PARAGLIDING IN KRUSEVO

FLYING OVER KRUSHEVO

WHY GO?
Krushevo mountain setting is a great place for flying, appropriate for all types of pilots, with high hills, rich forest which on the west part of the valley forms proper terrains, and rocky ridges on the east side which create thermals for the experienced XC hounds. Krushevo is well known for its competition circuit, having hosted the PWC in the past and playing host to the Europeans for both hang gliding and paragliding in 2016. The town is practically hidden and surrounded by trees, giving the sight of a cradle.

HOW TO GET THERE?

Situated at an altitude of 1350m, Krushevo is the highest town on the Balkan. The distance from these main spots where tourists mostly arrive is 159 km from the capital Skopje, 55 km from Bitola, 32 km from Prilep, and only 68 km from the Macedonian – Greek crossing border “Medzitlia – Niki”.
There are two starts: East Start 1420m ASL (41.340802, 21.256547) overlooking the east – northeast towards Pelagonia Valley. To get to the launch, there is an asphalt road and the place is favorite for the pilots because they immediately get ready for flying. East Start is a grassy shallow slope and there are home thermals everywhere. West Start 1440m ASL is actually the secondary smaller take-off place overlooking the west – southwest, it is 500 meters away from East Start. People and enthusiasts for flying can also drive up there and park their cars.
The same cross-country flights can be done from here. Landing fields under this launch are smaller than on the other side of the mountain where there are very large fields, mostly grassy. This launch can also be used for beginners so landings should suit competition pilots too! There is one warning that we would like to point out: there are some walk-outs from the fields in the flatlands and the drainage ditches can make that more complicated, so we advise you to land by one of the roads or villages.

FLYING CONDITIONS
The best periods for flying are from April to October. In our country the beginning of the year is cold and rainy, but as spring comes and the skies are clearer, the dry weather enables great conditions for flying. Conditions do not generally change very quickly and the flying is safe because the responsible people can predict the weather forecast. There are no strong valley winds in the area.

ALTITUDE
Launch: 1,400m
Landing: 650m
Average cloudbase: 2,500-3,000m

ACCOMMODATION
There are many guest houses in town, two hotels and many villa. There is no campsite in the area, although unofficial camping close to take-off is tolerated. The town offers delicious cuisine and there are bars and restaurants for everyone.
Krushevo is well-known for its historical and historic importance, so if you happen to be there on rainy days or cold weather, you can visit several museums, the Ilinden monument, several monasteries and the ruins of the Roman town of Heraclea Lyncestis in the town of Bitola are not far away. In the mountains there are good mountain biking trails and Prilep has become known as one of the best bouldering areas in the world.

WEATHER INFO
Get weather forecasts from MeteoBlue and WindGuru. There is also a meteo station on the top.