Author: Uroš Sobočan

Flying over the Alps is a special challenge because of the specific weather conditions that come along with the flight. The difference between a “normal” flight and a flight over the alps is also in the altitude the balloon needs to fly at to safely fly over the Alps. The flight needs an altitude of 2500 and 3000 meters above sea level, sometimes even 3500 meters for a shorter period of time. The flight usually lasts between two and a half to three hours, whereas a normal flight lasts about an hour. The take off is usually at Rateče, Planica but the landing area depends on the wind, somewhere between Planinsko polje and Vipavska dolina. We cannot do these flights all year, because of their duration, so they mainly take place during winter, from November to March. What makes these flights so special? When you fly over the Slovenian Alps, you see almost half of Slovenia. Julijce, Jelovica, Ljubljanska kotlina, Trnovski gozd, Tržaški zaliv, Gradež, sometimes even Kvarnerski zaliv and the island Cres. The scenery and feelings when you’re flying over Julian Alps is truly something special.