Page 69 - Cross Country Travel Guide 2019

Acro guru Théo de Blic shares his favourite places to fly and train

Vérel, Chambéry, FR
Vérel is not the most well-known flying spot
in France, but I think it can be considered the

best acro spot in France and one of the best
in Europe, after Organyà.
Although the altitude for your runs is
lower (400m) you can get back up quickly
through strong thermals and it is pretty
efficient. One of the amazing thing about
Vérel is that you can also fly XC on your acro
glider by following the cliffs. Conditions are
strong enough for you to travel a great deal
and you can top-land in many places.
Flyable from February to October it is a
full west face, so expect to be flying from

2pm to 10pm in summer. It is not suitable for
beginners though as the cliff take-off can be
tricky with a strong thermal immediately off
in front of launch.
Chambéry is one of the cheapest places
in the Alps for accommodation, with lots of
camping. It’s a 15-minute walk to take-off.
zeleph.com
Photos:Vigi Rodier

Lago di Garda, Italy

One of the most famous Italian spots
for flying and acro in particular. In the
Dolomites, it is one of the highest places
there is where you can practise acro above
a lake: you have 1,700m altitude difference
between landing and take-off.
It is flyable all year, as long as the cable car
is open. However, I would advise avoiding
high season as the cable car gets very busy

with tourists and wait-times get too long –up
to 90 minutes at peak times.
Early morning the north wind is pretty
strong and you usually have to wait for it to
drop before flying at around 10am-12noon.
Later on the valley breeze can get pretty
strong, but the landing is quite easy.
The site is totally suitable for beginners,

although always take care that the wind is
not too strong. Accommodation can get
tricky in high season as well as expensive, but
in low season it’s easy.
tandemparagliding.eu
Photos:Théo de Blic

ACRO SITES CROSS COUNTRY TRAVEL GUIDE 2019 69