Gerlitzen

Ossiacher See is situated in southern Austria, only few kilometers far from Villach and I think this is one of the best places to practice above water. It’s easily accessible by motorways (A10, A11, A2).

You can leave the car in Annenheim, at the station of the „Kanzelbahn” cable car, or 1 km away, in the camping’s parking, next to the landing zone. Take the „Kanzelbahn” than the „Gipfelbahn” cable cars to the Gerlitzen peak (1911). It takes about 25 minutes. The top is also reachable by car, but the road is pretty long (about 40 minutes and you have to pay). The take off site is very big, smooth and grassy. Exept northern winds, you can start to any directions. The height difference is 1400 meters and you can reach the lake about 8-900 meters high by a glide.

The cloudbase is usually only few hundred meters above the peak and the thermals are also not the best, of course you can stay up, but for thermalling there some better places around.

The South Karintien region is very protected and has a nice microclimate which many times allows you to fly even when it’s not possible anywhere else in Austria. The dominating valley wind is coming from the East. If there’s West wind, that’s not too good, because the wind can be easily too strong at the top and it can be also the first sign that the foehn is coming. West wind is also pushes you back to the lake, and not to the diretion of the landing field, so you have to take care to stop the training in time and go to land in head wind (there are some trees between the lake and the landing field).

The landing area is on the lakeside (see the picture), next to the campings. There are two fields, one belongs to the local flying school, the other to the commerial tandem companies. You can land on both of them, but acro piltos are welcomed in the last one.
But do not land anywhere else (especially in the camping, because the boss will be angry!).

It’s strictly forbidden to climb up above 2100 meters ASL because of the Klagenfurt TMA.

Links: Gerlitzen.com