Pla d'Adet

Pla d'Adet sits above Saint-Lary in the French Pyrenees at 1,630 m, on a north-east face served by the ski resort cable car — no hike, no shuttle, drive or ride to launch. It's a classic breeze-and-thermal site: slope breeze early, dynamic soaring in northerlies, then valley thermals building over the Aure valley when the sun swings around. The setting is high-mountain and open, with a clean grassy takeoff and a long descent line to the plain below. Best when the meteo wind is anything but southerly — a south wind here punches over the ridge and rots the air on the flying face. Locals treat it as a place to fly early or in the evening in summer, when the mid-day thermals get muscular. The federal landing sits below in Vignec.

Launch & conditions

Grassy launch facing north-east at ~1,600 m, accessible via the Saint-Lary cable car or the resort road. Keep clear of the cable-car cables and the EDF power lines on the flanks.

Getting there & local rules

Cable car from Saint-Lary (open winter and summer) or drive up the resort road. The FFVL landing is in Vignec — take the Thermes road and turn right after the bridge; land only on the marked ground, not in neighbours' fields.

Local rules & hazards

South wind is dangerous here — do not fly it. Watch for cable-car and power-line hazards near launch, and expect strong afternoon breeze in summer that can turn landings sporty. A phone line runs along the edge of the landing road.

Check conditions before you fly

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