Sites de vol

Décollage – Shigar

Direction: NNEESESSOONO
Coordonnées: 35.4398, 75.7419
Altitude: 2744 m
Région: Northern Areas, PK

Description du décollage

Take off is approx 1.5 to 2 hours walk. Start at the quarry area 1km N of Shigar on the Askole road. Start climbing the steep loose slopes above the quarry and immediately turn S to contour the slope and follow a path leadng S and up. You can also go up the steep path directly (the way through the cliffs is easier than it looks) and then walk S on easier ground on the plateau above but this takes longer (maybe 2.5 hours) A good take off facing S with some cleared ground (removed small herb plants) can be reached after about 1.5 to 2 hours. Take off there or on the talus slope above. The valley breeze was found to be from the NW on one occaission which was not expected but worked ok for this take off. Even though it faces S it didn't start working until 12pm. It might be possible to find another take off site round on the SE face which works earlier

Accès

Take taxi from Skardu to 1km N of Shigar - about 500 rupees and 50 minutes.

Météo

Yes, lots. Plenty of safe landing options. Very wide valley. Skardu valley seems to get quite windy (40kph+) after 4pm and a strong and regular S wind blows down from the Deosai plains meets the W valley wind of the main Skardu valley. Wind characteristics near to Shigar are not known sufficiently to comment.

Commentaires

This may be close to the site that Julien Wirtz and Phillipe Nodet used as the starting point for their their epic flight over trango towers and half way up to Concordia before landing at Arandu in 2007 (?).