The Reunion Island Free-Flight League is hosting the LEU AIR FESTIVAL, the paragliding pre world cup taking place in Saint-Leu from 15 to 21 October 2023 in the Parc du 20 Décembre. This competition offers national and international free-flyers a chance to qualify for the paragliding world cup. The winner gets to compete in the final to be held in Brazil in March 2024.
This top-level international competition attracts to the island some sixty paragliders of various nationalities (South African, American, European, French) as well as Reunion-Islanders. The competitors will battle it out in the skies of Reunion in 7 heats, taking off from the Colimaçons launch site in Saint-Leu. This is Reunion Island’s paragliding hotspot, thanks to the quality of the updrafts, the incredible scenery of mountains blending into the sea in a mix of blues and greens, and the high probability of the weather being conducive (around 300 days per year). The Bellemène site in Saint-Paul is one of the two main take-off spots on Reunion Island. This site is located among the mountain pastures and offers a beautiful view over the bay of Saint-Paul These events are at the mercy of weather conditions.
The site is maintained all year round by the Reunion Island Tourist Board, to ensure paragliders can enjoy their activity in the best possible conditions.
For the paragliding pre world cup, the Reunion Island Free-Flight League proposes activities at the site relating to the topic of air: visits, workshops and introductory sessions. Shows and concerts will also be organised.
The prize awards and closing ceremony are planned on 21 October at 7pm at the Parc du 20 Décembre in Saint-Leu.
The Leu Air Festival programme (paragliding pre world cup):
Saturday 14 October:
– 4pm: registration of pilots
– 6pm: general briefing
– 6.30pm: welcome drinks for competitors and opening of the festival.
From 15 to 21 October: seven competition heats at the different free-flight sites of Reunion.
– 11am: take-off
– 4pm: debriefing and provisional results
Saturday 21 October:
– 6pm: results, winners’ podiums and prize ceremony
– 6.30pm: courtesy drinks
Sunday 22 October:
– 2pm: paragliding workshops at the bandstand in the Parc du 20 Décembre (centrifugal force, extraction of emergency parachute and folding)
– 5pm: lecture on paraglider safety and mental preparation (Seb Coupy)
On Reunion Island, September and October are the months offering the best conditions for free-flying. Amid the ultimate island’s outstanding landscape, the take-off site is located in the Colimaçons hills and the landing site is on the beach near the Kélonia turtle sanctuary.
Reunion’s two main take-off sites:
Colimaçons 800 (elevation 780 metres)
This is Reunion’s paragliding hotspot in terms of popularity, thermal updraft quality and the number of days conducive to flying (about 300 days per year). The views from here are more amazing than anywhere else, as the mountains blend into the sea in a mix of blues and greens. The heats are technically challenging, with short, gentle ascents…
Bellemène (elevation 750 metres)
This site is frequently used for competitions because of the southwesterly trade winds that blow over Saint-Leu. It is particularly suitable for heats involving swinging manoeuvres between Saint-Gilles Les Hauts and La Possession.
Weather:
