Ascent to Les Arcs: specific equipment required
Ascent to Les Arcs: specific equipment required
Book your stay
Saturday 31 January updated on 01-31-2026 at 8:06
Saturday 31 January updated on 01-31-2026 at 8:06
Sign up for our newsletter so you don’t miss anything in les Arcs !
Surname: IEROPOLI
First name: Daphnée
Age: 21
Discipline: Distance paragliding
Achievements:
• Winner of the World Cup in Macedonia in July 2025
• French Junior Champion for the third consecutive year
• World speed record over a 110 km triangle starting from Bourg-Saint-Maurice (May 2024)
When did you start your sport and why? What did you like about it?I took my very first tandem flight with my dad when I was 14 months old. After that, I racked up tandem flights and hours of inflation. I made my first solo flight at 12 years and 1 day old. Fun fact: on my 12th birthday (the legal age to fly solo), I was ready and super motivated, but it was raining: I was so sad, haha.
After that, every week in spring and summer, I would hitch a ride on the shuttle buses to go flying with the trainees at the Darentasia family school — my first and best sponsor <3.
In 2022, I joined the Pôle Espoir Vol Libre in Font-Romeu, where I discovered competition. It was a real springboard for my progress. For the past three years, I have been training at the Pôle France de Vol Libre based in
Savoie.
What I love about this sport is the feeling of gliding, the speed and the adrenaline. I love launching myself onto courses and racing with my friends. I also really appreciate being close to nature and the elements.
A key moment in your career?
• My first World Championships in August 2024 in Slovenia.
• My first World Cup victory in July 2025 in Macedonia: it was just incredible.
• And of course, joining the Les Arcs Athletes Team: it's an honour to represent my favourite resort, where I took my first flights and made my first turns on skis, alongside all these inspiring athletes.
Your best memory of Les Arcs:
I have so many memories of Les Arcs, both paragliding and skiing, in winter and summer... But I often think back to that day on 15 April 2023 when the wind conditions were perfect. We set off from L'Arpette with friends and flew to the slopes of Aiguille Grive. The wind was ideal there, so we spent a few hours soaring, landing, taking off again and doing big stabs in the snow. At the end of the day, we paraglided back down to Bourg Saint Maurice at sunset.
Your favourite spot:
The Aiguille Grive. This place is magical for both skiing and paragliding. It was my first dream when I started paragliding: I wanted to climb the Aiguille Grive in thermals. Now it's become something of a routine. Every time I fly over the Arcs, I pass close to its slopes and, when conditions allow, I land at the summit to admire the view.
Your typical day of paragliding:
In summer, I take the first cable car and do three or four acrobatic flights. In the afternoon, I change my wing and go for a ride: from thermal to thermal, mountain to mountain, I explore, admire the view and land on a few peaks. I return at sunset, enjoying the last pink colours on Mont Blanc. I land at night, my head full of beautiful images... and the next day, I start all over again.
If Les Arcs were a film or a piece of music?
Bong bong Manu Chao – for maximum energy
One tip for getting the most out of Les Arcs?
Get up early and enjoy the whole day on the estate and all the activities: skiing in winter, mountain biking,
hiking and, of course, paragliding:
