Montmin (Col de la Forclaz)

NW to N facing thermal site · 1,265 m takeoff · 798 m height gain

Overview

Montmin (Col de la Forclaz) is a mountain site in the French Alps with a recorded launch elevation of 1,265 m. It works best in northerly and north-westerly winds, and can also work in westerly winds. Pilots fly it for thermal, using foot launch. It is recorded as suitable for cross-country flights.

One of the busiest free-flight sites in France: a west/north-west facing carpet launch at about 1,240-1,280 m above the Col de la Forclaz, looking straight down Lac d'Annecy, with the official landing at the Doussard salle polyvalente…

Local clubs

Les Chamois Volants

Local club

FFVL club based at ZI Perroix, Talloires; manages the Montmin launch weather station (balise ffvl-75) and publishes the site regulation.

Email: contact@chamoisvolants.fr

Website

Source: Les sites de vol

Les Grands Espaces

School

Website

Source: Col de la Forclaz takeoff

Annecy Vol Libre

School

Website

Source: Le site de vol d'Annecy

When to go

Flyable days per month in a typical year.

Flyable days for Montmin (Col de la Forclaz) are on the way. We are scoring ten years of weather for every site, month by month, against this site, its region and the sites around it.

Local weather notes

Lift: thermal · Season: Mar–Sep · Best time: XC flights launch on average around 14:30-15:00 Source: Col de la Forclaz XC Paragliding (XContest-derived launch stats)
About 158 XC days (flights over 10 km) a year on average from XContest data; 19-25 XC days a month from April to September, 10 in March and 20 in September, very few from October to February. Longest recorded flights are around 200 km. Source: Col de la Forclaz XC Paragliding (XContest-derived launch stats)

Getting there

Nearest airports

NCY Annecy Meythet airport17 km
CMF Chambéry Aix les Bains airport35 km
GVA Geneva International Airport48 km

Public transport directions from Annecy Meythet airport (Google Maps)All travel options from Annecy Meythet airport (Rome2Rio)

Plan to reach the landing field or the nearest town to Montmin (Col de la Forclaz); most takeoffs are reached by shuttle, cable car or a ride from a local pilot. Data: © OpenStreetMap contributors

Where to stay

The nearest towns, for a bed, food and a lift to takeoff.

Annecy13 km away · cityBooking.com Airbnb
Albertville19 km awayBooking.com Airbnb
Rumilly24 km awayBooking.com Airbnb

Things to do

For the days the wind is wrong: places worth a visit within 10 km of Montmin (Col de la Forclaz).

From Wikipedia, text and photos under their own licences on each article.

Flying nearby

See them on the map

Pilot notes

No notes yet. Flown Montmin (Col de la Forclaz)? Tell the next pilot what to expect.

Flying Montmin (Col de la Forclaz)?

Takeoff, landing, rules, the hour by hour forecast and live wind are in the site details on the map.

Open site details

Sources

Les sites de vol Summarised from the Les sites de vol (as of 2026-09-29). The club guide is authoritative; always check it before flying.
Règlement des sites de vol libre de Talloires-Montmin et Doussard (avril 2024) Licence: unknown
Paragliding sites Licence: unknown
Atterrissage parapente SIV (OSM way 790722397) Licence: ODbL
Car park next to the Doussard landing (OSM way 110957967) Licence: ODbL
Col de la Forclaz XC Paragliding (XContest-derived launch stats)
Destination vol libre - Lac d'Annecy / Massif des Aravis (map-brochure, June 2009) Licence: unknown
Guide to Annecy, France
Le site de vol d'Annecy Licence: unknown
Parking at the Montmin launch (OSM way 408874136) Licence: ODbL
thermal.kk7.ch thermal hotspots and skyways Licence: CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Short extracts from Les Chamois Volants, Règlement des sites de vol libre de Talloires-Montmin et Doussard (avril 2024), Paragliding sites, ParaglidingEarth, Atterrissage parapente SIV (OSM way 790722397), Car park next to the Doussard landing (OSM way 110957967), Col de la Forclaz takeoff, Col de la Forclaz XC Paragliding (XContest-derived launch stats), Destination vol libre - Lac d'Annecy / Massif des Aravis (map-brochure, June 2009), Guide to Annecy, France, Le site de vol d'Annecy, Paragliding above Lake Annecy, Paragliding in the French Alps, Parking at the Montmin launch (OSM way 408874136) and thermal.kk7.ch thermal hotspots and skyways. Read the full guide before you fly.