11 June 2021: Hike and Fly AreopolisThe Hike and Fly discipline (H&F)In paragliding, there are different diciplines:
XC = Cross Country, also in contest to get the most far distance, sometimes in a certain time
AL = Accuracy Landing, contest to land precise on a 20cm disc in a 2,5m circle
Acro = contest to make prercise acrobat figures in the air
Free flight = most relaxed and NO contest. Drive up the mountain, to have a prepared grass take off, easy flight and predicted landing zone. Take off and landing most nice grass (or gravel). Mostly made for tourist pilots or saloon pilots...
H&F = Hike and fly = Walking up the mountain and then, after a rest (!) to find a place to take off an fly down again.
H&F is popular in the alps. Experienced pilots start in the France Alps, fly East towards Switzerland and then North-Italy or Austria or Slovenia. Some take 2 weeks for that!
They fly some hours per day, then they land on a field near a “Berghütte”, what is an Alpine hostel for alpine hikers-climbers. Then they look for a take off place and start again for the next trip. Some diplo pilots have also tent and bivouac material with them and stay overnight somewhere in the mountains!
What I did here is a pour derivate from that! Walking up a mountain, going to a more or less prepared take off and a flight over Areopolis and landing on a known but non-prepared field. It was anyway chalenging, with 10 Kg on the back, and to find the right track, what was not allways easy.
On the top I have taken a rest, some food and drinks, and then a relaxed flight over Areopolis. Fortunately the wind was still OK for take off. If not, I had to walk down on the dirt road on the backside of the mountain, … or to call a friend to pick me up there!
Enjoy the pictures!
BTW, I had only my cheap Casio watch: easy readable, light and if damaged by rocks or stones, no problem.
Next come the flying pictures!
