Alpine Paragliding News
☰MenuRecent News
Domancy, Plaine Joux and Chamonix Valley - April 16th
Winter and skiing
The sking is pretty much finished now, with just a few runs open in Le Brevant until the end of this week, closing on April 21st, and a few runs open in Les Grands Montets that is due to close on May 5th.
The ski season wasn't too bad all in all. For the advanced high mountain skier the upper ski/snow conditions were just great. The lower resorts and slopes had skiing all winter long but snow conditions weren't always at their best.
On the bright side, there was some good flying..
Check out our Passy-Plaine Joux webcam for the snow at 1350m asl. Plaine Joux WebCam
Most of the ski areas are open. Chamonix webcams
The Flying
I've been flying my new Advance Omega ULS and what a beautiful wing it is.. Can't wait for some more nice flying weather.
Advance Iota DLS
We have also been flying the Advance Iota DLS size 23 (EN-B+) It handles really well and its sweet to fly. It's stable, responsive, accurate to fly, very easy to position even in the most difficult thermals. It has a lovely glide and a good turn of speed. All I can say is try it, I'm sure you will not be disappointed.
We have a second hand 23 DLS for sale. Its in perfect condition and has a very recent Advance inspection certificate, rated it as in Excellent condition" and has just 33 hours airtime: price 2875.00 Euros.
NEW, COMING SOON - Lightness 4
The new Advance Lightness 4 harness -Like the LIGHTNESS 3, only better: the successor of "The" pod harness classic offers even more comfort, easier handling and a sportier look. The fourth generation of the all-round pod harness remains the perfect companion for long and relaxed cross-country flights.
LIGHTNESS 4 - New seat geometry using 3D body scans to increase its comfort even further. The visual redesign, including the aerodynamic fairing, completes the sporty look and feel. Here are the first quick facts: • redesigned seat shell • maximum comfort • new aerodynamic look • moderate fairing • 35% more storage space • 3.47 kg (size M)
We expect first deliveries of the LIGHTNESS 4 from May 2024. OUR PRICE 1946.50 Euros (retail 2290.00, saving you 343.50€) We are taking orders now..
Don't forget for none EU residents we can de-tax this saving another 20%, making it only 1622.33 Euros.
See our shop for other equipment details and prices - Shop
Equipment sales and de-taxing for none EU citzens (including the UK)!
We mainly sell Advance and Kortel products and our standard discount off new gear is 15%. Please don't hesitate calling/emailing if you are after other makes/products/equipment and we can lay our hands on most flying gear!
Just a reminder: we can also de-tax the TVA (VAT) removing the 20% tax on top of the 15% discount making this a 35% discount on new gear. The Paperwork and de-tax procedure is simple and straightforward. Please don't hesitate calling/emailing me if you would like further details.
--------------------------------------
2024 Flying Season
We are a British BHPA Registered School:
We are a BHPA registered school offering EPC and CPC courses with Personal one-to-one Instruction.
Personal one-to-one Instruction is a great way for the beginner pilot to train all the way to CPC as results happen quickly. The training includes all the BHPA tasks plus we add a number of mountain and thermalling tasks into the course, ensuring the new pilot is ready for mountain flying in the high Alps.
On average it takes a new pilot around 8 or 9 days to completes their EPC and CPC ratings and the training concludes with a number of hours of airtime, plenty of soaring and some long thermalling flights.
This form of training means you have your own instructor exclusively and it costs only 260 Euros a day for one pilot or 230 Euros a day each for 2 pilots. Please see our pages for the details.
Pilot-Development and Progression:
Pilot-Development/Progression tuition/coaching is available most of the year, and is ideal for new pilots wanting to develop their skills in the high alps. Check out the details here:'Pilot Development'
------------------------------------
2024 Bookings...
We are now taking bookings for 2024 see our 'Calendar' for available dates.
Spring, Summer and Autumn Paragliding...
We run Beginner and thermalling courses and fly guiding from April to November!
• Introduction to the high mountains and Rusty pilot refreshers.
• Pilot-Development and Progression tuition/coaching is available most of the year.
• Keep an eye on our Facebook for updates!
Also, don't forget to check availabilty here: Availability Page..
Winter Flying:
From early January to mid March is our winter flying period and we offer fly guiding in the mountains for all pilots wanting to experience the beautiful high flights within the spectacular winter surroundings!. If required we can teach you to Ski launch too! Check out our Winter Flying page
------------------------------------
This past season! (2023)
Despite a wetter than normal summer we had a great flying season with many good flying days: 235 days between January and the end of October. see the details on the chart at the bottom of this page!
As per normal it was hot at times and upper 30's weren't unusual. The weather has definately been changing in the Alps over recent years but it hasn't affected the number of good flying days we have. In fact our season feels a little longer with less cold weather and sadly shorter winters.
Throughout our season we've had a good mixture of Beginners and many Pilot Development days, setting some short, local and interesting tasks for those pilots wanting to learn more with task/XC/thermal flying.
We had a number of Rusty pilots visit this year and its really satisfying helping them back into flying..
Our Fly Guiding and Pilot Development and Progression continues throughout the rest of the Autumn and Winter. Granted, thermal activity is sparce from now until late January but there are some spectacular flights to be had in the high mountains once the ski lifts open again from the middle of December. Our drive-up-to flying sites are always readily available.
For those interested in Pilot-Development and Progression, Advanced Post CPC and Pilot Training, please see the relevant page. 'Pilot Development' - We are now taking bookings for 2024.
More details can be found in the links below:
Pilot Development and Progression
------------------------------------
Weather, Wind, Webcam links and Cable Car information..
Here are useful weather links for this area:
Chamonix Valley Meteo: Chamonix Meteo
Meteo Blue for Passy-Plaine Joux Valley: Passy
Wind and Weather Stations for many flying areas in France: Wind and weather in France
Check out the 'Plaine Joux' take off site webcam: WebCam
------------------------------------
Annual Flying...
We have kept a record of all the flying days we've had in this area since 1996 and you can see on the chart below the number of flying days doesn't change much each year. The mid winter flying window is around 2-3 hours extending to 11 hours in the spring and summer. Some mid summer days have strong thermic periods where pilots become grounded for a few hours, otherwise the annual flying conditions are very good. It has to be said that not all the days produce fantastic flying conditions but it's not bad here and realistically we fly for about 65% of the year: the chart speaks for itself.
PLEASE NOTE - On the chart below some months are shown as n/a (not available) this is because in the winter we are skiing or flying tandem and not registering our flyable days and in summer it would be because we are away from the area, normally flying somewhere else.
Date | Dec | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Total |
1996 | n/a | 20 | 15 | 23 | 25 | 16 | 22 | 20 | 21 | 26 | 20 | 208 |
1997 | 11 | 17 | 17 | 26 | 25 | 24 | 21 | 25 | 27 | 27 | 20 | 240 |
1998 | n/a | 19 | 26 | 19 | 17 | 30 | 24 | 24 | 27 | 19 | 15 | 220 |
1999 | 17 | 13 | 11 | 18 | 19 | 23 | 23 | 29 | 22 | 24 | 17 | 216 |
2000 | 2 | 22 | 13 | 17 | 18 | 26 | 26 | 17 | 25 | 25 | 19 | 210 |
2001 | 19 | 14 | 14 | 10 | 17 | 28 | 20 | 25 | 25 | 19 | 28 | 219 |
2002 | 17 | 30 | 12 | 22 | 23 | 17 | 27 | 22 | 23 | 27 | n/a | 220 |
2003 | 11 | 17 | 20 | 28 | 20 | 22 | 27 | 24 | 26 | 22 | 16 | 233 |
2004 | 15 | 6 | 21 | 16 | 22 | 22 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 27 | 19 | 226 |
2005 | 19 | 20 | 16 | 25 | 17 | 26 | 28 | 27 | 20 | 27 | 25 | 250 |
2006 | 4 | 24 | 17 | 12 | 19 | 23 | 30 | 30 | 19 | 23 | 20 | 221 |
2007 | 18 | 16 | 13 | 21 | 30 | 21 | 25 | 23 | 24 | 22 | 26 | 239 |
2008 | 20 | 16 | 24 | 12 | 18 | 27 | 18 | 22 | 28 | 25 | 14 | 224 |
2009 | 12 | 17 | 10 | 20 | 25 | 18 | 18 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 27 | 231 |
2010 | 10 | 13 | 11 | 16 | 25 | 19* | 17* | 29 | 22 | 23 | n/a | 185 |
2011 | n/a | n/a | 22 | 27 | 28 | 25 | 25 | 29 | 26 | 27 | 25 | 234 |
2012 | n/a | n/a | n/a | 20 | 15 | 26 | 22 | 28 | 25 | 20 | 20 | 176 |
2013 | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | 17 | 23 | 22 | 29 | 31 | 27 | 27 | 176 |
2014 | n/a | n/a | n/a | 25 | 27 | 26 | 24 | 22 | 26 | 23 | 21 | 194 |
2015 | n/a | n/a | n/a | 22 | 22 | 24 | 26 | 29 | 28 | 30 | 22 | 203 |
2016 | 28 | 17 | 7 | 22 | 22 | 19 | 23 | 28 | 29 | 27 | 23 | 245 |
2017 | 27 | n/a | n/a | 26 | 25 | 28 | 24 | 25 | n/a | 25 | 27 | 207 |
2018 | n/a | n/a | 13 | 22 | 25 | 27 | 29 | 30 | 29 | 29 | 26 | 230 |
2019 | n/a | n/a | 21 | 22 | 25 | 23 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 25 | 226 |
2020 | n/a | n/a | n/a | 27 | 26 | 28 | 22 | 26 | 28 | 27 | 26 | 210 |
2021 | 11 | 17 | 26 | 29 | 26 | 17 | 27 | 29 | 27 | 26 | 25 | 260 |
2022 | n/a | n/a | n/a | 26 | 25 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 28 | 27 | 23 | 213 |
2023 | n/a | 21 | 22 | 21 | 21 | 27 | 22 | 21 | 29 | 27 | 24 | 235 |
2024 | n/a | 19 | 19 | 23 |
Contact us - Office: +33450545963 Mobile: +33 610634558 email: alpineflyingcentre