The Asia Vulture Crisis: The Paragliding Competition
Nepal Paragliding Championships 2006
19th January - 23rd January
Location: Pokhara, Nepal
Cradled between India to the south and Tibet to the North and roughly the size of Austria and Switzerland, Nepal forms a rectangle on the southern slopes of the Himalaya, and is without exception, the most stunning country imaginable. With an amazing variety of ethnic groups and cultures; of landscapes which change from tropical jungle to high glacial peaks within a distance of 150 km, it is easy to see why travellers have always been drawn to this Himalayan Kingdom.
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| Sarankot, the main flying site |
The main area for flying in Nepal is the Annapurna region, more specifically the Pokhara valley. This lakeside town is Nepal's second "city", nestled at the foot of the Annapurna Himal, the views commanded from here, of 3 of the worlds 8000m peaks, are unsurpassed. At an altitude of 800m ASL the subtropical climate means that, year round, it is short and T-shirt weather. The micro-climate of the valley makes it an ideal area for flying.
The comp headquarters are located in the Sunrise Paragliding offices in Pokhara, the beautiful lakeside town 150km west of Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal. Located in a broad valley at 800m, the reliable climate of this region allows consistent and friendly conditions for the paraglider pilot. It is not surprising that in a few short years Pokhara has gained the reputation amongst pilots from around the globe as flying heaven.
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| Trucking to the next thermal |
There are several sites around Phew Tal (the lake) but the most accessible and therefore the launch for the competition is Sarangkot (1500m ASL). A view point 700m above Pokhara, it is unique in that it has a road running to the top. Cut out of the slope is a 45m by 45m clearing. With regular cycles providing easy reverse launches, you could not ask for a more picturesque site. With the lake 2000ft below, the mountains behind, and the unlimited potential for XC and out and returns, this has quickly become the main site for the area, and many pilots have based themselves in Pokhara for the season, flying from this mountain alone.
Format:
The emphasis is on a safe and fun competition. Open to all levels of pilots.
In previous years we have attracted a range of pilots from world champions to first comp pilots. Whatever you ability or experience we want the pilots to enjoy themselves.
The comp will be divided into 3 categories with prices for the winners of each class and for the overall winner.
Category |
DHV |
Anfor |
CEN |
1 |
1 and 1/2 |
Standard |
A,B |
2 |
2 |
Performance |
C |
3 |
Open |
Comp |
D |
The tasks will set so that they start easy and progressively get harder as the comp progresses. The idea is get as many completing the tasks as possible
Getting Here:
Several airlines fly direct to Kathmandu, including:-
Qatar Airlines
Gulf Airways
Austrian Air
Aeroflot
Biman Bangladesh
Alternatively you can fly direct to Delhi and then hop on a local flight to Kathmandu.
Virgin Atlantic
British Airways
Emirates
Once you arrive in Kathmandu you can either fly to Pokhara, a 30 min flight, $60 or take a 7 hour bus $5
Accomodation:
There are many good, clean and cheap hotels in Pokhara, that do not need reservations. This range in price from 2-10 Euro a night.
Below we have listed the best hotels in their category.
2 star Hotel Blue Heaven www.pokhara-hotel-nepal.com
3 star Barahi www.barahi.com
4 star Shangri-la Village www.hotelshangrila.com
We have special deals with these hotels, so please contact us if you wish to book.
Cost: $40
We are fortunate to be well sponsored this year so there will be a donation to Bird Conservation Nepal and the Vulture rescue project.
includes:-
- Entry to Nepal Open 2006
- Daily transport to launch
- Retrieves
- Comp T-shirt
- End of comp party, free dinner and drink
Go to the Competition entry form
