Episode 8 of our European Overland trip 2020
For those who prefer the video: it’s at the bottom 😉
We heard that the place to be for flying is Čerńa Hora (Black Mountain). A ski resort in the north east of the Czech Republic, close to the Polish border. It’s a mountain ridge in the Krkonoše Mountains National Park and the take off is about 1260 m, landing at about 690 m. From this take off they make long XC’s in almost all directions. With the ski lift it’s easy to get to the take off. Just a 5 minutes walk from the ski station you find a well prepared take off area. And for those not flying, it’s a beautiful area for hiking and biking and lot’s of other activities.
The weather conditions are not the best, but we take our chances. The first flight Koos goes alone. I haven’t flown since my shoulder accident in Wasserkuppe and I want to check out the launch and landing area before flying again. So I take Mickey down for a nice and long walk while Koos explores the air.
Hans joins a group of Czech hangglinding pilots for a flight. You need a special permit to drive to the take off or take the minibus that leaves from the paragliding landing field. It’s much cheaper than the ski lift and you can park your car for free.
I feel convident enough to fly here, and eager to get back into the air! So Koos and I have a nice flight, mostly over the flat land south of the take off Over the mountain it’s a bit bumpy in the air. It’s great to fly again and my shoulder feels okay. We land quite comfortably next to the campsite. Hans has a great flight too but lands in another big, more flat, field.
The next day the wind is too strong and from the wrong direction so we have some fun groundhandling and Koos has a student. But the weather is going to change and won’t allow for flying, so time to move on again. But it surely is a place to explore more for xc-flights.
We go further east to Adršpach Rock. A national park with strange rock formations. Unfortunately it’s raining cats and dogs. The amazing scenery was used for the sequel Chronicles of Narnia.
The location of the landing field: 50°38’01.5″N 15°43’35.2″E. The address is 543 72 Rudník (located between Cerny Dul and Janske Lazne – location of the ski lift).