Alpine Winter Paragliding

Winter Fly Guiding and Coaching..

During January, February and March the winter flying can be spectacular and there are a number of local sites high in the mountains all with cable car access that we fly from. In Chamonix valley the sites are Les Houches, Le Brevent, Les Grands Montets and the Aiguille do Midi. Outside the Chamonix we can also fly from our local drive-up to site of Plaine Joux.

The smooth gentle air in January to mid February is a joy to fly and is ideal for the pilot new to the mountains. By mid to late February the thermals are awakening and good climbs and flights around and within the valleys start.

The flying from Chamonix 'PlanPraz' a 1000m above Chamonix town is straightfoward and there is a landing site next to the cable car.

Weather permitting the magnificent 'Vallée Blanche' flight launching from 2700m above the valley floor and taking the 20kms flight over the glacier is breathtaking.

In Les Houches at the south western end of the valley there are two sites to fly from and one is ideal to practice ski-launching from. Both sites are almost 900m metres above the landing.

There is excellent flying from our local 'Plaine Joux' site 750m above the valley floor across the valley from our base. If the conditions allow then landing in our back garden is possible at the end of the day! There's a small family ski resort at Plaine Joux as well!

If you are not alone then please don't forget we can organise tandem flights for your partner, family or friends!

Most of the launch sites are groomed for easy foot launching. However, some will have normal snowcover and often trying to foot launch in ankle deep snow or deeper can be tricky, but launching with skis is fun and landing even more fun: the pilot needs to be a proficient skier!

The skiing

Towered by the famous Mont Blanc this huge area has more than 850kms of groomed ski runs plus numerous off-piste trails and the snow is reliably good from New Year to Easter.

The five Chamonix resorts have a choice of deep and steep skiing and snowboarding. There are many high mountain off-piste trails including the famous 'Vallée Blanche Glacier' a 20kms long ski run and within in the 'Les Grands Montets' resort, one of Europe's great off-piste areas.

Not far from our base are the excellent ski resorts of St Gervais, Megeve and Les Contamines that have the best selection of groomed pistes in the area. There are 450kms of linked ski runs plus numerous off-piste runs suiting all from the total beginner to the advanced skier or snowboarder.

Also, not so far from here is the excellent resort of Courmayeur in Italy and for a small extra charge we'll drive you through the Mont Blanc tunnel and show you around there!

You don't have to think about transport as our service includes this: collection and drop-off each day from your accommodation! If required, we can offer you private airport transfers!

All your own gear should include your paraglider/harness/helmet etc, your normal ski clothing, skis/boots etc, a balaclava and some good gloves but nothing too bulky as they need to fit into your brake handles! Please bring your licence, log book, instruments and radio if you have one. We have radios for hire if required. Our licensed radio frequency is 161,325. Don't forget your camera, vario or GPS computer cables so you can view your pictures on our equipment! Also don't forget the instrument instruction manuals!

In addition you require at least third party flying insurance and a holiday insurance that includes medical, repatriation and cancellation cover. European citizens should bring an EHIC card the European Health Insurance Card that entitles you to reduced-cost and sometimes free medical treatment if it becomes necessary while you're in a European Economic area (EEA) country.

JS Travel Insurance has good Paragliding holiday cover. JS Travel Insurance

The Cost for our Winter Fly Guiding service is 200 Euros a person per day. Ski pass costs are not included, sorry.

PLEASE NOTE: all dates require booking please see the Prices Page for booking details and terms. Go to the Availability Page to see if your prefered dates are available!

All charges shown are for in and around the Chamonix Valley, Plaine Joux, St Gervais/Megeve/Les Contamines and include transport to and from all the drive-to launch sites and all retrieves, but not the cable car costs, sorry! An additional charge of 40 Euros a day that covers extra transport costs is made for trips to places like Courmayeur. This cost is split between all clients in the minibus.

Contact us - Office: +33450545963 Mobile: +33 610634558 email: info@alpineflyingcentre.com