Speikboden Startplatz 1

Speikboden Startplatz 1 launches from a meadow beside the Speikboden mountain station in South Tyrol, at 2,387 m facing southeast, and has grown into a serious cross-country launch — pilots have flown triangles well over 100 km from here, and the Puster Valley below offers a natural up-and-down XC line for shorter days. Landing is at the large, open Ahornach/Sand field, spacious enough to be forgiving on approach, with an information board on site. The Speikboden and Sonnklar cable cars run roughly mid-June through October and are free for pilots riding back down after a short flight or a scratchy day, which makes this an easy site to try again without much cost if the first attempt doesn't work out. It's a well-set-up launch for pilots aiming at real distance in the Dolomites.

Launch & conditions

Right beside the Speikboden mountain station, on a meadow. The cable car (mid-June to October) is free for pilots heading back down, so a short flight doesn't cost you a repeat trip up.

Check conditions before you fly

A forecast for the valley is not a forecast for the launch. Before heading to Speikboden Startplatz 1, 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 Speikboden Startplatz 1 with a 7-day forecast built from high-resolution weather models, see who else has been flying, and get there with offline maps.