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by Peter Brodbeck and Ellen Wallace

Chateau d'Oex 2010 (photo: ©2010 Peter Brodbeck)

Richard Ashford, Emma Hurst, Chateau d'Oex 2010 (photo: ©2010 Peter Brodbeck)

Collection of photos from the Chateau d’Oex balloon festival, GenevaLunch album by Peter Brodbeck and Josh Fassbind

Chateau d’Oex, Vaud, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – A sky filled with colourful giant hot-air balloons against a backdrop of wintry Swiss Alpine peaks is “simply magical”, says balloonist Richard Ashford. It can be improved on only by being in one of the balloons, at the height, so to speak, of the party.

Ashford, when asked about his favourite ballooning moments, says, “If I had to narrow the choice, I’d say flying over mountain tops on a sunny day with a 360-degree view is hard to beat. The silence is amazing, aside from the occasional burn to keep the balloon at a certain height, and everything below looks like a toy town.”

The Chateau d’Oex Balloon Festival

Richard Ashford and Emma Hurst are British, the pilot/owner and co-pilot of one of the balloons that participated in the 2010 Chateau d’Oex balloon event, which ended Sunday 31 January. They say there is nothing quite like it. “Chateau-d’Oex is a special event. The whole town is behind ballooning. It has the balloon museum with the Breitling Orbiter, shops hang model balloons in their stores and everyone and everything is about ballooning.” And, for the scores of balloonists, enthusiasts and the public, “there is also a whole night scene happening with parties and events and street music. It is very well organized and attracts the best from around the world.”

Chateau d'Oex 2010 (photo: ©2010 Josh Fassbind)

Balloonists who travel the world attending events like this tend to find old friends. “Yes, ballooning is relatively small, but it is part of the fun of the sport. We generally know each other and it is through this network that we often get invited to different events.” It is a very social sport, he adds. “We are a close-knit circle of enthusiasts worldwide, which creates a level of camaraderie. We’re like a big family, and this in itself makes it all worthwhile.”

Ashford says he has been ballooning for about 20 years. “It all started by chance when I unexpectedly came across a balloon landing in a field. I went to the balloon, helped the owner, and was immediately hooked.

“For some time after that, I helped a balloonist set up balloons for flight, drove the van and did all the peripheral jobs, learning more and more about the balloons. I had, by this time, offered my services on an ongoing basis and became a crew member.

“During this time, I also took the necessary courses and training to become a pilot. Emma is relatively new to ballooning with two years of experience but she also now has her pilot licence. That can take anything from six months to two years to obtain, with a handful of exams and at least one solo flight.” Ashford says that pilots who want to keep a commercial pilots license are tested every 13 months.”

Chateau d'Oex 2010 (photo: ©2010 Peter Brodbeck)

The two British pilots say what they love most about the sport is its “significant” sense of freedom and unpredictability. “When you fly a balloon, there is no flight plan other than knowing where you will take off and the likely direction you will go, but you are totally at the mercy of the winds and you have no idea as to where you might end up landing”.

As a result, each flight is unique, which creates a level of excitement and exhilaration with each take-off and landing.

The balloons are big but easy to transport to festivals

The balloons are not the intimate little boxes of the musical “Around the World in 80 Days”: balloons can be 10,000m3 (350,000 cu ft) and carry up to 22 passengers, but most of the balloons at Chateau-d’Oex are about one-fourth that size.

Nevertheless, very little preparation is needed to join a ballooning event. “We can fly at very short notice. The main element of preparation is the need to understand and have confidence in the weather forecasts over the period of the event. You could end up going to an event thinking the weather will be good for flying and never leave the ground due to weather changes, similar to what happened this past Friday and Saturday in Chateau-d’Oex.

“Sometimes it’s a gamble, but the security of pilots and crew is paramount.”

Chateau d'Oex 2010 (photo: ©2010 Josh Fassbind)

Ashford has three balloons, which he keeps in a garage or the trailer that he uses for transporting them. A trailer, including the basket and propane tanks, is about the size of a small foldaway caravan or tent. “So it’s easy to hook up the trailer and off you go. The propane tanks are kept empty, for safety reasons, of course, and these are usually filled on site by the event organizers, free of charge.” A balloon of just under 10,000m2 is bundled into a bag no bigger than about 1-1.5 m2. And although they are heavy, they are easily moved on the snow with a flat metal sled. “For all balloon events around Europe I take my car and trailer – it’s quite easy.” For international events there is a little more involved but nothing too difficult, he says. “There are hundreds of events throughout the year, and it would be possible to balloon all year round at one event or another.”

Balloons can cost from CHF60-300,000, depending on size, with the larger pricetag on some of the large special shape balloons that are animated. A balloon is usually good for about 500-600 flying hours, says Ashford, after which the balloon itself needs to be scrapped. The rest of the equipment, such as the basket, is good for years if well maintained. Costs for running the balloons are not too high, he says, depending on use. Insurance is probably the biggest cost and varies based on use: private or commercial flying.

All equipment is checked every year or every 100 hours of flying time, whichever comes first, by certified civil aviation authority personnel.

The most memorable balloon flight

In the end, it all comes down to going up, and Ashford, like others who take their balloons to international events, has a string of beautiful memories. His most unforgettable flight? “I guess the first time I flew 12,000 feet (3,660m) across a mountain top. I used to keep a list of my most memorable flights. In the beginning there were about five such flights – crossing the English Channel from Dover to Calais, or the flight over Damascus or the one over Stonehenge, or flying from Hayling Island to the English mainland. Soon the list was so big it wasn’t worth recording.

“Each flight is so unique that it’s special in its own right.”

About the festival: in January, with 130 balloons from 20 countries in 2010, entertainment and rides (CHF299) for the public