The camp has through its years of functioning, undergone relevant changes. The favorite corner of Czech paragliders in the back, directly beneath the cliff was dispersed in front of our eyes by Italian police, and the same happened to the comfortable corner a little lower, beneath the hotel. It was not, however, as a result of Sunday's "Bengal Night" of Radek Simonik and his group, but rather the fact that camping is not permitted to the right of the dividing line down the valley.

    A second, paid, alternative camp site is at the hotel, "L'Antica Abbazia", N45°48.601' E11°45.695', about 300m southeast of the first camp. The restaurant in this hotel is well known and sought out among pilots for its excellent Italian cuisine. Over 30 types of excellent pizza, wide as a wagon wheel, is prepared in the classic style of airborne acrobatic stretching of the dough through movements of both hands before your eyes, followed by baking in a classic oven. A truly scrumptuous treat for some 200 Czech Crowns.



    One day of camping at this hotel comes to roughly 100 Czech Crowns, including services - toilets, showers. It is not necessary to add that Czech pilots will be found at the campground by the hotel Dalla Mena.

Flying Fees
    Uses of runways and landing strips is subject to purchase of a pass from the tourist organization, "Vivere il Grappa". The Czech pilot is primarily interested in a weekend pass for 100 Czech Crowns or a week pass for 500 Czech Crowns. Notices at the landing strips remind you to wear your pass in a visible place. During the first few days we carefully scrutinized the clothing of all pilots to see what the pass looked like and how to wear it. On the fourth day, not having seen one such pass on any living pilot in the vicinity of Bassano, we correctly assumed that no one bought them and happily followed the mass example, acting like nothing the rest of our stay.

Shopping Almost Free ?!
    In conversion to Czech Crowns everything in Italy is for our countrymen surprisingly expensive. One liter of decent wine costs around 60 Crowns, one liter of milk costs 32 Crowns. For the frugal who run their cars on propane-butane, an unpleasant surprise awaits at Italian gas stations in the form of 18 Crowns/kg, while Natural gasoline comes to about 34 Crowns/liter. The prudent Czech pilot will therefore load up his fast vehicle with a supply of basic provisions including wine or beer at home, fill up his tanks and extra canisters to the top and for lack of room will rid his vehicle of some unnecessary items which are undoubtably volumnious as well and in their essence unnecessary things like for example: spare tire, jack, his wife, dog or other family members.

Where To Look For Convection ?
    The southern slopes below runways are very steep and present a strong source of convection. So it is not necessary to set the forest on fire for convection, even though it does catch from time to time and as seen burns very well.



    Many pilots seek convection currents virtually at the tree branches with the result that several times a day ambulances and rescue helicopters come to visit, especially on weekends. Personally I watched enthralled as a daring paraglider kicked stubbornly at pinecones 15m above the restaurant and Carraro runway until he fell among them with a crash of broken branches. After a moment of suspenseful quiet, "FUCK, IT'S O.K.!!" was heard from the forest and everyone was visibly relieved.

    A worse case, however, was a paraglider who apparently, in the pre-takeoff stress, forgot to buckle himself to the wing and hurled himself from the steep runway. The wing got caught in the first trees far below the runway but the body continued on with the force of a cannonball down into the forest and rescue workers with a helicopter had their hands full for the next hour. To lie down right before takeoff is really a useful hangglider habit.

    But let us rather get back to convection. A reliable and continuous source of convection in the afternoon hours is the steep cliff-like slope high above the campground at the hotel Dalla Mena, facing southwest. In the late afternoon the cliffs heat to such a temperature that a constant chimney forms above them in which, especially on weekends, there are as many wings as flies on shit. So only stronger natures please.

    A substantial source of convection are also mountain meadows, at the height of the upper runways. It is necessary to ascend above them first, however. Usually it's not a problem as ascending winds form on the steep southern slopes at lower elevations, as well as on meadows at the very base of the mountains.

    Not a totally overcast sky is reason enough to go to Venice and spend the day racing about in gondolas on the Grand Canal. Even a weak, blinking sun is able to create a useful ascending wind and a blissful smile on a pilot's face.

How to Get A Weather Forecast ?
    Detailed searching for the internet in Bassano ended, even after several promising signs saying, "Internet Point", unsuccessfully. So it was that much larger a surprise when we found the little shop selling "Mipros" computer equipment, right at the paraglider landing strip. I couldn't believe my own eyes when I saw synoptic maps and satellite pictures put up in the window.

    The excitement faded, however, when I learned that the synoptic map was a month old and the satellite photo a half year old. After long convincing of the manager and banging my LAA CR card on the warped office table I was finally sat in front of a pile of salvage without a computer case and for the next 40 minutes anticipation followed dissappointment followed anticipation during an unbelieveably slow and continuously crashing connection.

    After not quite an hour though, I had got what I had wanted and, in an optimistic mood and 260 Crowns lighter, I emotionally bade goobyes with the Italian boss, whose last words were, "Come again!".