Monte Musinè

A quiet, walk-up site on the eastern crest of Monte Musinè, looking out over the village of Caselette and its monastery at the mouth of the Susa valley. It is rarely frequented, because usable thermals are difficult to find here and there is little in the way of dynamic soaring — the exception being late spring, before the Susa valley breeze gets strong enough to blow the thermals away. Most of the pilots who fly it use it as a way down after trekking to the Musinè summit, or simply for a beautiful autumn glide.

Launch & conditions

The take-off is a fairly inclined, smooth field on the eastern crest of the mountain, facing south. A flag installed at the launch also serves as a windsock. Note that take-off lies just before the point where the path passes underneath the high-voltage power line — a little below it.

Getting there & local rules

From Turin, either take any road to Alpignano and follow the signs for Susa or Caselette, or leave the ring road at the Statale 24 exit and do the same. Once in Caselette, follow the signs to the central market square, take the small road to the left of the monastery park and follow it for 200 m to the parking area. The path towards Monte Musinè starts there, and it is roughly a 30 to 40 minute walk up to take-off.

Local rules & hazards

There is an airfield nearby whose circuit is always on the west side, towards the mountains, at 700 ft above ground level — so be aware of light aircraft traffic. Do not fly towards Turin beyond the town of Rivoli: the international airport's control zone and another airfield's traffic zone begin roughly there. Do not fly in a strong westerly, and especially not in foehn conditions — foehn can take you by surprise, appearing out of nowhere in half an hour and producing up to 70 km/h of very turbulent wind. There is no official landing site; the fields around are the practical option, so check them before going up to avoid surprises, avoid landing on cultivated land or among livestock, and be polite if you meet the landowner. After take-off, the route is east around the ridge, then over the church and on to the landing.

Check conditions before you fly

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