Col de la Forclaz paragliding site
Perched at 1280 m altitudewebsite, the la Forclaz is world-famous for its beauty and for its paragliding facilities. Because of its popularity, it's a busy site. Regulations have been drawn up to ensure that everyone can enjoy paragliding in the best possible conditions. In summer, at the busiest time of the year, a regulator is present at take-off to ensure the safety of all riders.
Flying conditions for paragliders:
As in PlanfaitThe flying conditions are often very good at the Col de la Forclaz.
- With a north-easterly wind or North marked: the Planfait site becomes very turbulent whereas at the Col de la Forclaz flight may still be possible.
- With a southerly windThe opposite is true: the north-western orientation of the take-off and its higher altitude than that of Planfait makes the Col de la Forclaz take-off more sensitive to the south wind than the Planfait site.
The thermals are often generous, but the valley breeze is important. The search for lift must therefore take into account the shape and orientation of the terrain. Favour the West and North-West faces to be in the flow of the breeze. The south-east faces can be generous but often much more turbulent!
Access to the Forclaz take-off :
From the Col de la Forclaz, there are many flight plans... From the small acro run to the long cross country, the possibilities are varied according to the conditions.
Direct access has been restricted for a number of years by the Talloires-Montmin town council to ensure safety and access to the site. The access road is narrow and winding, and a barrier now restricts access to the pass.
Flying friends, you have 2 options:
- The walk up: about 20 minutes, ideal for a gentle warm-up.
- The taxi-bus from Doussard which connects you to the landing stage.
Please note that all car parks are now chargeable from May to November...
The Col de la Forclaz is also a privileged starting point for courses SIV (Flying courses and Flight Incident Simulation) as well as for some great tandem flights which we also offer! Prestige flights which start at the Col de la Forclaz and generally fly over the summits to Annecy when the wind is good.
The landing at Doussard :
The nearest landing is at Doussardlocated at the end of Lake Annecy. Here's the map of the Doussard landing strip and its rules.
Nearby you will find :
- a car park (chargeable)
- a snack bar
- toilets
- a taxi bus that takes you back to deco 🙂
The landing at Doussard is a fairly easy one. With little turbulence, in line with the valley breeze and not subject to much gradient, there may nevertheless be a few surprises.
–With a north-easterly wind The wind is redirected by the Roc des Bœufs, which gives a rather north-westerly wind at landing. The ascending zones are also modified and there can be large thermals between the landing and the lake, in the altitude loss zone. In this situation, the landing becomes more random and turbulent than in normal breeze conditions.
–At the end of the dayOn the eastern faces of the Bauges (Charbon and Roc des Bœufs), a descending breeze (South-West) can set up on a layer that can be about 50 to 100m, while above it the valley breeze (North) is still very active. The confluence of the two gives a large rising area between the landing and the lake, and even above the landing. In these conditions, the landing area is not particularly turbulent, but the direction of the breeze is totally changed. You have to be vigilant and watch the windsocks carefully.