51st Alpine Hot Air Balloon Week Flims

From Saturday, September 28 to Sunday, October 6, 2024, 17 balloon teams from Switzerland, Luxembourg and Germany met for the 51st International Alpine Hot Air Balloon Week in Flims.  On 5 days, rain and strong winds made any launches impossible. On the last day, the balloon teams were rewarded for their patience with a long-distance trip to the Engadin.

In contrast to last year, the participants of the 51st Balloon Week Flims often had to wait for opportunities for a balloon launch this year. The weather conditions only allowed two flights in the morning and four flights in the evening.

The first flight on Sunday, September 29th allowed for an ascent to 4500 meters to view the Swiss Alps from east to west. Due to the low wind speeds at altitude and fresh winds close to the ground, the flights ended for most teams in the Chur - Lenzerheide region with challenging landings.

The balloon flight on Sunday morning of the second weekend was the absolute highlight of the week. Under a steel-blue sky, the balloon teams took off from Flims and let themselves drift into the Engadin at 3000-3500 meters with winds of 30-40 km/h. The direction could be perfectly controlled by choosing the height. The direction could be perfectly controlled by the choice of altitude, the wind speeds were leisurely, so that one could devote oneself to the magnificent view of the passing freshly snow-covered mountain peaks and the still green valleys. After a friendly welcome from Samedan Information, the descent into the Engadin was also easy. Once the altitude had been reduced, the speed could be leisurely reduced and the landing site could be approached practically vertically below 2500 meters. All crews landed comfortably near the Samedan airfield.

On Wednesday afternoon, the children were spoiled with numerous attractions and warmly welcomed by two hot-air model balloons. In the inflated, decommissioned Flims hot-air balloon envelope, the children were able to romp around to their heart's content or have fun with numerous games of skill or competitions.

The Balloon Club Flims is planning the next Balloon Week Flims at the same time in 2025. Pilots or those interested in balloon training are welcome to contact the board. pd/Pictures: Daniel Ammann, Daniel Ganz