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Chamonix Paragliding Review

Paragliding from the Mid Station of the Aiguille du Midi

featured in Activity reviews Author Katy Dartford, Chamonix Reporter Updated

Looking up into the Chamonix skyline at the moment there seems to be more and more gliders than usual soaring above the valley. That’s because conditions are really great for paragliding right now.

Just a few days ago two people landed on the summit of Mont Blanc because temperatures hit plus 30+ in the valley. This normally only happens around August, allowing people to get very high. But it’s possible to fly throughout the year in Chamonix – it can often be thermic in the winter when the sun comes out, allowing flyers can stay up.

From Saturday when Plan Praz opens there will be even more wings in the sky. But today I’m heading to the Plan l'Aiguille launch site as from July and throughout August flying from here is closed because the helicopter rescue services are busier and need clear airspace. I’m met by Gavin Foster, who works for Fly Chamonix and is one of the few instructors qualified to work both in France and the UK. “I started flying in 1989 on a 9 cell parachute,” Gavin tells me. “I flew off of the Grandes Montets, nearly reaching terminal velocity before I landed in a giggling heap, still alive in the Argentiere car park. I didn’t fly again for a year until I did a course on the Isle of Wight, got qualified and started flying. 3-4 years later I did instructor training.”

The Plan l'Aiguille launch site is just down from the mid lift station, a flattish, grassy platform with a drop down to the valley, over 2300meters below. I gear up with wind-proofs, gloves and helmet and Gavin hands me a special tandem harness to strap into. Most of the pilots here seem to know each other and greet each other cheerily.

After watching several flyers flip their wings into launch position and run off the edge of the mountain, we are ready to go. Gavin tells me that when he says, I must start running and not stop, I must let the ground fall away from me rather than “jumping” off the edge. Strapping myself to him and counting to three- we are off. There was a good face breeze, and the take-off was easy. I wasn’t as scared as I am at the prospect of a bungee jump….we just glided off the edge and you feel comfortable as the harness takes your weight and you sit into it. We flew over to the Plan Praz/Brevent side and soared a little in the couloirs, trying to get up high, but the cycles were a little weak. Below, familiar landmarks turn into specks in the distance. It really is breathtaking.

Apparently our combined weight wasn’t quite enough for “optimal” flying speed and Gavin detected by my “sudden quietness” that I was feeling “car sick” so we drifted out into the valley for a circuit of Chamonix. There was a bit of a valley breeze so Gavin gave me the controls and I steered for a little for myself, before landing in the paragliders landing site at Bois du Bouchet. Gavin tells me this is the really important part, as if you get it wrong you could land in the lake. It’s also really important to get your ground handling skills of the wing nailed so you will often see people practising just that here.

“The best way to learn in Chamonix is to subscribe to one of the schools,” says Gavin, “they can do group lessons or a one to one tandem, or you can go to schools such as Dennis Trott at The Flyers Lodge near Sallanches, where you can get private lessons with two instructors at a time. They will take you out for a week and turn you out with some qualifications at the end of it.”

“So, what kind of wing do you need for flying in the Alps?” I wonder. “The conditions are often quite strong,” says Gavin, “so you need a really stable glider and one that will look after you especially in early stages when you are learning to fly. We have something called mountain gliders and they are usually much lighter and simpler, but they don’t keep you up and look after you in the same way as an ENA for example, which is the first buy for people when they’re coming out of school.”

“And what are some of your favourite places to fly in the Chamonix Valley,” I ask. “Well, we are really spoilt for flying here as it’s really stunning and any flight from the top of the midi either on the south side down the Vallee Blanche or off the north faces is probably as good as it gets. Sometimes in the afternoons we can fly from the Plan l'Aiguille and get up onto the Dru and Grandes Montets and fly over the Aiguilles to Chamonix –now that’s really spectacular!”

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Find out more about Fly Chamonix here, and visit their website for prices and how to book.

Location

Map of the surrounding area