Is paragliding possible when it rains?
You have booked paragliding with us, but the weather forecast doesn’t look good. We understand your concern and want to help you understand our process for handling potentially bad weather.
Don’t rely on the weather app that automatically comes pre-installed on your phone. Accuweather and similar weather reports from international websites use generic computer models to create the forecasts and completely disregard local conditions. Also note that the forecasts are only reliable for up to 2 days in advance.
We recommend you check the MeteoSwiss site to get a reliable forecast.
Apps aside, our pilots know the local weather best and will make a safety-focused decision regarding whether the conditions are flyable or not.
Interlaken, situated between the emerald green lakes of Brienz and Thun, is located at the foot of the Swiss Alps at 550 meters above sea level. Just 20km to the south, the famous peaks of the Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau tower into the sky, some of them rising to over 4000 meters above sea level. Due to its unique location near the lakes and high mountains, Interlaken has its very own weather patterns.
The following weather situations occur frequently in Interlaken:
- The weather is bad, but clears up within a very short time. It’s not uncommon to see dark clouds, rain, sunshine, and rainbows, all within 30 minutes.
- In the warm summer months there are often afternoon thunderstorms, but this doesn’t mean bad weather all day. After the storm has passed, the weather calms down again and we resume our flights.
- Rain falls in the mountains, but in Interlaken it stays dry because the front passes us by.
- In autumn and winter there is often dense, gray fog in the valley in the morning. This fog layer often disappears quickly and makes way for a beautiful day.
- Sometimes the skies are blue and beautiful, but strong winds can still create unsafe flying conditions.
What happens when a paragliding flight is not possible?
If we cannot fly due to rain, poor visibility, or strong wind, we will contact you before your paragliding flight. Please understand that this can happen at very short notice if the weather is uncertain or changeable. Please don’t be angry with us! We do our best to fly whenever possible, but the safety of a flight always comes first.
It’s important that you provide as much good contact information as possible. A working phone number (especially a WhatsApp number) and an email address that you regularly check will help us relay important information to you quickly.
If possible, we will reschedule your flight for another time. If this is not possible, you will receive a full refund based on your original payment method. If the refund is made to your credit card, it may take a few days for the money to appear in your account, depending on the processing time of your financial institution.
IMPORTANT: If the weather looks bad for your flight day and you don’t want to fly, you can cancel your paragliding flight up to 24 hours before your trip time. With this advance notice, we can provide a full refund. Unfortunately, we cannot accept cancellations at short notice and you will not receive a refund.