xAlps 2025 - the 'official' video

 

IT - Dolos with Profly -Day 2: Rosengarten (Paolina)

Sat (20.9.) After some discussion, it has been decided to stay closer and go to Paolina.  On the way we stopped a couple of times, as Michael was showing us some landing options. Paolina launch lies 'only' around 65m above the chairlift station, but this has been more than enough for me, especially as many 'steps' have been really high, so I had trouble lifting my weight on one leg... But in the end I also managed to get there. Luckily there has been no rush to get airborne as the conditions have been slow to develop.

LZ briefing

Pano on launch, looking West.

launch - looking N

looking down to launch and chairlift station

I didn't wait too long after the first pilots had launched, as conditions got really nice and the first thermal got me to 1000m over launch in about 10' :-)) As yesterday, the views have been just great.

above launch

'Santnerpass'-hut

Pano looking N (above launch)

Pano looking NE: Val di Fassa (Canazei), Sella, Lagazoi

Marmolada

LZ in Tiers/ St.Cyprian

Even if the LZ looks very long, this doesn't make landing any easier. The whole LZ is sloping slightly downhill (almost as the glide angle of today's gliders) and (normally) into the wind... So one has to start low (!) near the hut to the right of the road cutting through the LZ; you need to be patient and do as many figure-8 turns until your less than 10m above the grass. Then you fly along the main road until you finally slide in for a landing near the hut at the end of the small track... I landed after 1h15'.

Sun (21.9.) I didn't go for another flight; although those who had stayed could fly from 'Kölner' hut , instead I headed home after 3 weeks full of great flights (21 in total; average > 1:05) and great views and memories. The driving ended as it had started on 31.8.: traffic jams...

Landquart...

IT - Dolos with Profly -Day 1: Canazei (Belvedere)

Fri (19.9.) At 1000 a group of 10 Pilots (not all with Leeloos) met at Gudrun's and Michael's office in Tiers for a briefing. It was decided to go to Campitello (Val di Fassa). Here we split: a smaller group (with Gudrun) going to by cable car to Belvedere (less walking); the rest with Michael to Passo Sella. I have been part of the smaller group, but as luck would have it, my pack got a 'ride' to launch :-)) Otherwise I would have had to use another, somewhat lower launch (facing S).

Belvedere

Belvedere: looking W: Langkofel, Rodella (rh side)

over Belvedere: looking  East: Sella -Marmolada

at Langkofel, looking NW towards Schlern, Alpe di Siusi

near Langkofel: looking East: Sella, Rodella/ Marmolada

Sven landing

We had to wait a while until conditions turned on, but then there have been strong thermals, some pilots climbing almost to 4000m (I only got a litte over 3300m). My first 'turnpoint' has been Marmolada, which I could easily reach as thermals at Belevdere got me to 3200m. Interestingly, on the way back, I couldn't find anymore thermals, where they had been just 40' earlier. I barely made it to the South face of Col Rodella. Here I had to scratch quite a while before getting high enough to cross over to the base of Langkofel. More scratching finally got me to 3300m, high enough to fly SW and to try to get over/ around Catinaccio and land in Tiers. But it didn't work out (too late?), so I landed in Campitello after 2:15.

IT -Bassano / Meduno / Revine / Dolada

Tue (16.9.) During breakfast my friend MarcoZ had called me to discuss today's options (we had earlier agreed to spend the next 3 days together) and we decided to meet in Bassano (Semonzo - GardenRelais) at 1130. While riding to launch we checked-out first 'Stella,' but I didn't look fine, so we choose 'Tapetti'. At first cloud base has been rather low, but later it slowly rose to around 1200m. Conditions have been really nice: strongish thermals, but never bumpy. Today I had my longest flight this year so far: 3:10; second is 2:24.

Wed (17.9.) As conditions further East - where I had hoped to fly (Gemona, Lijac) - looked still windy and cloudy, we decided to meet again at 1130 at the LZ Garden Relais. Marco took me all the way up to Panettone for a 2+hr-flight. I had attempted to cross from Anttene-Costalunga to the West (Rubbio), but there the air felt 'weird' and I had lots of sink, so I turned around... As I didn't want to make another flight here at Bassano, we decided to drive to Meduno for a late afternoon flight. (1+hr) :-) and dinner together.

Meduno, looking NW

Meduno (launch)

Thur (18.9.) My last day with Marco. We met at the LZ of Revine, a site I had not flown before. The drive to launch took us about 45'.

Marco

Flying has been rather ardous, as the whole day the inversion could be clearly felt. But the site is well worth a visit: for its wide and nice TO, for its great views (lake and mountains) and its large LZ.

Dolomiti Bellunesi

Passo San Boldo

Revine Lago and LZ

Afterwards I made a flight from Dolada (Alpago); also here the inversion could be clearly felt at 1630m and I have been unable to break it...

launch

preparing...

Pano looking East (TO just visible)

Pano looking S

LZ at Pieve di Alpago(on both sides of road)

IT - Castelluccio

Sat (13.9.)  After having had breakfast in a bar along the way from Aquila to Norcia, when we arrived the area had been still covered by fog. Once it had lifted we moved to Forca da Presto for some ground handling and a flight, before conditions became too windy. In the afternoon some more groundhandling at the training hill. We also wanted to make an afternoon flight from Refugio Perugia, but the wind speed was well beyond what any PG could handle and it also didn't decrease later when the sun had set...

I got here just in time to catch the dissipating fog...

Forca di Presto

Rifugio Perugia

Sun (14.9.) Before driving up to Castelluccio, we parked my car at the LZ in San Pellegrino. Gudrun and Michael could make an extended sledder from Rifugio Perugia down to my car - the wind being around 20+kmh (much less than the 40+ of yesterday evening). No more flights have been possible due to increasing winds, but I ground handled for some time. Beside us absolutely no other pilots here...

Rifugio Perugia, looking North-East: Monte Vettore

heading for the LZ (on lh side along the road)

Mon (15.9.)  very promising day...

Michael had organized a ride in Claudio's LandRover to Tabellone, one of the nicest launches in this area. We had to wait for about an hour or so until the conditions turned on nicely.

Tabellone - looking W-NW: Norcia

looking at the LZ in San Pellegrino (below the white PG)

looking back to launch, Castelluccio and Mte Vettore

Parasol in my LZ

Very nice flight, lasting 1+hr. For a moment it looked likeI had to land in San Pellegrino, but as we had no car parked there (contrary to yesterday), I wanted to avoid this and had to fight for a quite a while in order to get high enough so that I could glide towards the main LZ.

Later in the afternoon we headed towards Vetoretto, but I declined, as I would have had to carry my gear too far up the steep hill. I said goodby to Gudrun and Michael (who tried to fly from there) and started my drive North towards NE Italy, where I hoped to fly the next few days. 

short stop at Visso ;-)

For the night I found a B&B NE of Bologna...