Finally the 29th Annual Filzmoos Balloon Fiesta kicked of on the 12th Of January, with 40 Hot Air Balloons taking part in the small village of Filzmoos (South Salzburg, Austria). I joined Alba Ballooning for this event comprising of a team of 1 pilot and 4 crew, 1 land rover and 1 balloon.

Day One

After arriving at Salzburg airport we drove south up into the Alps to the village of Filzmoos and ’signed in’,  collected our hot air balloon banner, gassed up  and went to the weeks briefing in the local centre. Once the administration was complete we had a quick drink and pizza before retreating to our apartment.

Day Two After the snow fall of the first night and a low lying cloud sadly Sunday’s flights were cancelled. So a day of skiing occurred for this young PUT (Pilot under Training). So as the snow fell and the clouds rolled over the mountains and attacked the valleys of the Alps we took to the slopes with a new fresh top layer of snow it made perfect skiing conditions for us.

Come Sunday evening the clouds had cleared, allowing the night glow to take part. This night comprised of all 40 balloons burning their burners to the sound of classical music for 45 mins in total, in the dark! During the night glow the pilots and crew would get seduced by the Austrian hospitality being given free Schnapps and hot wine. for their hard work.

We woke the following morning (Mon 14th January) to a clear and beautiful blue sky, so after the “all clear” at the briefing we marched to the launch field with eager attitudes and inflated our Alba Balloon. A flight of 1hr 30mins took part that morning for ourselves, due to a heavy load and indecisive winds. Meanwhile however our Dutch friends flew for 3hrs!

Upon returning to Filzmoos we gassed up and went and got a hot chocolate and rum each and helped it to go down with a cake, had a sleep and then went out for the evening to the local bar ‘Kennedys’, where we enjoyed the local hospitality and met up with our Dutch and Swedish friends.

Now with one flight under our belts and a clear sky above our heads we went out on Tuesday (15th January) with optimistic hopes. We had got, once again, got the “all clear” and rumours had started spreading about a low band of pressure coming in for the next couple days, making today a very important day to get a nice flight in.
 
So we inflated the balloon and sent up David and Sue from Alba Ballooning along with Pete Forster the pilot. Armed with 6 gas tanks they flew for a total of 2hrs 52minutes getting in a total of 52kms in that time. After Tam and myself found the balloon, we packed it up and travelled back to Filzmoos to gas up and debrief.
 

That evening we went out for drinks with our British friends. They had just purchased a new Lindstrand Balloon (British Flag) and had just gave it it’s first flight the on the Monday, so their moral was high. However our energy levels were low, so after a quick drink and something to eat we went back to the apartment to catch up on some sleep.

The briefing today was a disappointment, no weather information was given a simple “no flying today” was all that was said. Sadly the weather had started to break and was coming in from the North West (low cloud and snow fall).
 

Fortunately a member of our team needed to go home today (Tam), so we drove the 50min/1hr drive to Salzburg and ventured round the city. It was a surreal experience, with a river separating both the old town and the new town. The photo’s below are of the famous castle and Mozart’s birth place.

Another disappointment today, the snow had fallen during the night and was still falling. So with flights once again cancelled, David and myself went for a coffee and cake and wandered the streets of Filzmoos. As disappointed as I was with the flights being cancelled it was a lovely day to walk around the village. The old Austrian village and architecture looked idyllic and complimented the snowfall amazingly.

After the morning snow died down we purchased two sledges and re-lived our youths going down the ski slopes, in preparation for the night. That night we were due to be going up the mountain in snow bashers to a little hut for drinks/food and then afterwards 11/12pm we were going to have to get back down the mountain somehow (hence the sledge practice). The night to be honest is a bit of a blur for this PUT (Pilot Under Training), i went of the slopes on the way down at midnight on my sledge and cut my neck/hit my head, consequently the night is a blur to me.

The last day of the fiesta was today (18th January), so we were keen to get a flight in. Sadly however it was still snowing and the weather had only got worse. Low cloud was now all around us and visibility was less than 500metres meaning there was no chance what so ever of flight.
  
Luckily though for us, all balloonists are health conscious individuals, so we prepared a walk for ourselves in an opposite valley. It was a breath-taking day so after 1hr we stopped for drinks and food and took in the scenery, before we turned around and returned back.
 

Upon arriving back at Filzmoos we recharged our batteries (slept) and then dressed up for the survivors dinner. It was the last night so awards were given out to all those that participated, as well as a ranking. We ended up 9th in total (out of 40 participants) and then returned back to our apartment to pack up.
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That time of year has come again. The nights have got shorter and the wind is starting to shake Britain in its shallow waters.

So, in protest, balloon enthusiasts/pilots/crew are starting to head else where to seek their much needed adrenaline rushes. I myself am going to Filzmoos (south Austria) come January the 9th with Alba Balloons (a Scottish Balloon company). There I will be taking part in the annual Filzmoos International Balloon Festival.

Now as i sit here writing my blog entry in the office a wide grin appears on my face. I should perhaps tell you my age, only 19. That means every little ballooning adventure I go on currently is a notch on my belt. So being among the 40+ balloonists (mainly consisting of Austrian, German and other northern Europeans) is a big deal for me. So do you know what I say, “Bring on the British Winter!” and I tilt my hat to the ballooning community who, as always, continue to be friendly and welcoming to this young kid.

Click here-CNN report on Filzmoos Internation Balloon Festival.