Loutze

Loutze launches from 1,850 m in the Swiss Alps, workable specifically in southeast wind conditions, with the landing at Saillon down in the valley. This is a site where the honest answer is that most of the useful detail — the exact approach, the specific hazards — lives with local knowledge rather than in any written description, so treat a first visit here as one to do with, or after talking to, pilots who already know the site. What is worth flagging clearly: airspace in this part of Switzerland is genuinely complex, and the standard advice for any Swiss site applies doubly here — get the current airspace picture before you fly rather than assuming it's unrestricted. With only one clean wind direction to work with, timing your visit to match a southeast day matters more here than at sites with a wider spread.

Local rules & hazards

Airspace in this part of Switzerland is genuinely complex — get the current picture before you fly rather than assuming it's unrestricted.

Check conditions before you fly

A forecast for the valley is not a forecast for the launch. Before heading to Loutze, 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 Loutze with a 7-day forecast built from high-resolution weather models, see who else has been flying, and get there with offline maps.