HGFA Skysailor Magazine

SKY SAILOR 5 January | February 2019 We scratched our heads and went back down the mountain. After countless espressos, nights spent camping in orchards, a flat tyre and absolutely zero flying, we bit the bullet and coughed up some cash for the cable car in Malcesine. Overlooking the stunning Lago di Garda, the Monte Baldo launch is famous for acro training and SIV courses. The launch is acres of perfect grass, populated by dozens of local and foreign pilots ready to show us the way. We snacked on some incredible Italian gelati, discussed our imminent 45km cross-country flight with some locals before deciding it was time to get in the air. What actually ensued was a beautifully uneventful afternoon ridge session over the picturesque Lago di Garda. My highlight was watching two water bombers do multiple passes over a mountain forest fire and skimming the lake for refills. At sunset, we landed in strong valley winds on the tiny lakeside landing, at which point I was thankfull for the free life jackets supplied by the local Malscine flying club. A quick beer and sunset swim to wash off the last few days of vanlife, and we decided to get out of dodge. Car camping and general vagabond living was limited on the tiny coastline of the lake, not to mention the cable car had pricy tickets and hectic lines packed with tourists. We spent the night in a little orchard out of town before setting off to chase a hot tip from a local pilot to a magical place 45 minutes away, called Molveno. By mid-morning we were greeted by a fairytale mountain lake with pebbled beaches, overlooked by the very ominous Dolomiti di Brenta. We grabbed a one-week lift ticket for only 65 Euro, found some free waterfront real estate and settled in for a fantastic week of epic flying, beautiful lake swims and salami and gorgonzola dinners in our carpark villa. Several short but stunning flights ensued. We had a fantastic time over several days exploring the smaller mountains around the lake, below the ever present Dolomiti di Brenta, but we battled trying to ride the punchy and broken thermals to any kind of altitude. Every afternoon, we were pushing against the hard valley winds in the lakeside landing, overshadowed by ominous storm clouds behind us that seemed to ooze straight out of the towering rock faces. A couple of days in, Jindy had a series of wild collapses after take-off and snapped some previously damaged lines. With the remaining wing of questionable stability, he made a wise choice to land in the lake close to the beach. I took photos from the distance underestimating his dire situation. Chairlift in Molveno Jindy showing off his broken lines and drying his gear in Molveno Morgan at Molveno Small launch outside Arco Over Molveno