SAFA Skysailor Magazine

14 SKY SAILOR September | October 2019 I had flown most of the French and some of the Swiss sections before, but none of the Italian or Austrian parts of this route. How- ever, I was keen to link it all together and complete the full length of the Alps in one epic journey. Planning My most limiting factor was time. With only three weeks scheduled, my priority was to always utilise a decent launch on flyable days to maximise the flying potential. I embraced the cable car nearly as much as I did the French boulangerie for breakfast. I was also happy to hitch or catch transport to get to my next launch each afternoon or morning if need be. I didn’t feel the need to be purist and avoid all transport, the endless hike with a big pack is fine when the weather is great and you’re not doing much of it, but a killer on average flying days when you are stuck on foot. I wasn’t aiming to hike the Alps, but to fly them. Researching my trip over a number of months, I had found only a couple of accounts of similar jour- neys, hopefully I can share some useful information for anyone wanting to do something similar. To that end, I am describing the more memorable days that were representative of the overall trip and the general philosophy and planning for this kind of flying adventure. I flew a lightweight EN-C, an Alpina 3, a lower aspect wing than I normally fly, and a wing I felt I could be well on top of when conditions got real. Pilgrimage – A Solo Alpine Traverse The plan was simple: Traverse the length of the Alps from Nice on the Mediterranean coast to Slovenia, and fly as much of the route as possible. With no fixed plan or route and a three- week time window for a solo, self-contained adventure across a 1000km line. by Gavin Zahner