St Hilaire du Touvet has developed a worldwide reputation as a paragliding center. The funiculair railway whisks pilots the 650 meters from the landing zone at Lumbin to the jump off point at St Hilaire. You can learn paragliding in the fields at Lumbin with the Prevol paragliding school.

You are not restricted to St Hilaire. There are takeoff possibilities along the valley for both para and hang gliders. You can even hike to the summit of the Dent de Crolles to soar over the ridgeline of the Chartreuse.

The sheer cliffs walls of the Dent de Crolles are used by BASE jumpers. The start point is an airy walk on the east side then a plunge into the vide before opening your chute above the Pas de Terrail. B.A.S.E. is an acronym for the four categories of fixed jump points: buildings, antennas, spans (bridge), and earth (cliff).

The summits of the Chartreuse are also launch pads for spectacular wing suit descents to the valley below.

• www.paraglidingearth.com
• Prevol webcam
• http://www.skalp.fr/ - Paragliding gear sales in Crolles