Paragliding Hautes-Alpes

Fly over the Écrins

Welcome to the Écrins region, a hidden gem for paragliding over magnificent landscapes in any season. The high mountain setting is superb and offers a complete change of scenery. The valley for paragliding is off the beaten path, nestled in charming villages that offer numerous accommodation options. For non-paragliders, there are plenty of other activities to enjoy in the surroundings.

In spring, summer, and autumn, you can take off from the Puy Aillaud paragliding site and land in Vallouise, or from the Pelvoux-Vallouise station’s take-off site, accessible by chairlift, and set out to explore the Barre des Écrins and the beautiful surrounding snow-capped peaks—a guaranteed favorite. If you are an independent pilot, you can also go hike-and-fly on several sites in the area: the Blanche alpine pasture, the Salcette cross, La Condamine... You can contact Pierre from the "Pollen Parapente" school to learn about flying conditions.

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New feature

Pelvoux-Vallouise ski resort is opening its chairlifts, three times a week (Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday from July 8 to August 30 - except Wednesday, August 28), providing access to two new paragliding take-offs.

During this period, "Pollen Parapente" offers tandem flights every day when the weather permits. On Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, flights take off from the top of the Pelvoux-Vallouise station.

This site boasts a 1000-meter elevation difference, allowing pilots to enjoy calm conditions for a long flight to Vallouise in the early morning. It also facilitates thermal flying for more experienced pilots who wish to extend their flights. It becomes easier to ascend to the summit of La Blanche (3000m) and even fly over the 4000-meter peaks and their glaciers when regulations permit.

The Pelvoux landing site is reserved for school instructors flying tandem. The official and recommended landing site remains Vallouise, a 5-minute drive away.

The Pelvoux site is one of the very few free-flying sites in the French Alps where you can take a chairlift for a 1000-meter altitude flight. The whole family can even ride up and leisurely walk down along the trails of the Pelvoux station before swimming in the pool at the foot of the slopes.

In winter, two spots are available: the Pelvoux-Vallouise station and the Puy Saint Vincent station.

In the Écrins region, the weather is favorable for free flight thanks to a site protected from prevailing winds and with beautiful sunshine: 300 days of sunshine per year!

The Vallouise valley is perpendicular to the Durance valley, resulting in a more moderate breeze. It is possible to fly in calm conditions for pilots at the beginning of their progression. It is also an excellent site for learning thermal flying. Vallouise is a starting point for cross-country flights over long distances and also a gateway to fly over the major peaks of the Écrins (some at 4000 meters) from July 1 to October 31.

Paragliding in the Écrins area

Whether winter or summer, you can choose to try this activity in the resorts of the Écrins region, Puy Saint Vincent and Pelvoux-Vallouise. Flying over the Écrins region on a beautiful day is pure bliss!

Professionals are at your disposal to introduce you to the joys of free flight, allowing you to discover the area from the sky. Paragliding guarantees an unforgettable experience and brings you closer to the most beautiful peaks of the Écrins National Park. You'll see the glaciers from a different perspective, creating an everlasting memory.

Paragliding: You can learn It !

You have tried the activity and want to go further? Our state-certified professionals offer introductory and advanced courses to help you fly solo. The skies of the Écrins region will hold no secrets for you.

After reading these few lines, you surely want to try this discipline to feel like a bird. Feeling ready to spread your wings? Take the leap and come touch the skies of the Écrins with your fingertips.

Here is a video about a paragliding course with the "Pollen Parapente" school:

New feature 2024

This year, "Pollen Parapente" school offers a unique experience in the Écrins: tandem paragliding flights from one of the four legendary peaks of the Écrins massif!

After a magnificent mountaineering ascent, you will take off in a paraglider from the summit for an unforgettable flight down to the valley. Not only will you avoid the knee pain from hiking down, but you will also enjoy a unique experience to end your mountaineering adventure!

The peaks that allow paragliding takeoffs are:

Pelvoux 3946 m
Dôme des Écrins 4015 m
Roche Faurio 3619 m
Pic d'Arsine 3364 m

The ascent begins the day before to reach the refuge, and the climb is supervised by a high mountain guide. From the summit, the flight is conducted by a paragliding instructor. Some summits do not require prior mountaineering experience, only good physical condition.

Price: €300 per person for the flight + accommodation and meals at the refuge + half-board for the instructor.

Pierre and the entire team of instructors also offer:

Tandem flights: Poids Plume, Discovery and Thermals; Pelvoux (summit station); Écrins (flight near the 4000 m peaks); Mountaineering tandem (flight from a summit accessible by mountaineering)
Classic courses: Initiation, Improvement 1, Improvement 2, First Cross, hike-and-fly
Exceptional courses: Cross Écrins (distance flight for experienced pilots), Itinerant hike-and-fly (5 days in the mountains traveling by hiking and flying, with nights in refuges)
Trips: Andalusia in October 2024 or February 2025

For more information, contact Pierre at the "Pollen Parapente" school.

Esprit parapente

Here is a video of the paragliding course offered by Delphine Pille "Esprit parapente" with the theme: "Mental Management."

The territory of the Pays des Écrins is particularly well-suited to this type of course due to its grandiose mountain ambiance. This environment allows Delphine to focus the pilot's work on controlling and developing their mental skills.

Paragliding courses are offered in the spring from March to the end of June, and then from September to mid-November.

Paragliding Shop and Courses by "Esprit Parapente"

Delphine offers a revision/repair workshop to take care of your wings in L'Argentière-La-Bessée (8 avenue Pierre Sainte). The paragliding workshop has been open since mid-December 2022. Paragliding wings are made of flexible structures and materials. As a result, the profile changes and requires a check to verify resistance, structural quality, and so on. This helps maintain the wing's original properties for optimal flight. To achieve this, Delphine and her team trained in Switzerland. They also handle some repairs and will continue their training for more technical repairs.

Delphine offers several "Cross-country and Mental Management in Paragliding over the Écrins" courses. These courses aim to support participants in their decision-making, helping them to make the "right" decision at the right time. This is a skill that can be developed, and there is a methodology for progressing in this area. These mental preparation courses are intended for pilots with at least a basic pilot license. Participants must be autonomous in takeoff and landing in varied conditions. The course is supervised by an instructor, so there is a phase of the flight where the pilot makes decisions independently.