Fiesch

looking East towards 'Grimsel'- and 'Furkapass'

Even though the wx fcst has not been too promising, I took the 0600 train from Fehraltorf and travelled via Zurich-Bern-Brig to Fiesch (arriving 0958); finally ready to launch just after 1100...where else can you find something like this?
Already on launch the winds didn't feel 'quite right' and it could be clearky seen, that something was brewing. At the beginning the first thermal after launch took me up to 3500m and it was strong but smooth. But the longer the flight, the more the thermals became rougher and after 1.5hrs I decided to land. Later in the afternoon some CB's devellopped and it started to rain...

LZ at 'Ritzingen'

Arosa - Klosters (ca 52km)

Arosa (left), Schwellisee, Älplisee (right)

Davos

looking towards 'Flüelapass'

Jöri-Fless-Pass (?)

Final glide towards 'Klosters' (background)

Once more a nice flight from Arosa, but I had to wait for 2 hours before I found the conditions acceptable enough for launch. Cloudbase today at 3600m, but again when I needed the altitude to cross the 'Flüelapass', I couldn't climb high enough...
So with a very looooong glide I was able to reach the LZ at 'Klosters'. just 10mins from the railway station.

Arosa - Bergün

Finally a good flying day - even though the forecast didn't look too promising (base at 3000m); but actually at 3500m. I tried twice to get high enough above 'Bergün' in order to cross the 'Albulapass', but I never was able to climb to an altitude which permitted the crossing with a big enough saftey margin
:-((
I landed at 'Bergün', just 3mins from the railway station.

Chicco setting up on the 'Weisshorn'

looking South into the 'Albula-valley

'Bergün lies on the 'Albula'-line of the RhB (Rhätische Bahn); the part from 'Thusis' to 'Tirano' has become a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2008.

Ge 6/6 'Krokodil'

>> RhB UNESCO (DE)
>> Wikipedia: Albulabahn (DE)
>> Wikipedia: Berninabahn (EN)

Day 18 -flight back

Luckily, the flights back didn't near last as long as the flights over (20hrs vs 28hrs from home to hotel).

crossing French coast near Dieppe

Sunset over France

I'd like to thank here all who have contributed to make this such a successful trip, first of all Stacy, who always found a place to fly if condtions permitted and helped me in many ways; then the whole team who organized the RedRocksNationals; Kari and and...

Day 17 -Jean Dry Bed

What else?
Also the last day of my trip didn't pass without a flat tire...

Stacy had arranged with Ron Pecks to fly Jean Dry Bed.
Ron brought along his tow-rig and I could make 3 successful tows, then the winds became too strong/ gusty and it was too hot anyway.

high above Ron's tow rig

Stacy, Junko, Shuji

Before check-in, I had my trie repaired -free of charge!
Had my hair and beard done and went for a last

Sushi lunch.

Day 16 -Hurricane, Graff's Peak

Originally, Stacy had planned to fly Graff's Peak in the morning and then continue to Hurricane (this would also have been the more 'logical' way), but due to predicted winds we went to Hurricane first. Just as we arrived on launch, another flat tire...

Stacy launched first and found a nice thermal so he could come back and topland.
I launched next and could soar for about 30 minutes, but the thermals became more inconsistent and in the end I landed not far from my car. I guess that it just was too hot for good thermals to devellop.


So then we drove North to Graff's Peak (my second new site on this trip).
We might have arrived a little late for really good xc-flying, but still all had a good flight; Junko made it to Parowan - congrats!



looking South towards Kolob Cyn

Day 15 -Brian Head, Cedar Mtn

While driving to Ceadr City after our flight from Mt.Edna, we made a slight detour and took a scenic route, which led us by Brian head, another possible flying site.

looking East from Brian Head



The winds were too inconsistent for a safe launch, so we continued to Cedar City and up Cedar Mountain.

looking NE: Cedar Breaks National Monument

This was my 3rd visit to this site and finally the conditions permitted a good flight

Flight 2100 -if my count is correct

Utah -Day 14 -Mt.Edna

After a lousy night (after having received the notice of my best friends accident and death in his beloved mountains), Stacy, Shuji and Junko (from Japan) and I headed up Mt.Edna.



Cloudbase was just above the antennas and the wind from SW. After quite a long time considering if I should fly at all, I finally took off and flew out Cottonwood Cyn and landed at the interstate.

Shortly after,

Shuji and Junku landed there as well.

While we were still packing up Terry arrived. He lives right next to the LZ in Marysvale and had seen us place a windsock there and then head up the mountains. Later he saw us fly out, but not towards the LZ. So he figured there might possibly something wrong, took his car and followed us to where we landed.
Hey Terry, that was awfully thoughtful and kind of you, and probably my quickest retrieve ever!
We had been back to our cars faster than Stacy could drive from Edna.

Riet

Go with love upon your journey,
Go with wonder in your heart,
May the light be there to guide you
trough the terrace of the dark.
You have always been a good friend
but I won't know when you have arrived -
and I wish that I could see you one more time!

(excerpt from 'the Journey' by Chris de Bourgh)

Riet

Riet, Esther und Ruth in Medergen, Juli 2004


Heute (SO, 1100LT) wurde ich in Richfield, UT nach dem Fliegen von der Nachricht vom tragischen Unfall Riet's überrascht.
Genaueres weiss ich nicht, ausser dass er am Samstag im Bergell auf einer Bergtour abgestürzt sei.
Ich sitze hier im Hotelzimmer und versuche das Ganze irgendwie zu (er)fassen.
Mein herzliches Beileid für diesen unermesslichen Verlust an Esther, Nina, Luzia, Flurin, Vera, Claudia, Jan, Ben und und...
Man sollte verbieten, dass die Kinder vor den Eltern sterben!

Als ich nach der 1.Sek in Arosa im Gymi in Chur in der 1.Klasse hospitierte, war Riet vom ersten Moment an einer meiner besten Freunde und ich wurde von ihm und seiner Familie stets mehr als freundlich und grosszügig empfangen und bewirtet!
Wir verbrachten die ganze Gymi-Zeit bis zur Matura in der gleichen Klasse (oft nebeneinander in der gleichen Bank - von jemandem musste ich ja schliesslich abschreiben...); verbrachten mehrere Sommer in der Boval-Hütte bei Hans Philipp als Träger und unternahmen schöne Bergtouren; reisten zusammen mit Heinz Raschein nach Schweden ins 'Survival camp' von Martin Epp; verbrachten tolle Stunden/ Tage im 'Hüttli' (sei es Pizol, Vilan oder Fanas) mit Gilbert, Jürg und Els; trafen uns immer wieder mal im Tenue 'grün', wenn gleich meine Karriere dort deutlich weniger spektakulär verlief.
Riet hat etwa gleichzeitig mit mir mit GS-fliegen begonnen, hörte dann aber auf, weil er das Risiko mit Familie und eigenem Geschäft für zu gross erachtete -welch eine Ironie des Schiksals!

Ich werde morgen (MO) versuchen, meinen Flug ex LAS umzubuchen, so dass ich am Freitag in der Schweiz sein kann - ich hoffe sehr, dass es möglich sein wird.