DESCRIPTION

Hatis is part of the Geghama Mountain Range. It is 2529m above sea level, and the absolute height is 1880m. It is of volcanic origin (there are obsidian deposits all over the mountain). There are virtually no plants, only grass and some bushes which dry out by mid summer leaving nasty burrs. The average temperature in summer is +25 �C - +40 �C (during the day), +9�- +20�C (at night). Hang-gliding pilots used to fly here in 1970-80�s, paragliding pilots started flying here in 1990�s. The area is very interesting from the point of view of lifts. The thermal lifts are narrow and therefore a little aggressive. Our experience shows that the peak of thermal activity from mid-spring to mid-fall is around 12:00 � 15:00. Of course, sometimes there are e-80xceptions both for the better and for the worse. Overall the area is very good. We call it a �learning and exploration� site. If pilots learns to fly at this site they will fly in any other conditions much easier since here they learn to understand the wind much better!

ACTIVITIES

- paragliding
- hanggliding
- hike
- soaring
- thermals
- xc

weather

The prevailing upper level wind is mostly from the South-East. On the lower levels and close to the ground (surface wind) the air mass circulation is determined by the micro-climate. During the daytime the wind blows on the southern slope and is good for take-offs. The wind is rather gusty 2-4 m/sec, in summer 2-8 m/sec. Sometimes strengthening up to 15 m/sec is possible. Sometimes the weather is calm and the wind direction changes making take-off impossible but this mostly occurs in spring. Overall, the wind direction is mostly stable in this area. Small dust devils sometimes occur and careful attention of the pilots and the flight instructor are needed to avoid the danger. Shifts of the wind can sometimes be observed.

access

The mountain is located in Kotayk region in the central part of Armenia, to the North-East of the capital city Yerevan. The geographical coordinates are 40�18'32''N 44�43'32''E.

regulation

None