The aerology of the
Alpes Maritimes is
famous for its pumping thermals and high cloud bases, which can be in excess of
4000m. The paragliding site
record from our nearest site, Col de Bleyne, is 280km, and the epic flying to be
had at St André needs no introduction. However, gentler conditions are usually
available at sites like Gourdon and Gréolières, and away from the strongest
hours of the day. Winter is good here too, and the 8 m/s thermals often to be found at
that time of year are not to be sniffed at.
From
Les Basses Beaumettes there is easy drivable access
to launch at Col de Bleyne (fifteen minutes), Lachens (thirty minutes), Gréolières (forty minutes,
4x4 only), Gourdon (forty-five minutes),
Kennedy - (HG only) and
St André (fifty minutes).
Both Col de Bleyne
(see photo on the left and below right), and
Lachens, have
very big flat, easy landing fields if you don't fancy going
cross country. The summit launch at Lachens is 1685m and the landing field is at
937m, giving a top to bottom of 748m. From the Gourdon take off at 1150m to Gourdon's lowest bottom landing field
at 140m, is a wonderful 6km glide
past the chateau affording great views out to the Mediterranean coast and a top
to bottom of 1010m. The St Andre take off is at 1540m and the landing field at
884m giving a top to bottom of 656m.
There are a host of
other flying sites within a reasonable driving distance, including those around Moustieres, La Colmiane, Laragne, St Vincent and Monaco, to name but a few.
Check out Ozone's
excellent
site guide for more details. We have a paper copy of the site guide in the
apartment. There are two Lachens websites, this one has some
good
photos and this
Lachen's website,
is very informative with a helpful map on it.
Although we fly almost exclusively on south-facing sites here, the strong
sunshine and the proximity to the Mediterranean mean that each site has its own
peculiar characteristics, that allow flying in nearly any weather conditions.
The topography in our area could have been designed with paragliding in mind,
with its succession of south-facing parallel ridges, giving endless
possibilities for closed-circuit flights, as well as being a superb launch-pad
for long distance flights north into the bigger mountains.
If you are flying from Col de Bleyne, it is easy to land next to the house
(see photo on the right),
while other sites require a modicum of XC flying to get there. But, what better
way to round off a fine day's flying than to enjoy a cold beer from the fridge,
on the lawn without having to worry about hitching home.
If you are new to paragliding, and fancy
giving it a try, then there are plenty of schools nearby. The instructors speak
excellent English, and the reliable weather makes progressing towards your
qualification a breeze.
For more information, have a look at the
sites of our local paragliding schools:
Local club websites:
If you fancy doing an SIV course in
Monaco, Les Basses Beaumettes is ideally situated for doing a few days free
flying before or after your course. For more information on SIV in Monaco have a
look at
Airworks website.
The
Sky Systems pilot directory gives good
general flying information.
Cross country magazine is
written and edited in the Alpes Maritimes, definitely worth subscribing to as it
has excellent articles and photos about flying all over the world, the article
High and Mighty
has a few familiar faces in it.
Skywings, the
official monthly magazine of the British Hang gliding and paragliding
association also has some good articles.
We are both from Scotland and would
recommend anyone who is going to Scotland to fly or wishing to learn there, to
have a look at either the
Scottish Mountain Paragliding Club website or the
Scottish Hang gliding and
Paragliding Federation website both give links to helpful, friendly local
pilots.
If you've been reading our website and
dreaming of floating along under a perfect blue sky, or remembering afternoons
spent watching the sunset here, drinking our home made lemon wine, (too polite
to say that it tasted like washing up liquid), but know that you can't come and
stay for a while because the wife, husband or boss won't let you, then why not
bring them with you? If you don't think you can get away for even a weekend, why
not go to Tom Duffin's shop called Another Planet at 34 Ashley Terrace,
Edinburgh instead? They have just started importing their own X-sails, have a
look at their website, then if you are
reading this at work, you really should get back to doing some work so that you
can earn some pennies to be able to come and stay with us.
If you felt that the home made wine
really was too bad so you are looking for somewhere else, and the Butlins
brochure isn't doing anything for you, may we suggest that you get in touch with
Austrian Arena in
Mayrhofen, Austria, whom we can thoroughly recommend. They run
Paragliding Courses &
Holidays for pilots who want to learn how to fly XC confidently in the
northern Alps.
There is
also a microlight
airstrip between Andon and Caussols -
ULM ALPES D'Aazur
Open weekends and bank holidays
Adresse :
accès par la RD 5, entre CAUSSOLS ET ANDON
Tel : 04 93 60 73 20 Email :
alain.challoit@free.fr
The aerology of the
Alpes Maritimes is
famous for its pumping thermals and high cloud bases, which can be in excess of
4000m. The paragliding site
record from our nearest site, Col de Bleyne, is 280km, and the epic flying to be
had at St André needs no introduction. However, gentler conditions are usually
available at sites like Gourdon and Gréolières, and away from the strongest
hours of the day. Winter is good here too, and the 8 m/s thermals often to be found at
that time of year are not to be sniffed at.
