Motta Naluns (Schuls/ Scuol)

Motta Naluns sits above Scuol in the Lower Engadine at over 2,100 m, with two launches a short walk from the gondola station and in sight of it. It is a serious cross-country site: pilots work the valley in both directions from here, and in the right conditions the big triangles reach into Italy and Austria. Getting up is easy when the lifts are running, and there are reduced and multi-ride tickets for pilots; outside the ski season it is a two-hour hike from Scuol, or an hour and a half from Ftan if you take the bus. The two things that decide a day here are airspace and föhn. Swiss airspace takes real homework, doubly so if you plan to head east into Austria, and föhn conditions can shut the launch down entirely, often arriving after midday.

Launch & conditions

Two takeoffs, both very close to the gondola station and visible from it, facing the eastern through southern arc. Top landing is straightforward.

Getting there & local rules

Gondola up from Scuol, with reduced and multi-ride tickets available for pilots. Once the lifts close at the end of the ski season they do not run again until well into May: it is then about two hours on foot from Scuol, or around an hour and a half and 400 m of climbing from Ftan, which is reachable by bus. Landing anywhere east of Ftan leaves a short walk back to the car.

Local rules & hazards

Swiss airspace is complicated here and you should gather everything you can before flying, including the current active danger areas; if you are heading east into Austria beyond Landeck and Zams, check that airspace separately. Föhn is the main hazard, and northerly wind can make the launch unusable — it often sets in after midday. The official landing is west of the village with two windsocks, near the gondola, parking and station, but it turns turbulent when the valley wind is strong, in which case land east of the village instead.

Check conditions before you fly

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