-11 / www.xcmag.com

HANG GLIDER ACCESS