Paragliding in Austria (mid-April)

Posted by lemon.illusion on 03/17/15 07:07 PM

Hi!

My boyfriend and I are looking for some adventures in Austria. We'll be there from April 15 through 22 (flying into and out of Milan, and renting a car to get around). Does anyone have recommendations on where to paraglide? I have been inundated with many, many websites advertising tandem paragliding and just wanted to hear any personal stories. So far I'm focusing on Tyrol and Salzburg - but mostly just want it to be super scenic. Cost is not nearly an issue (as this will be a splurge activity).

Thanks!

Posted by steve

troy, ny

03/17/15 09:11 PM

660 posts

I have not paraglided in Austria, but I did i did in Switzerland last September and it was awesome gliding over mountains, lakes, and villages. My pilot let me steer and turn a few times. The pictures and videos are one of my most cherished souvenirs from the visit. You will love it. Enjoy!!

Posted by David

Huntsville, AL, USA

03/19/15 05:08 PM

8346 posts

Why don't you consider soaring in a regular glider in The Alps? Innsbruck used to have a bunch of gliders operating out of their airport, and they were quite a sight to see. For Paragliding, see:

http://www.tyrol.tl/en/sport-offers/paragliding-hanggliding.html

Posted by Tom

Danville, VT

03/19/15 10:47 PM

12040 posts

My guess is to look at some of the ski resort towns that have more sizeable year-round populations, like Innsbruck or Kitzbühel. Most of the tourist infrastructure in the Alps shuts down temporarily in April, but I have on occassion seen paragliding in that month in the Berner Oberland in Switzerland, at least. One of the issues you'll face is that, obviously, you need to start the flight from a high altitude. Many of the ski lifts don't run in April, and the conditions are not yet suitable for hiking to the mountain summits.

Posted by Edgar

Medford, OR, USA

03/19/15 11:36 PM

5837 posts

Red Bull International's headquarters is on the outskirts of Salzburg:
http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Red_Bull_Headquarters_1_(DFdB).JPG

Posted by Kent

US Pacific Northwest

03/19/15 11:38 PM

10344 posts

What's your plan for getting up to a suitably high launching altitude given the conditions in April (that are pointed out in an above post)?

Posted by lemon.illusion OP

03/20/15 12:17 AM

2 posts

Hi all, thanks for your help so far!

I am aware that it will be April and that many (if not all?) lifts be closed... hence why I am asking around to see if anyone has specific suggestions! There are many websites that advertise winter tandem paragliding so I figured that somewhere in the country, it's being done. One operator has gotten back to me so far and said they are limited in options but are still offering it. Beyond that, I don't have enough experience with how Austria operates in April to know how to best get around.

Posted by Edgar

Medford, OR, USA

03/20/15 01:22 AM

5837 posts

We enjoyed XC skiing in the Tyrol Firberbrunn area. Fieberbrunn was a two hour regional train ride from Salzburg.

Fieberbrunn Januar 2010 Tandem-Gleitschirm-Flug Helmkamera (Paragliding ...: https://youtu.be/0JRWwlLIAUA

Its spring skiing now:
https://www.j2ski.com/snow_forecast/Austria/Fieberbrunn_PillerseeTal_snow_report.html
0.5 to 1.2 meters now. The next snow forecast for Fieberbrunn - PillerseeTal is 3cm, expected to fall on Saturday 21st March 2015, down to around 1,200m.

Try corresponding with the local paragliding club for season and conditions:
http://www.fly-tirol.at/index.php
They were flying as Iate as October/November last year.