Dent de Crolles, 2,062m,
Saint-Hilaire-du-Touvet, France
This is a classic hike-and-fly for hundreds of pilots at the annual Coupe Icare festival in St Hilaire. I was at my ninth Coupe Icare in 2016 and have done it several times. Most pilots start high, at the Col du Coq, where there is parking. The hike takes one to two hours and is straightforward, but you will need proper boots and be prepared to scramble a little. At the top, dramatic cliffs drop for 600m below you to the South Launch is usually to the N or W; the cliff launch can be intimidating. The flight down takes 30 minutes, with lots of landing options. Watch for airspace rules during the festival. In the right wind you can soar here, or head along the cliffs and thermal. You probably won’t land by the car, so having a driver is good.
Difficulty: 3/5
Ascent: 600m hike up, 1,500m flight down
Time needed: two hours
Wind direction: N, W, E
Photo: Paul Guschlbauer
Originally published in the 2017 Travel Guide, as part of a series of adventure pilot Paul Guschlbauer’s favourite mountains for hike-and-fly. You can find the others in the series, here
