Belgian Paragliding Open 2022 Piedrahita

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Summary
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Registration

Event info

The Belgian Open 2022 will take place in Piedrahita, in the mid summer of 2021, directed by Joanna di Grigoli
HQ will be based at Theater...

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Flying site

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146 Pilots Confirmed
146 Pilots total registered
275 EUR Entry fee

Go to Pilot List

150 Pilots max allowed
15 Countries presented
✅ All certified wings allowed
🏆 FAI Status = CAT 2 🏅

left before start of event

Registration will open on
25/01 15:00 (Europe/Brussels)

Safety

🛰️

The organiser will supply Live trackers to you, for safety and scoring

Live trackers supplied
🚁

The region supports helicopter rescues

Helicopter rescue
⚕️

There will be medical rescue services at launch

Medic on takeoff
📱

The region generally has good phone coverage

Good phone coverage
📻

We will be monitoring radios for your safety whilst you fly

Radio coverage
🛰️

Live Tracking is MANDATORY in this event to score. The organiser will provide the trackers.

Live trackers mandatory

Organisation

🚐

There will be vehicles supplied to take you to launch

Launch Transport
🥾

There will be retrieve vehicles available to return pilots to HQ

Retrieve included
💩

There are toilets at, or near, the launch

Toilets on takeoff
🛰

The organisers will download the tracklogs at HQ for scoring

Tracklogs managed
📢

The organisers are using Airtribune for registration, tracking, blogging and to publish scores

Airtribune blogging
🏋️

There will be ballast water available at launch

Ballast on takeoff

Benefits

🥪

There will be daily lunch packs for pilots

Lunch packs
🗺

The organisers will give you printed maps at registration

Maps are supplied
💳

The organisers will give you an ID card with all the essential items listed

ID Cards
⚡

The organisers will have free WiFi available at HQ

Free WiFi
🍺

There will usually be goal beers for winners

Goal beers
🎉

There will be an organised party during or after the event

Party
🎵

There will be live music or a DJ at the event

Live music
👕

You will receive a tshirt or other welcome gift

Free gift
🅰

This event awards PWCA letters

PWCA Letters

Contacts

Selection
- Lode Spruyt
- lode.spruyt@gmail.com

Event info

The Belgian Open 2022 will take place in Piedrahita, in the mid summer of 2021, directed by Joanna di Grigoli
HQ will be based at Theater.

Flying site

Piedrahíta is a flying site located in the province of Ávila, Castile and León, Spain. It is one of the best place in Europe to make long distance flights.
The flying site is a mixture of mountain and flatland zones. The area is famous for its convergence, high altitude and easy XC and soaring conditions for both low airtime and expert alike. Flying season April to October – with epic skies in the spring and midsummer. Conditions permitting to fly three times each day. This gives opportunities to those looking to get to grips with their first thermals during the morning and evening flights, as well as to those chasing their XC personal bests during the stronger convective part of the afternoon.
Average cloudbase 3200m. Good thermal conditions with little breeze in the open flatlands, though generally stronger at the pass some 20 km from launch. Base in August is generally above 3,000m, and often in excess of 4,000 m. You need to be in the air by 1.30 pm as the thermal breeze at launch can become very strong by mid-afternoon. Normally reliable thermals start from 11.30 am, later in August. April to October offer good thermal flying and XC potential. May to September for epic cu-filled skies. August tends to be bluer and hotter but reliably flyable.
As for the distances - 200 km flights are already made on every direction from take off and every year we can see even +300 km record flights.
One can get unforgettable experience experience while flying among huge gaggles of migrating storks in July.
Precautions: With strong easterly winds the take-off is sheltered, but winds further out can be strong and turbulent. With a westerly the wind will be stronger at the pass and in the next (Ambles) valley. For both strong east and west winds the safest area to land is in the flatlands near to Piedrahita. The winds increase as you move towards the pass with a westerly, and beyond the Col at Santiago de Collado with an easterly.

Flying site videos:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iSRNSfYynyU
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vsnSkSrmshA
http://vimeo.com/33908879

Flying site presentation on XCmag: http://www.xcmag.com/2014/02/guide-to-piedrahita-spain/

Take off Peña Negra:
Coordinates: N 40º 25.323′ - W 05º18.037′
Altitude: 1909m..
Orientation: N, NE, NW
A tarmac road to a groomed launch above a town. Easy access of hanggliders. There’s a large car park right next to the rigging area.

More info on take offs - http://www.flypiedrahita.com/flypiedrahita/flyingTakeOffs
Flying maps and useful navigation http://www.flypiedrahita.com/flypiedrahita/flyingMapsAndNav

Hotels and hostels info:
http://www.aytopiedrahita.com/esp/directorio_categoria.asp?seccion=HOSTALES
http://www.aytopiedrahita.com/esp/directorio_categoria.asp?seccion=CASAS+RURALES
http://www.aytopiedrahita.com/esp/servicos_municipales.htm

Selection and entry fee

275€ to be paid to Real Federacion Aerea Española bank account. The number will be sent via email once selection is made.
You must have a valid FAI Sporting Licence. For the Belgians this means having an XC Licence AND shelling out 5€ to BVVF-FBVL.
75% of the places are reserved for the Belgian pilots.
Registration will open on Tuesday 25th of January 2022 at 15:00 Brussels time.
First selection will happen on 03rd February at 20:00 Brussels time.
Criteria will include, WPRS ranking, speed of registration.

Documents required at registration

Issued by your local NAC on behalf of the FAI. You cannot normally compete in an FAI event without one. Contact your National Association (NAC)

FAI Sporting Licence
You will need to sign an applicaton form at the venue. Usually the organiser will provide it on arrival.

Signed Application form
You will need to sign a waiver or release document to show you understand the risks. Usually the organiser will provide it on arrival.

Signed Waiver/Release form
You must provide the organiser with a copy of your liability (3rd party) insurance documents

Liability Insurance
You must provide the organiser with a copy of your medical, rescue and repatriation insurance. You can purchase Global Rescue cover from Airtribune

Rescue/Medical Insurance

Cancellation Policy

By the time we make the selection and people start to pay, this will be known with better confidence. If we have to cancel later, we may need to keep a minimal part of the fee to cover costs already incurred without losing money. This is considered the pilots' share of the risk. However, the majority of costs will be incurred as late as possible.

The event will be cancelled if the Belgians are not allowed to travel, or "strongly advised so" by Belgian, local, or French authorities. This includes mandatory quarantines.

Any pilots who cancels after paying their entry fee may apply for a refund as follows:

Cancellation date before 1st June 2022 = 80% refund of entry fee.

Cancellation date before 1st July 2022 = 50% refund of entry fee.

Cancellation date before 1st August 2022 = 25% refund of entry fee.

Cancellation on or after 1st August 2022 = 0% refund of entry fee.

Notification of cancellation should be by email to the organisers at BPO.Piedrahita.2022@gmail.com. The cancellation date shall be taken as the date of receipt of the email.

The entry fee payment is not transferable to another pilot in the event of cancellation.

In the event of full cancellation pilots will be refunded a fixed 70% of the entry fee with a sliding scale according to the date of cancellation and costs already incurred. The maximum refund will be 80% of the entry fee.

General schedule

Sunday 14 August, training / registration
Monday 15 1st task
Saturday 20 6th and last task
Saturday 20 Aug - prize ceremony

Daily schedule

Sunday 14/08 Training task and Registration

10:30 Transport to Take-off
11:30 Task meeting
12:30 Take-off windows open
18:30 Registration
20:30 Mandatory Safety briefing

From 15 to 20/08 Competition days

9:00 Headquarter open
10:30 Transport to Take-off
11:30 Task meeting
12:30 Take-off windows open
17:00 Scoring office opens
22:00 Provisional results

Accommodation and Activities

For accommodations you can found the following hotels and rural places:
Hostal Goya: https://hostaldegoya.com/
Hostal Conde Duque: https://hostalgranduque.net/
Hote Rural Cayetana: https://www.hotelruralcayetana.com/
Rural Houses: https://www.escapadarural.com/casas-rurales/piedrahita_avila
https://www.clubrural.com/casas-rurales/avila/piedrahita
https://www.casasrurales.net/casas-rurales/avila/piedrahita

How to get here

25691 Àger, Lleida, Spain
Piedrahita Spain

Plane

The nearest international airport is Madrid (Barajas) which is 200 km away.
You can get to Madrid center from airport by metro. The metro in Madrid is cheap and efficient, and it takes you pretty much everywhere. There is a subway station inside the bus station and it's name is Mendez Alvaro. From the Airport to Mendez Alvaro will take you about 45 minutes. First take line 8 to Nuevos Ministerios. Once there take line 6 to Mendez Alvaro. At the bus station, go upstairs to get your ticket. The ticket office for Cevesa is at the far end of the hall lookng from the cafe area.

Bus

La empresa de autobuses que da servicio a Piedrahita se llama CEVESA.

Desde Madrid:
Estación de Sur de Autobuses. Méndez Álvaro 83. Madrid 28045.
Teléfono: 91 468 42 00.
e-mail: info@estaciondeautobuses.com

Madrid – Piedrahíta
HORARIOS:
De lunes a sábado
Laborables: 8:15 – 16:10
Viernes: 8:30-15:15—16:10*-20:30
* (Del 1 de Julio al 15 de Septiembre)
Domingos: 8:30-20:30

Desde Ávila:
Estación de Autobuses. Avenida de Madrid, 2.
Teléfono:.920 22 01 54
Ávila – Piedrahíta
HORARIOS:
De lunes a sábado
Laborables: 9:45-13:00-17:30
Domingos: 9:45-21:45

Desde Salamanca:
Estación de autobuses. Avenida Filiberto Villalobos, 71.
Teléfono: 923 23 67 17. Take the metro from the airport to La Estacion Sur de Autobuses – the metro stop is called Mendez Alvaro.

You can get to Piedrahita by coach, which leaves the Estacion Sur de Autobuses in Madrid and brings you to Piedrahita in approximately two hours at the cost of €12.66. The bus company is called Cevesa.
The buses run from Madrid at the following times:
Madrid-Piedrahita: Morning: 8:30am every day. Afternoon: 16:10 every day except Sundays, when it leaves in the evening at 20:30 There is an extra one on Fridays at 20:30
The return trip can be made at these times: Piedrahita-Madrid: 8:15, 8:25, 10:40, 16:25 every day except Sundays when they leave at 17:15 and 20:25
http://www.cevesa.es/

Train

Estación de Atocha. Glorieta Carlos V s/n. 91 328 90 20
Estación de Chamartin. Agustín de Foxa, s/n. 91 323 15 15
Otra posibilidad es el tren para llegar a Piedrahíta.
Los trenes parten desde la estación de Chamartín o Atocha, dependiendo del tren que escojamos tardaremos entre una hora o dos. El viaje termina en la estación Renfe de Ávila.
Tendremos que enlazar nuestro viaje con un autobús directo que nos dejará en Piedrahíta.
Informaciones más completas, directamente en la página de RENFE

The closest train station to Piedrahita is Avila. It is still 58 km away, and the only buses are the same as those coming from Madrid, which are better caught there.
A taxi from Avila to Piedrahita costs around €50. There regular trains from Madrid to Avila, almost every hour in the peak times, and prices vary, depending on the speed of the train. There are several stations in Madrid, but the one that links with Avila is Chamartín. Again, there is a metro stop inside the station (also called Chamartín) we have highlighted it on the metro map above.
For trains information see: Renfe - Timetables and Prices http://www.renfe.com/EN/viajeros/horarios.html

Car

Desde Madrid: Autopista A6 Madrid – Ávila.
ITINERARIO:
• A6 - Majadahonda, Las Rozas de Madrid, Villacastin, 110 Km. 1 h. 8 min.
• N-110. Ávila – Plasencia. 60 km hasta Piedrahíta. 40 min.

By car Piedrahita lies on the National highway N-110, some 50km east of Avila. Hitchhiking in central Spain is uncommon and takes time!

Taxi

To get to the bus station you can get a taxi from the airport, but careful not to be overcharged. The ride shouldn't cost much than €40. If you are charged significantly more, ask for a receipt and take the details of the taxi driver, license number, etc.