Written by: Jeff Shapiro
6/18/2009 11:52 AM 

Just like last year, we had a crazy reintroduction to European travel and flying. Zippy and Katie met us at the airport in Dusseldorf and after working out the last minute details in regards to the team van, we were on our way with the intention of making it to Chamonix. The drive brought back so many memories from last year. Just like our all nighter to France from Greifenburg, we swapped driver duties and made it in good style to Chamonix around 2am. After a very difficult couple of hours sleep in the van, we woke to sunny skies and glaciated mountains overlooking the village. I can tell when I am in a place that has magic in it. There are many beautiful places in the world but a few stand out. I felt the same way the first time I visited Yosemite. Walking around the streets in Chamonix and looking at the mountains that I have dreamed of flying and climbing in since childhood seemed like a dream. We found the local paraglider LZ and inspected/ rebuilt our gliders after the flight from the States and got sorted to find the best flexwing site in the area, Plain Joux. Just like our lucky day in Greifenburg last season, we had perfect conditions and climbed out in smooth lift, gaining enough height to scan the entire range and some. We took a tour of the valley and stayed a group of three, laughing our guts out while taking video and photos of the Mont Blanc Massif. We landed after around an hour and a half, broke down and drove until 11:30pm to Laragne.




After a much needed sleep, we went to the "peoples market" and shopped for fresh veggies and supplies. I love the culture here. The romantic town of Laragne was full of happy people out enjoying life. Conditions for the day were forecast to be good and although Jeff, Dustin, Zippy and I got a much later start than most, we headed up the hill with promising clouds popping over the mountains in all directions. We stayed a group of four, climbing and gliding together north toward the Aspes launch and Peak De Bur. I really enjoyed the going with our group. Flying with Jeff, Dustin and Zippy in a place like the Haute Alps was yet another life highlight that won't be forgotten. On a fast glide back to the LZ in Laragne, we spent a few minutes getting rained on directly over Ceuse (a famous sport climbing area) which made the last part of the flight around the mountains kind of surreal. Pure beauty, pure bliss;-)


On our way to Aspes


On our way back;-)

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