Auron

Auron is a mountain village about 90 km NNW of Nice, popular as a winter ski resort and sitting in a pocket just outside the Parc National du Mercantour. It's just south of Saint-Étienne-de-Tinée on the D2205. The main launch, Cime de la Berchia at 2,270 m, is a proper high-altitude takeoff reachable in winter by cable car and by rough track in summer — genuine cross-country potential from here. Aerial sports are banned inside the Mercantour national park itself (unless you're more than 1,000 m above ground) — know the border. Cable cars run all winter and again in July and August.

Launch & conditions

Cime de la Berchia, 2,274 m — reached by cable car from Saint-Étienne-de-Tinée or by rough track from Auron. Las Donnas, reachable by cable car from Auron, sits on the south side — morning N/E launches let you land in the Auron valley; once it turns thermic you're on the south face, easy to end up in the small village of Roya (served by the D61) — arrange a retrieve before you commit.

Getting there & local rules

From Nice, exit the A8 at Saint-Isidore onto the N202. Follow it north (towards Digne) until it joins the D2205 at the entrance to the Gorges de la Mescla. Continue on the D2205 (signposted Isola and Auron) all the way to Auron and Saint-Étienne-de-Tinée. Landing: in the fields below the Auron campsite at 1,600 m.

Local rules & hazards

Paragliding and other aerial sports are banned within the Parc National du Mercantour unless you're more than 1,000 m above the ground — know the borders. Cable cars run all winter plus July and August.

Check conditions before you fly

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