Puntallana

Puntallana is a ridge-soaring site on La Palma in Spain's Canary Islands, launching at about 437 m in northeast or east wind. Takeoff is a pleasant meadow next to a set of communication antennas, marked with a windsock as of 2019 — a helpful, current wind read right at launch. You'll need at least 12 km/h of wind to soar the ridge here, and it's worth knowing that north wind tends to make the area turbulent, so that's a direction to treat with more caution. Getting to launch is the harder part: the access road is a rough dirt track needing 4WD for the last stretch, likely impassable when wet, and the route itself is tricky enough to find that having directions or photos in hand helps. Once you're set up, though, it's a straightforward ridge-soaring spot with a clear minimum-wind guideline to work from.

Launch & conditions

Takeoff is a meadow next to communication antennas, marked with a windsock (as of 2019); at least 12 km/h of wind is needed to soar the ridge, and north wind tends to make the area turbulent.

Getting there & local rules

The access road is a rough dirt track needing 4WD for the last stretch, likely impassable when wet, and the route is tricky to find without directions.

Check conditions before you fly

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