Bad weather hampers Swiss balloon festival
Gusty winds and freezing conditions put a dampener on the hot air balloon festival at Chateau D'Oex on Saturday with over half of the 70 balloons failing to lift off. Even the Swiss round-the-world balloonist, Bertrand Piccard, was grounded.
Gusty winds and freezing conditions put a dampener on the hot air balloon festival at Chateau D’Oex on Saturday with over half of the 70 balloons failing to lift off. Even the Swiss round-the-world balloonist, Bertrand Piccard, was grounded.
His teammate, Brian Jones, a British pilot who circumnavigated the globe with Piccard, had more luck and managed to lift off in the leading balloon.
The two began their successful round-the-world tour from the same spot on March 1 last year. They crossed over 30 countries in the Breitling Orbiter 3, ending their three-week journey in Egypt. “It feels fabulous to be back in Chateau D’Oex,” Jones said. “What is really nice is that I am not quite as nervous today on this flight as I was on the last one I did from here. It is lovely.”
Luxembourg pilot, Gael De Cardon, won the day’s contest which required dropping a scarf as close to a red cross on the ground as possible. This is the 22nd annual festival at the Swiss ski resort, with balloonists from 15 countries participating.
From staff and wire reports
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