AUGUST
SPAIN
PIEDRAHITA
THE LURE Europe’s flatland mecca! A laid back Spanish village, a tarmac road to a groomed launch and you can ping off into some of the finest big distance XC skies in the world. Hit the fabled convergence and you can be a long way from home very quickly. Piedrahita is one of the world’s most reliable XC competition venues and host to the next FAI World Paragliding Championships.
THE SET UP Piedrahita is a small, ancient town on the edge of the Castillian tablelands where they abruptly rise up to the Gredos mountains. It is in the perfect spot to latch onto the 300+ km convergence line that sets up here. A lively market town, Piedrahita doubles in population during August when it hosts a series of fiestas. The principal launch, Peña Negra, is directly above the town and easily reached in 20 minutes by tarmac road. It faces NW yet the shallow slope of the mountain allows heating and thermals from late morning.
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Classic XC flying can be had from April to the end of September with the most booming conditions from mid June towards the end of July. August tends to be very reliable, but with a later start (the inversions break later)… not so bad for those dedicating themselves to late nights and fiestas! The classic route follows the N-110 highway towards the NE in the flatlands and parallel to the mountains. A flight of 50 km eastwards to the medieval walled city of Avila is a regular run for even inexperienced XC pilots, and 100 km out-andreturns and even 200+ km open distances are regularly achievable. Fast and easy access makes for quick re-flights and the big smooth magic air that sets up over the valley on most evenings is the prefect antidote to anyone feeling blue because of an early bomb out. Although famed for long distance flatland flying there is also great potential for mountain flying in the Gredos mountains to the west and south. However, be aware that the area is isolated and bombing out can involve lengthy retrieves.
Cross Country Magazine Travel Guide 2010-11 / www.xcmag.com