Paragliding – Green Flying Over Lake Annecy
Jun 27th, 2009 by lakeannecyexpert
Amongst many things lake Annecy offers some of the best paragliding and hang-gliding sites in the world. No more so than the site just above Col de la Forclaz, overlooking lake Annecy right away from the point the take-off point.
The site has become increasingly popular with experienced and novice pilots alike. There are a dozen flying schools operating from there in addition to many tandem paragliding pilots. Try it if you dare, tandem flights are available for as little as 70 euros depending on availability and season.
With a quality paragliding site comes the operation of getting people up the mountain. Unlike other flying sites, Col de la Forclaz has not got any cable car connection. The only way up for 99% of pilots, wannabe pilots and tandem passengers are by mini van.
paragliding lake annecy
I stated paragliding because it is a easy and low cost way to experiencing flying but also because it is powered by wind and does not burn any fossil fuel. A green way of flying. Taking a mini van up the mountain seems to go against this principle (although I do take them too!!).
However here on lake Annecy there is an alternative, greener way up – walking. with so many trails and working routes you can get to any flying site by foot, hence making the experience of paragliding totally green. It is also a more fulfilling, if not tiring exercise.
I had a look out of my bedroom window and the wind and general weather conditions looked great for flying. I Confirmed this by checking the Annecy weather forecast online. I decided to take the long hike up to Col de la Foreclaz late afternoon, ready to lunch my wing for the evening more gentle thermals and winds.
The walk up leads through stunning woodlands within the occasional view onto lake Annecy, just to tease you how not so far you got. The good thing, the trees protects you from the sun, which offsets the extra weight on your back. Irwyn, a friend of mine and the host of a local B&B specialising on paraglider pilots, let me have a lightweight glider and harness so it was only 8kg of extra weight to carry. It did not feel any easier and the 2 hours up from lake Annecy to the lunch site above Col de la Forclaz were long and hard. It did not make it any easier that towards the end of the track I was passed by all the other pilots in their mini vans.
Well, I got there, felt a real sense of achievement and was rewarded with an hour or so flight 1000 m above lake Annecy. You can’t get greener flying than that. I am very pleased with myself, sitting here with a beer in front of my house and watching the last paragliders to fly across lake Annecy for their final decent.
