Lars Lämmler completes first Climb & Fly from Alpamayo in Peru

On 17 June 2024 31-year-old Swiss alpinist Lars Lämmler carried out what in all likelihood is the first paraglider flight off the summit of Alpamayo. The 5947m peak is famed as being one of the most beautiful mountains in the Peruvian Andes, and was climbed by Lämmler together with Felix Berg from Germany. The pair summited at 6 in the morning and afer waiting for the right conditions, Lämmler made the startling take-off. The flight lasted about 30 minutes, and he was joined by Berg two days later.

Writing to planetmountain after the extraordinary feat, Lämmler explained "I never thought it would be possible to fly from Alpamayo because nobody has done so in the past. It's very spiny, and from the photos taken in the past I saw that the summit was barely 1 meter wide. This year though there was a huge cornice, insanely overhanging, barely 8 meter wide. Of course, when I arrived at Base Camp at the start of June I didn't know this, not even the locals. But I'd brought my glider, you never know what might happen!

When Felix and I were in high camp, I checked all the parameters and my brother from Switzerland checked wind conditions and told me that a flight might be possible. Wind strength and even the direction, from the north east were forecast and that was perfect. We started climbing shortly after midnight, me with my paraglider and all the additional stuff for the flight (glider and lightweight-seat, about 3 kg in total) in my backpack. As I reached the summit I felt a slight breeze touch my face. And even from the right direction! When I saw that huge cornice, which almost invited me to take off from it; I knew I had to give it a go!

It was scary and the wind was very weak so I had to wait about 20 minutes for a good gust. It was not possible to start without the wind, because at 6000 meters the air is so thin that the paraglider doesn't inflate and I would have jumped to my death. When a good gust came I suddenly managed to inflate the wing and jump into the unknown. It was scary but best feeling I have ever had!

It took me 30 minutes to fly down to basecamp, where a short while later I enjoyed a great Peruvian breakfast! All in all I think I was very, very, very lucky. The cornice, the weather, the wind direction and speed were probably the 3 key factors that all came together at precisely the right moment, and I was there with my paraglider to make the most of it. An invitation to fly that I couldn't resist."

 

 

 

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