Hang Gliding and Paragliding Volume 44 / Issue 12:December 2014 | Page 46
Hanging in Laragne
by
F
riendly banter often occurs among hang glider
and paraglider pilots on the Laragne launch in the
French Southern Alps. But on the day I’m there,
it’s silenced once and for all by a comment from
an English bi-wingual pilot who simply says, “Paragliding
is better in every way,” adding a mischievous pause before
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HANG GLIDING & PARAGLIDING MAGAZINE
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concluding, “except the flying.”
Laragne appeals to paraglider pilots, but its history and big
draw actually are linked to hang gliders, with good reason.
It has been home to that sport’s early pioneers, who, since
the 1960s, have been launching from this hill. In those days,
they sank straight out on the 3:1 glide to the landing cut out