The story
Vzletai Altai Hot Air Balloon Festival in Belokurikha
Vzletai Altai fills the sky above Belokurikha with seven to ten hot air balloons, timing flights for the calmest parts of the day at sunrise and again near sunset. Sport flights let pilots compete on precision maneuvers rather than height alone, and a festive opening kicks off the four-day run each September, drawing crowds to watch balloons rise from a single launch field over the mountain-resort skyline.
Cold morning air sits on the grass, burners cough to life, and then these huge bands of color start pulling themselves upright against the pale sky.