DESTINATIONS
200K DAY... GRENTE ALM
W
hile 100km flights are achievable for most XC pilots, a 200km FAI triangle is something much bigger, and puts you in an exclusive club of well-accomplished XC pilots. With more than 500 200km flights a year in recent years Grente, in the NE Italian Alps, is one of the best places in the world to try this – if not the best. Why? Grente (full name Grente Alm – Alm meaning mountain pasture) has no gondola or road access. Instead, it requires a dawn start and a 1,000m hike to get to it. From the Grente Alm hut at 2,000m it is 1.5km on a small path to get to the take-offs above the treeline. There are several good spots between 2,200-2,350m. On a promising day – light wind (single-digit), N to NW wind, which means drier conditions and higher cloudbase – top pilots from the eastern Alps and beyond flock here. There can be 150 pilots on launch, although crowding is not a problem. Fortunately, as everybody
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has walked up, you will find a nice sense of camaraderie among the pilots. On my first visit I was shocked at how early pilots got ready. Watching them launch at 9.30am I was convinced they would bomb out and land 200m below. But I was wrong. They immediately found a thermal and off they went. The race was on!
Turnpoint 1
What makes the Grente triangle so special is its ideal exposure to the sun along the entire route, the fact that you don’t start at one of the turnpoints, and the unique final glide. As soon as you launch you head east, passing the wild alpine scenery of the glaciated Rieserferner Group. When traversing Staller Sattel, the border between Austria and Italy with its beautiful Lake Obersee at 2,000m, get as high as possible, so you don’t come in too low when reaching Am Putzen, where you search for the next thermal. Following the peaks above the Defreggen Valley often turns into a race – on
CROSS COUNTRY TRAVEL GUIDE 2020 TYROL
a good day you will be dolphining along with high average speed. Now you have to decide where to set your first turnpoint. Slightly northeast of Zunig (the last peak in the Defreggen ridge); after the traverse of the Isel Valley at Rotenkogel or slightly north of it; or even near Großglockner (3,798m). In any case, the Isel Valley traverse looks more challenging than it actually is.
Turnpoint 2
After your first turnpoint you will turn back on yourself and head west for a long time – almost 100km! The first part is identical to your first leg. Before traversing back to Staller Sattel try to get as high as you can. Don’t think of your average speed, just get high! By the time you arrive at Staller Sattel for the second time, the thermals will be stronger and, particularly with west wind, Staller Sattel can turn into an uncomfortable spot. When back at Schwarze Wand (Black Wall, 3,000m), the major summit to the
