Vol Bivouac literally means “fly camping” though, it is often referred to a “sky camping” in English. I think this is because sky camping just sounds cooler. Sky camping is a form of backpacking where you travel by foot and by (paraglider) wing. On a pure sky camping trip you would not use any form of motorized transport. You fly cross country when the conditions are right, you hike when you can’t fly, camp in the wild at night and are fueled by the spirit of the adventure!

This summer Melody and I will attempt to sky camp across the European Alps. We’ll start in France around Anncey, the paragliding mecca of the world and make our way through the Haute Savoie in to Switzerland, Austria, perhaps a small corner of Italy and then finally ending up in Slovenia.

Our Route

Our goal is to complete the route in 50 days using little or no motorized transportation (ski lifts are still on the table). Our route will take us through the heart of the Alps, past many iconic peaks, through famous alpine towns as well as ancient villages.

We’ll put our ultralight backpack experience to use in putting together our backpacking AND flying gear. We are striving for a combined backpacking and flying gear weight of no more then 40-45lbs inclusive of 5 days food and fuel. We planning on using all sorts of cool ultralight weight gear including a pair of Ozone Ultralite 09 paragliders. These gliders are the lightest in the world. Melody’s weighs in at a slight 2.4kg and mine at only a slightly more husky 2.9kg. We’re also modifying our ultralight weight reversible paraglider harnesses/backpacks so that they are up to the challenges of a long distance backpacking trip.

As we continue with our preparations and training for this trip we’ll keep you updated with details on our route, gear, training and logistical planning. Please check back often to see how everything is going.

Fly high, hike far!
Sati & Melody