[Dawson]

Hi friends,

Sometime in June or july this year, I'll be coming to france with my wife and two young kids for a holiday. We're staying with my wifes parents in Brittany, but will take a one week trip with them to somewhere, and my wife's keen on the Alps.

Where is the best place in france that we can base ourselves where I will have an oportunity for a day or two flying in the alps, and the rest of my family can enjoy themselves as well.

I'll not be bringing a glider with me, so would look to borrow or rent one over there. I can bring my harness and instruments.

Thanks for your help.

Dawson

[Jongo]

Laragne or Saint Andre, which are about an hours drive or so apart.

Saint Andre has a large swimming lake with a nice beach area, hence, it may be more family friendly.

I flew there in July and August 1990. The flights there were some of my best ever, huge height gains, fantastic scenery. Watch out for the cu-nims in this area though, they develop very quickly, and it can be a race to get down.

[Fawkes]

I am agreeing on that. Laragne and Saint Andre with Saint Andre being more family friendly. There is a camping site next to the LZ and it is a 5 minuts walk to a river in which you can swim.

This is some footage from last summer
http://vimeo.com/36440545

[Pete B]

For convenient flying, access to the Alps proper, and a pleasant enviroment with lots of things for the family, don't go to the above areas, go to Annecy.
When not flying, there are interesting towns, drives, woodlands, spectacular walks, canyoning, Via Ferrata, restaurants etc. If you have bikes, there's a road biking route (non-motorized vehicles only) stretching from Albertville to Annecy (popular with runners and in-line skaters/rollerbladers), and plenty of passes to climb. Some good mountain biking too. Chamonix, one of the worlds most historic mountain valleys, the centre of extreme sports in the French Alps, is an hours drive away. Grande Bornande, and St hIlaire are handy, the latter with spectacular flying for hang gliders.
If it were just you rather than the family, Laragne would be worth bedding down in for a week. It's one of the favourite destinations for Brit pilots. Your family would appreciate Annecy more, and you won't be disappointed. Camp at the south end of the lake near the landing field at Doussard.
https://picasaweb.google.com/100975167704112241520/Annecy0809#
https://picasaweb.google.com/100975167704112241520/Annecy0609#
The landing area is shown in one of the above albums.
The Annecy launch zone is newly developed and a nice place for the family to hang out whilst you're rigging.
I've a crappy vid here too:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JuemFkgUSRM
The valley develops a perfect breeze in a constant direction, which passes over the lake and over the landing field giving predictable and smooth landing conditions. The landing zone is huge and is aligned with the valley wind. Annecy is low stress but spectacular flying.
Pete

[mapjim]

Be sure to get daily advice from the locals about the weather. It can look not so bad to someone from afar, but the locals skip it due to a Fohn wind or risk of OD, and go sailing or rafting or hiking instead.

Lots of places in France and the Alps to fly, including the above very popular places. And lots for the family to do near the Alps (part of which also isn't so terribly far from the Med). Mind the Parisian traffic near weekends or public holidays.

[CLOUDSCULPTOR]

France is CHOCK full of sites, you are spoilt for choice and it reallly is VOL LIBRE free flight . Very, very little hastle or regulations to worry about.
the site below lists them all pretty much.

http://www.para2000.org/sites/france-index.html

I spent 2 years cruising the med & on the canals fibally popping out in holland with the family and my trusty short pack aeros 12mt stalker. Flew loads of places.

all time favourites

Puy de dome In the auvergene
(takes all directions bus to the top, looks like a grassy moon scape)

Millau huge top landing, beautiful kayiking rivers for the family , camp at top
ace resturants


Dune de pyla Bordeau
MASSIVE 300foot sand dune wonderful beaches. crazy paragliders loads of camping. views that take your breath away at sunset.

if you want to avoid the drive, just cruise the brittany coast line and fly the sea breezes.

there is a really good guide book called Sites de vol Libre It is in french but the pictures explain most of what you need to know. Just to give you an idea, its over 2 inches thick

If you want specifics abaout a site pm me an can scan relevant pages

You and yours will have a blast
graeme

[Dawson]

Thanks for all the replies,

Annecy, St Andre and Laragne all sound great to me - I think my best bet is to take options, and pass them to my wife and her parents to choose from. That way, they can decide what they want in a trip to the Alps, and they all sound like I'll get what I want

Does anyone have any contact numbers or links to websites of clubs or schools in any of these places which offer hang glider rental?

Cloud Sculptor - One day, I'd love to spend some time just cruising around france with a wing on some racks, and to fly places like you mention, but for now, it's a one week trip with the family. Is "Sites de vol Libre en France" available online anywhere? Whilst I'm far from fluent, I can get by in french - and if I get stuck, I just have to ask my wife for help

Thanks again,

Dawson

[davidwlms]

Enjoy your time.,,, Dawson !!!

[SaschaN]

Especially in summer from July to August Saint Andre has the strongest thermal activity. Landing can be a bit tricky sometimes (3 windsocks pointing 3 different directions). But there is a more safer landing site in a valley nearby where many pilots go.
Keep an eye on NW or N. When in doubt better don't fly. Those wind directions (when stronger) can make flying anything else but fun.
You can mostly fly there till late evening. Some paragliders never land before it has become completely dark
Good thing is that you usually don't have longer periods with bad weather. A thunderstorm with sometimes heavy rain a day, that's it.

http://vimeo.com/16806207

See also http://www.flystandre.com/ for some more info.

[flyingcoder]

Does it make any sense to go to these locations with single surface glider in May?I am beginner so I've got only SS HG. Just wonder if there're condtions for SS, I mean I can fly at 8-9m/s on launch but then in the air I don't want to just balooning..especially it concerns Laragne area. In the movie from earlier post people fly there only DS HG's. Anybody fllew SS there? What do you think?

[Tigouille]

@ Dawson : it's a long way from Brittany to the Alps...depending on where you are check out the "Menez Hom" (there's a school),
....of course you have SS gliders in the south of France...when it over develops you have to be on the ground, regardless (IMO)

[Dawson]

@Tigouille, when I suggested to my wife's parents that we go to the Alpes, they were not so keen on driving so far so, the plan now is to maybe visit northern spain instead.

I've decided not to try to plan the trip to include hang gliding, but if it happens that whilst we're there, I find that there's a great site nearby where ever we end up, then I'll see if I can hire or borrow a glider for a day.

I've been to Le Menez Hom once before. My wife has a cousin living just outside Camaret-sur-Mer. We visited them on our last trip, then walked up to the top of Le Menez Hom. The wind was very light, and as we were leaving, a couple of paragliders arrived, but did not fly. Le Menez Hom is about 2 hours drive from Vannes, which is near where we'll be in Brittany.

Thanks for the advice.

Dawson

[Pete B]

[skyhigh123]

Hi Dawson,
It's still a long drive from Brittany to Northern Spain but there are some excellent sites both sides of the Pyrenees. Also plenty to see and do for the family
I live on the French side and fly at Luchon, Val Louron, Hautacam, Accous.I had 2 hours at cloudbase at 10,000 feet yesterday at Val Louron.
You can get an idea of flying these sites by looking at these videos
http://vimeo.com/search?q=francois+Fourment
and this website
http://septieme-ciel.blogspot.fr/
I usually fly an Atos Vr but I also have a 160 Wills Wing U2 which rarely gets flown. Should you pass this way,and your dates fit in with my other commitments, I would be happy to take you out to one of the sites and lend you the U2 (provided,of course, that you are experienced on this level and size of glider, responsible and undertake to make good any damage)

Tony