Schwarzseespitze – Rittner Horn

Schwarzseespitze – Rittner Horn sits at 2,049 m above the Renon/Ritten plateau near Bolzano in South Tyrol, one of the higher launches in the Italian Alps. Pilots reach the grass take-off either on foot (hike-and-fly) or via the cable car that serves the ridge, making it accessible for both a casual soaring lap and a full mountain flight. The site works with wind from the south-east through south to south-west and west, giving a fairly wide flyable window across a mountain day. Thermic conditions off the ridge support genuine cross-country flying, and the terrain also rewards pilots who simply want to soar the front face. Because it sits well above the valley floor, expect the usual high-altitude Alpine pattern: cool, often gusty air at launch that smooths out once thermals establish, and a longer retrieve if you fly away from the ridge. The designated landing is the Saltnerhütte field below; there is no official landing area at the cable-car valley station, so plan your approach and glide margins with that in mind well before you commit to the flight.

Launch & conditions

Grass take-off facing south-west at 2,049 m, reached by hiking up or riding the cable car onto the ridge.

Getting there & local rules

Hike-and-fly or cable car access from the Renon/Ritten plateau above Bolzano.

Check conditions before you fly

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