A good day's paragliding is about more than counting the kilometres. When all the elements are in the right place—friends, thermals at 9 a.m. and a good wind—no matter that cloudbase is low, we can still make a beautiful ballade.
For Vincent Sprungli, Franck van de Maele and I, the day begins with a good hour of walking, which helps us to quickly forget the too-early alarm clock. At 7 a.m., we are all on hike. With the 5 kg of my REBEL race and a new BASIS harness, I don’t carry more than 10 kg, including some water for the flight and a sandwich if I find time for it.
Our take-off, an east-facing, exposed high mountain pasture, is perched at 2100m at the end of Aravis range. The first puffs of cloud form from 8 a.m. on the humid slopes. Luckily a line of cloud protects the take-off and the way is clear. The road is long for Vincent who wants to take his Boom 5 to Vercors before attempting the return towards the Aravis. Franck and I let us have the simple ambition to make the most of the conditions for the entire day.
At 8:50 a.m., my REBEL Race shakes off the morning dew and sets off on the adventure. The hours pass. Cloudbase is definitely low, but in the absence of wind we make comfortable progress. There is no need for ideal conditions to complete the day's task. We float only down the length of the Aravis, then along the Bauges, the grand classics of the region. When the day really starts, I understand we won’t see Vincent and his racing wing for much longer. Hopefully, Franck, as a gentleman, will stay with me and I can get some shots of his Boomerang 5. I appreciate the stability of the REBEL race and I push the speed bar between thermals—I’m not that slow! On returning towards lake Annecy, the traffic lights are on red! This is the atmosphere of Paris in rush hour! To escape this blocked patch of sky, we take the first exit, "door of Lanfonnet". The peace returns on reaching the big cliffs of Parmelan and gaining the best height of the day, only 2300 meters.
The loop is closed around 5 p.m., by returning to the high mountain pastures of Vormy. It is the beginning of the restitution, but no waggas this evening. After 8 hours in the air, it’s enough to satisfy a pressing need and simply appreciate the flight while having a refreshing beer in the sunshine.
Franck completed the same route in style on his Boom 5. Vincent returned from Grenoble...by car! Today, fortune did not favour the brave, but what a day!
Flight details
Route: Vormy — Montlambert — Parmelan — Vormy. Haute Savoie, France.
A triangle across the Aravis range, les Bauges, back to Annecy and a little visit to Parmelan before heading back to the north Aravis range.
Wing: REBEL race S
Harness: GIN BASIS
Take-off / Landing: 8h50 / 17h00
Maximum height: 2300 m
Flight distance: about 140 km.
http://www.gingliders.com/
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