Gourdon

Gourdon sits 20 km inland from the French Riviera as the crow flies, on a ridge topping out at 1,250 m — a genuinely year-round site thanks to the sea breeze that adds dynamic lift to the local thermals. Two south-east-facing takeoffs step up the ridge (upper is slightly bigger); convergence often sets up right over the site, and cross-country days are possible in every season. The SE orientation lets you launch early, and locals routinely leave Gourdon to reach Col de Bleyne just as that site starts working. You can drive right to takeoff on a rough track and top-land — one of the reasons Gourdon is both convenient and very popular. It gets crowded at weekends, and hitching back up is usually easy.

Launch & conditions

L'Embarnier — a SE-facing rugged ridge with two takeoffs: a small one right next to the parking (with a big rock in its midst) and a larger, easier one reachable by a short walk up the ridge.

Getting there & local rules

Drive carefully up the rough track directly to the takeoffs. Landings: Domaine de St. Ambroise, a small private field east of takeoff with a windsock at the lower end (~30 min walk back up); Valettes below Bar-sur-Loup, usually unreachable in summer valley wind but a common winter sled-ride landing (suitable for HGs); and top-landing on the upper takeoff (easy), the parking takeoff (tricky), or on the old Roman track behind the parking. The Valettes landing owners do not want speed flyers there.

Local rules & hazards

Site is below the Nice Airport airspace — ceiling FL65, stay below 2,000 m. More prohibited airspace (Nice and Cannes CTRs) lies towards the sea, south of the Valettes landing. Turbulent in strong northerly meteo wind; southerly reinforces the sea breeze. Spring and summer conditions typically get quite strong at midday. Outlandings are tricky — the area to the south is urbanised.

Check conditions before you fly

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