Seven years ago, Stéphane Boulenger had many liberators dreaming with the superb video of his ascent and landing at the top of Mont Blanc, on August 19, 2012.

Since then, it has been difficult to (re-)lift over the roof of Western Europe in such conditions: a good heat wave with little wind (making this technical flight very affordable – controversial subject besides as some unprepared pilots found themselves perched up there , occurring more easily during the summer period subject to a ban on flying over the massif, both on the French and Italian sides.

So when, at the end of June, a week of heatwave is announced, we had to make ourselves available by crossing our fingers so that the north wind wants to calm down a little. The absentees are always wrong… but many of us were presenting the opening…

So it is June 26, 2019, that we meet with Chris, the Vosgiens of THE MAW as well as many drivers from France, Navarre and the world at Plan Praz. 300 individuals grouped is little but in the air it is not common.

We’re raking in the start and I’ll only go back and forth to the Red Needles. For next time it will be the turn of the massif in east facet.

I find Chris above the ridge of Bionnassay in a virulent thermal. Then, after a slow ascent by the ridge I join him under the cumulus that sits above the summit of Mont Blanc. Epic!

With hypoxia, euphoria. Chris will wake me up by offering me a little tour of the massif by the west faces. I can’t thank him enough because it’s the rest of this trip that will forever be etched in my memories!

Grandes Jorasses, Argentières Needles, Green Needles and his Drus to finish with the Aiguille du Midi. So many mytic places of Mountaineering!

Finally, we will sadly see the disastrous state of the glaciers that you will find in these images.

More than 5 hours of dream come true… a flight of a lifetime!

First of all thanks to you Carole Fossard and Thierry Bohé for your words that still resonate in the hollow of my ear. I dedicate this flight to you!

Thank you, my friend, Julien Fontbonne who was present when it was necessary, who has encouraged me all these years… to make this dream come true.

Thank you Stéphane Boulenger, for your high quality tutos cross that allow you to familiarize yourself in advance with your playground and thus arrive better prepared.

Finally, THANK YOU Christophe Guth, without you, this flight might have been cut short… See you soon compa-ero!

A little idea of the flight…
https://parapente.ffvl.fr/cfd/liste/vol/20269317