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El Peñón Classic

Estado de México, Mexico
Feb 17 - Feb 23, 2024
CONTENT
GENERAL INFORMATION

El Peñon is a World Class Hang Gliding competition venue located in Temascaltepec, Estado de Mexico near the town of Valle de Bravo.

This competition is organized by vuelolibre.mx and is a FAI event registered with FAI CIVL.

This is a must-do competition if you are looking to improve your flying, fly with world class pilots and gain lots of flight time and XC distance.
Every year we have lots of fun in the best XC conditions, with strong and experienced competitors from which you will learn many ways to improve your flying.

Visiting Pilots, there are Hang Gliders for rent available. Glider list and reservation through Monica Spavz. WhatsApp +52 722 201 3777
Note due to the short landing fields the open class fly King Posted Hang Gliders. Not a requirement but it has been a common practice in this comp and is strongly recommended.
Transportation available, including Airport pickup and drop-off and transport with gear from HQ to Launch and Retrieval service.

To arrange transport (airport or retrieval service) send a message via WhatsApp to Ricardo Tovar +52 55 4616 5829 (In Spanish or if in other language send message in writing in your own language. Ricardo and crew use translation software to respond)

Note the Wills Wing factory is located in the same town where this competition is held. Spare parts available for WW gliders

 
FLYING SITE

El Peñon, in Temascaltepec, near the town of Valle de Bravo "Valle" is known for being a consistent site with more than 300 flyable days a year.
The best season starts on November with cloud bases over 4500MSL / 15,000 ft.
The peak season starts on January and it goes until April when the rain season starts. Rainy days are also flyable for a few hours. Rain season ends in September and from then to December days are usually very mellow and nice to fly, perfect conditions for students, beginners or just relaxed flying.
The area is always referred as Valle de Bravo "Valle" or "El Peñon" in reference to the +1000 feet vertical rock formation infront of the launch. Valle is a beautiful lake town with great hotels, restaurants and great street food. Launch site is a 30 min drive from Valle near a small rural town called Temascaltepec. When you plan your trip always look for a stay or activities in Valle de Bravo.

Launch Site: This site has hosted several international and world competitions. The launch site is wide, with plenty of space for parking, setup and launch. Public restrooms available.
GPS coordinates, Launch: 19°3'41" (19.0616)N; 100°5'27" (100.091)W - Elevation : 2336 m / 7,664 ft

Landing: Official landing (LZ) is a large grassy field 2.5 kms in front of the launch. Snacks and drinks are available at the LZ.
GPS coordinates, Landing Zone: 19°2'45" (19.0459)N; 100°6'32" (100.109)W - Elevation : 1775 m / 5823 ft

Multiple transportation options from Valle to launch are available. You can arrange during registration day.

Getting to Launch from Valle de Bravo Town: Take the road from Valle de Bravo to Temascaltepec and turn right in the Albarrada road sign. Follow the signs on the dirt road to the launch.

Weather Hazards: Strong thermals and rough air are common during this month. You must be comfortable flying under these conditions.

Flight regulation: Basic VFR rules apply. See and Avoid!.
Valle is an area with lots of flying activity. You most always be aware of other pilots flying near you. Pay attention to the small airstrip on the plateau were the landing field is. There's another small airstrip for small airplanes on the way to Valle de Bravo.
Please be vigilant at all times. Look around, look up, look down.

Interesting info:
You will find plenty of local young adults at the LZ offering you to break down your glider and put all your gear back into the harness. Most pilots will reject this because they will not trust the this task to anyone else but themselves and specially not to a bunch of kids. These kids have learned from different pilots and you will find that most of those kids can break down your glider much better than you do!. Use this service if you can, make them feel useful, they are just trying to work, earn some money and hang out with us pilots. They hugely admire us. Share some words with them if you can, they will really appreciate it. The usual "fee" for the service is couple of dollars or 50 pesos.