Paragliding Hautes-Alpes

Flying over the Écrins

Welcome to the Écrins, a hidden gem for paragliding over magnificent landscapes all year round. The superb high mountain setting offers a complete change of scenery. The valley provides an off the beaten path experience, paragliding into charming villages with numerous accommodation options. For non-paragliders, there are plenty of other activities to enjoy in the surroundings.

In the spring, summer, and autumn, you can take off from the Puy Aillaud paragliding site and land in Vallouise. You can also take off from the Pelvoux-Vallouise station, accessible by chairlift, all year round. In the winter the Puy Saint Vincent station also welcomes paragliders.

These takeoffs will allow you to 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 hike-and-fly from several sites in the area: the Blanche alpine pasture, the Salcette cross, La Condamine... Check out this all the available takeoffs here, and contact Pierre from "Pollen Parapente" school to learn about flying conditions.

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New paragliding take-offs

For the summer 2025, Pelvoux-Vallouise ski resort is opening its chairlifts, providing access to two new paragliding take-offs. Below are the opening days :

From July 7th - 13th : every Tuesday and Friday
From July 14th to August 24th : every Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday
From August 25th - 30th : every Tuesday and Friday

During this period, "Pollen Parapente" offers tandem flights every day when the weather permits. On Mondays, 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 over 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 meters peaks and their glaciers when regulations allow (from July 1 to October 31).

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.

Paragliding in Vallouise

The valley of Vallouise is protected from prevailing winds and hosts more than 300 days of sunshine per year! This makes it a very favorable site for free flying. Due to its perpedicularity to the Durance valley, the Vallouise valley enjoys a more moderate breeze, which allows pilots who are at the beginning of their progression to fly in calm conditions, but it is also an excellent site for learning thermal flying. Vallouise is a starting point for cross-country flights over long distances and is also a gateway to fly over the major peaks of the Écrins (some are over 4000 meters).

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 beautiful peaks of the Écrins National Park. You'll see the glaciers from a different perspective, creating everlasting memories.

Learning how to Paraglide

You have never flown before, or have tried it and want to push your practice further? Our state-certified professionals offer introductory and advanced courses to help you fly solo.

After reading these few lines, you surely want to try this discipline and take off 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 on paragliding courses with "Pollen Parapente" school:

Flying from a summit

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 mountain range!

After a magnificent mountaineering ascent, you will take off with a paragliding instructor 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 the flight, and includes a night in a mountain hut. The climb is supervised by a 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 (includes the flight, the accommodation and meals at the hut, as well as the 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 February 2025

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

Esprit Parapente, paragliding school and shop

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 during take-off and landing in varied conditions. The course is supervised by an instructor, but during the flight most decisions are taken independently by the pilot.

The territory of the Pays des Écrins is particularly well-suited to this type of course due to its grandiose mountain ambiance. This environment induces the pilots to 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.

Here is a video on the "Mental Management" paragliding course offered by "Esprit parapente":

Delphine offers a revision/repair workshop to take care of your wings in L'Argentière-La-Bessée (8 avenue Pierre Sainte). Paragliding wings are made of flexible structures and materials. As a result, the profile of the wing constantly changes which requires periodic checks to verify resistance, structural quality, and so on. This helps maintain the wing's original properties for optimal flight. Delphine and her team attend trainings in Switzerland to be able to provide the best technical repairs for your wing.

Find more information at this link.