Stöfflerberg

Stöfflerberg is a paragliding and hang-gliding site in Austria, suited to both soaring on the ridge and thermal flying, at around 1,131 m and flying in southwest wind. The launch is a moderately steep meadow — not a flat walk-up, but not an especially technical takeoff either — shared by both hang gliders and paragliders, so expect mixed traffic on a good day. Landing is at a large meadow at the foot of the slope, east of the village of Kirchbach, which gives plenty of room to work with on approach. Being suited equally to soaring and thermalling means the site offers something on both marginal ridge-soaring days and stronger thermic ones, rather than needing one specific type of day to be worthwhile. As with any shared hang-glider and paraglider site, keep a particular eye out for the other type of aircraft in the air, since the two fly noticeably different speeds and turn radii.

Check conditions before you fly

A forecast for the valley is not a forecast for the launch. Before heading to Stöfflerberg, read the wind and thermals for the site itself, confirm the day's rules with the local club, and remember the standing rule — when in doubt, don't launch. In the free OutDare app you can open Stöfflerberg with a 7-day forecast built from high-resolution weather models, see who else has been flying, and get there with offline maps.