Digne-les-Bains lies at the heart of the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence, where Provence meets the mountains. Its terrain, its sunshine and the Bléone valley make it particularly well suited to paragliding. At Digne Parapente we mainly use two sites: L'Andran in the morning and Courbons in the afternoon. Two take-offs close to Digne-les-Bains, but two very different ways of discovering free flight.
L'Andran: flying above Digne-les-Bains
Directly above the town, L'Andran is one of the emblematic paragliding sites of Digne-les-Bains.
Take-off sits at around 1,200 metres, for roughly 600 to 650 metres of vertical drop down to the valley. The terrain offers several orientations, which lets us adapt to the air of the day.
We mainly use it in the morning for our tandem flights. At that hour conditions are usually calmer, before the valley breezes and the thermal activity of the day set in. Once airborne you fly over Digne-les-Bains and the Bléone valley, with a clear view of the surrounding ridges and the southern Alps.
This is where we mostly fly our Biplace Découverte.
Biplace Découverte — €90
A flight of roughly 650 metres of vertical drop, offered mainly in the morning.
It lets you discover the sensations of paragliding and take in the landscape, usually in gentle conditions.
It suits anyone looking for a calm flight, children, and those who are a little apprehensive about their first time in the air.
- Slots: 8am, 9am, 10am and 11am
Courbons: gaining height in the thermals
In the afternoon the mood changes as thermal activity sets in. We head for Courbons, on the heights above the village of the same name.
The take-off, mainly south-west facing, is reached on foot. Several areas can be used depending on conditions, with about 30 minutes of walking in.
As the sun warms the slopes, thermals form. They let us stay up, gain altitude and, when conditions allow, move gradually away from take-off.
Courbons is also excellent ground for learning thermal flying and how to work your way along a ridge.
This is where we mostly offer our Biplace Ascension.
Biplace Ascension — €150
A flight of 45 minutes to an hour, depending on the air.
Unlike a simple glide down, here we use the lift to extend the flight and gain height.
As the flight goes on, the view opens onto Digne-les-Bains, the Bléone valley and the mountains of the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence.
No previous paragliding experience is needed to choose the Biplace Ascension.
- Main slot: 3pm
- Walk in: about 30 minutes
Two sites, two flying experiences
Morning at L'Andran and afternoon at Courbons are not simply two different flight durations. They are genuinely two experiences of paragliding.
At L'Andran we generally make the most of the calmer morning air to fly over Digne-les-Bains and work our way down to the valley.
At Courbons, the afternoon opens up thermal flying: finding the lift, climbing with it and extending the flight when conditions allow.
The choice therefore comes down to the experience you want, not to whether you have flown before.
Digne-les-Bains: ideal ground for learning to paraglide
The variety of terrain around Digne-les-Bains also makes it excellent ground for learning and progressing.
On our courses the site is chosen according to the weather, the air of the day and the teaching goals we have set.
That mobility lets pilots gradually discover different orientations, different conditions and different ways of approaching a site.
Depending on the weather and the level of the group, our courses may also take us to other sites in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence, notably Oraison, Moustiers-Sainte-Marie and the Verdon.
The aim is not to learn to fly on a single site, but to build the ability to observe, understand and adapt to different flying environments.
The weather always decides the site
Paragliding depends directly on the weather.
The sites and times described here are how we usually operate, but wind, valley breezes, thermal activity or a change in the forecast may lead us to move a time, choose another take-off or postpone the flight.
Safety always comes first.
The final meeting point is given to you when your flight is confirmed, according to the forecast conditions.
Come and fly above Digne
A tandem flight, or a course to learn to fly by yourself: both can be booked online.