Digne-les-Bains sits against the first ridges of the Alps of Haute-Provence, where Provence meets the mountains. That is what makes the flying here: well-exposed wooded slopes, a wide valley to land in, and Provençal sunshine that gets thermals working for much of the year. Here is where we fly, and what you fly over.
Mont Cousson, our main site
Mont Cousson is the mountain overlooking Digne-les-Bains to the south-east, and most of our tandem flights and courses take off from its slopes. The site has everything a school asks for: a clear take-off, a large volume of air above the valley, and a wide landing field on the valley floor.
From the air the view opens onto the Bléone valley, the town of Digne, and on a clear day the summits of the southern Alps. Late-day flights, when the light rakes across the ridges, are the ones our passengers remember most.
[À COMPLÉTER] Technical site data for autonomous pilots (take-off altitude, orientations, landing altitude, local rules) — to be completed by the school.
Morning or afternoon: two different flights
On the same site, the time of day changes the flight completely. In the morning the air is calm and smooth: that is when we fly the Discovery tandem (€90), a glide down 650 m of vertical drop, ideal for a first time, for children, and for anyone slightly apprehensive.
In the afternoon the sun has warmed the slopes and thermals start working. That is the Ascension tandem (€150): 45 minutes to an hour of flight depending on conditions, gaining altitude, sometimes alongside birds of prey. Reaching that take-off involves roughly a 30-minute walk in.
- Morning slots: 8am, 9am, 10am and 11am
- Afternoon slot: 3pm
- Flying season: April to October, 7 days a week
Where do we meet?
The meeting point depends on the time of your flight, because the take-off we use changes with the conditions of the day. It is always given on your booking confirmation, with a Google Maps link.
- 8am and 9am flights: Champourcin
- 10am and 11am flights: Digne stadium
- Afternoon flights: Courbon
Flying further: the Verdon and the southern Alps
Digne is an ideal base from which to discover other air. Our advanced and thermal courses take students to other sites in the region, notably towards the Verdon, to learn to read different terrain and different conditions. That is one of the advantages of progressing here rather than on a single site.
And if the weather does not allow it?
Paragliding depends entirely on conditions. A flight can be called off on the morning itself, including once we are at the take-off, if the instructor judges the conditions unsuitable. If that happens you are offered a new date; if none suits, you are refunded in full. That rule is not negotiable: we do not take off just to please.
Come and fly above Digne
A tandem flight, or a course to learn to fly by yourself: both can be booked online.