Chia

Chia is an easy, forgiving Sierra de Gredos site above the Corneja valley — a favourite for evening ridge soaring when restitution kicks in, and the go-to alternative when the wind is over the back at nearby Peña Negra early in the day. It is common to go over the back from Chia and find convergence with the anabatic wind up the face of the Piedrahita range, and cross-country flights have reached Salamanca and Ciudad Rodrigo. The site is not busy, but essential on stronger south-east days when Peña Negra doesn't come on — those days usually give beautiful evening flying here.

Launch & conditions

Altitude 1,800 m ASL, 400 m top-to-bottom, orientations S and SE. South-east launch: in the bowl facing ESE, park by the water container and walk 80 m up to a large grassy launch with easy top-landing. Southerly launch: follow the track out of the bowl to the main south face — a very shallow grassy area that is safe and easy for top-landing.

Getting there & local rules

Drive up the Chía pass from the Piedrahita (Corneja) valley through Villafranca and Navacepedilla de Corneja. About 50 m after the pass, take the forest road on the right — it leads to both launches. Landings: in front of the south launch is a wide, flat area of large unfenced fields — the football pitch is the usual target. From the SE takeoff you sometimes don't reach the pitch; a suitable landing sits next to the road going down.

Local rules & hazards

Chia can take a lot of southerly wind safely because the slightly rising grazing land behind reduces rotor. Often flyable when the Piedrahita valley is low-cloud or raining. It's a workable option when the day starts to overdevelop (CBs usually form elsewhere) — but land when they get big, because they can break into the Chía valley. Beware strong-wind, strong-thermal mid-afternoon combinations here.

Check conditions before you fly

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