Gourdon is the home site of Ozone, BGD and SupAir’s test teams – and for good reason. Only 20km or so from the sea it provides thermic conditions even when the hills behind are snowbound.
The site sits above the village and is top driveable in a normal car, although care should be taken on the dirt track. Being very popular it is usually easy to hitch up and in winter you will find a host of languages being spoken on launch.
The main landing is about 5km out in the main valley although there are bomb-out options closer. From the launch ridge you can make easy transitions east to Courmette and then on towards Vence, although landings become sparse.
With a reasonable climb you can head over the back to Gréolières and the huge south face of the Cheiron. Convergence can often help you get back to the front ridge to close your triangle.
Photo: Marcus King
This appeared in the 2016 Travel Guide as part of Golden Ticket, a collection of sites where the Alps touch the Mediterranean on the Cote d’Azur and you’ll find spectacular year-round flying.
