Pila – Plan Praz

Pila – Plan Praz is a Valle d'Aosta launch reached by the Aosta cable car, with the take-off just 1 minute walk below the Plan Praz cableway station (second intermediate stop). The 1,505 m launch has an unusually wide wind window — N, NE, E, SE, S, SW and NW — and is oriented toward the tower. The LZ is the so-called 'green area' down in the valley, with green circles and an asphalted running track around it. IMPORTANT: a high-tension power line crosses the west fraction of the landing field — it is pretty high but barely visible from the air. First-time pilots should visit the LZ on the ground before flying. Lose altitude on one of the sides and enter the field only on base and final legs.

Launch & conditions

Just 1 minute walk below the Plan Praz cableway station. Take off toward the tower. The generous wind window (N through NW clockwise around) makes this a good day-picker.

Getting there & local rules

Take the cableway from Aosta (behind the railway station) and get off at Plan Praz station — the 2nd intermediate stop. The take-off is 50 m toward the valley on the western side of the cables. Cableway operates 8:00–18:00 in summer; single ride €3. From LZ back to the cableway station: about 45 minutes' walk, or bus line 5 (departures at :18 and :48 of every hour, €1 from the driver).

Local rules & hazards

The landing site is on the edge of the Aosta airport ATZ — do NOT fly east of the imaginary line connecting take-off and landing. The airport circuit is over Aosta and is also used by glider traffic on final; the airspace must be strictly respected. Do not fly with strong northerlies or föhn — extremely turbulent and dangerous. Avoid the central valley in summer afternoons — the valley breeze is often too strong for paragliders. The high-tension power line across the west of the LZ is the landing hazard to plan around.

Check conditions before you fly

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