Chianocco

Chianocco is Val di Susa's winter site — the south face of the mountain stays lit and workable when other launches are frozen out. It's also a great summer-evening option in stable clear weather, once the valley breeze has died down but the south face is still holding heat. Fly too late, though, and you'll have some tailwind at launch: do not launch with it. Takeoff sits a short 2-minute walk from the road connecting Chianocco to Pavaglione.

Launch & conditions

Reached by a 2 min walk from the road from Chianocco to Pavaglione. Big enough to open 3 gliders simultaneously. Do not launch late in the evening if a tailwind sets in at takeoff.

Getting there & local rules

1) From Turin on the SS25 state highway, reach the landing at Bruzzolo or the launch at Chianocco. 2) From highway (from Turin or Bardonecchia), take the Chianocco exit, follow signs to Chianocco village centre and continue up the road next to the bridge and church to reach launch. For landing, follow signs to Bruzzolo. Launch access: pass Frazione Combette, continue upward through 6 curves, then along the ~600 m straight, then two more curves — stop just after the second, and a small path enters the bushes to the west from the right-hand turn. Park along the road (coordinates 45.155169, 7.183293). Landing: field next to the logistics centre with parked trucks — parts of the field may be cultivated, and there is a small wire fence in the middle — check the LZ before flying.

Local rules & hazards

Do NOT fly in föhn winds. Check the forecast — and don't fly if a föhn or westerly wind is forecast to arrive within the next 6–12 hours (visible from the pressure difference between Italy and France on pressure charts).

Check conditions before you fly

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