Cassons :-((

As the Gondola from Naraus to Cassons will be shut down definitely at the end of October'15, I wanted to fly this site again. Last time I was here has been in 2002.
The panorama on launch is exceptional and it's one of the few sites that can be safely flown in light 'Föhn' (= south wind) conditions. Most other sites cannot be flown with Föhn, as this wind creates too much turbulence in those places.

looking WSW

'Tödi' (right, with snow on Top)

Andy launching

below Andy is 'Crap Sogn Gion', another flying site

Unfortunately I had a very bad day what regards my 'pain problem'. Andy had to help carry my pack already from the car to the chairlift; from the topstation of the cablecar to launch I managed myself - but just barely without another pain attack.

After the second unsuccesfull launch attempt I was in pain again and had to call it off for today   :-((  

>>  Mario & Andy: many thanks for your generous help!!

Then I drove via 'Splügen pass' - Chiavenna - Lecco - Bergamo to Bassano, where I hope I'll be able to fly tomorrow; at least the wx fcst is looking good...

(I've been living with this 'problem' for the last 15 years, but it has never been as bad as during the last few weeks)

the dream of flying (der Traum vom Fliegen): 220km XC from Zermatt to Davos

Swiss Televison (SRF.ch) has produced a documentation (in real time) about a 220km-flight from Zermatt to near Davos (on 3.June 2015) with Chrigel Maurer and his brother.
The track log of the flight can be found here.

Part 1, part 2, part 3, part 4, part 5, part 6, part 7 (about 1 hour each).

Grindelwald :-)) Schynige Platte :-((

After almost 9 (!) years I finally made it back to Grindelwald. The panorama still is absolutely breathtaking, as well as the flying!

the newly built 'panorama bridge' at the First restaurant

looking down to the retaurant and launch (at 11:30 'position')

looking towards 'Fiescherhörner', lower Grindelwald glacier (what's left of it...)

Pano above launch: Wetterhorn (left), Schreckhorn/ Finsteraarhorn, Fiescherhörner, Eiger far right

looking back to launch and LZs: Wetterhorn, Mättenberg

Short of 2 hours flight I decided to land, because I wanted to make an evening flight off 'Schynige Platte'. I caught the 1548 train from Grindelwald back to Wilderswil (STA 1611) and the (last) train to Schynige Platte had a departure time of 1645 - giving me 34minutes to spare. Unfortunately short of 'Zweilütschinen' our train had a technical problem and was stuck for almost 40 minutes. So when we entered Wilderswil station I was just able to catch a glimpse of 'my' departing train :-((
By then it was too late for an alternative plan (Axalp, Stanserhorn, Emmetten).

Disentis -6: PWC Task 5; excursion to Fiesch

yesterdays sunset: Piz Medel

Todays a south westerly wind had been forcasted for the Disentis-Chur area; so a task of 98km was called with a turnpoint at Strelapass (near Arosa) to goal in Schiers.
The winner made it in 2hrs 20min Avg speed 42kmh!!

Results can be found here.

Already yesterday Nicole and Alberto had asked about going to Fiesch, where they never have been so far. So at 0900 in the morning we departed, even though the fcst didn't look very convincing. We drove across Oberalp and Furka pass and in less than 2 hours we arrived.
I elected not to fly, but accompanied them to Kühboden. The clouds of the approaching front had almost reached Fiesch, but luckily stopped and Nicole and Alberto could fly. They got high enough to see the Aletsch glacier and the mountains behind launch. Getting down was a bit tricky, as thermals could be found everywhere; also the winds on landing where a bit turbulent and strong...

Fiesch

Most probably there will be no more task (as far as I know by now (1800)); so Nicole+, as well as Joze+, will be returning home already tomorrow.

Disentis -5: PWC Task 4

Today a task of  > 100km was set. Right after the briefing the pilots could start after being weighted. Contrary to the previous days cloudbase was already pretty right from the start.

Results can be found here. Joze Molek (SLO), which stays with us in the appertment came in third today!

queuing for weight check

just above launch

Shortly after the last comp pilots had taken off, tailwind started to blow down the launch and we already thought 'that was it for today'. But luckily, after a while thermals started to push trough again and with PeterW's help (THANKS!!) I was finally able to launch as well.
In the first thermal I cought I could climb from 2100m to 3400m.
The Peter and I headed west towards Oberalp pass, but contrary to him I only found sink (up to 5m/s) in the region of Sedrun and was forecd to land in pretty 'unnice' conditions (Nord wind?).
Landing with sinkalarm ON all the way to the ground and almost no forward speed :-((
Back to Disentis by train...

PeterW

Oberalpstock

Disentis -4: PWC Task 3

Today a task of about 80km was called. At 1200 cloudbase was still just above launch. The race was set to start at 1300 and latest landing was to be at 1700. Today just local showers have been forecasted, but only for later in the evening.
Again I launched (together with Alberto) after all the comp pilots had departed.
This was (so far) probably my best launch on my Rise2 :-)) So now the landings need to be worked on ;-)
As very often, I had a slow start and needed much time to get high (in the end max 3300m), but I was able to take some nice pix in the air...

More info (results, pix etc) you can find on the local webpage, for videos see here.

Gendusas launch (again)

above launch; Disentis

looking West towards Oberalp pass

looking towards Disentis from the West (center of pix)

Monastery in Disentis

Disentis -3: PWC Task 2

Yesterday I have misjuged the met situation and elected not to fly. But finally they set a task...
So today in the morning again the situation didn't look very promising after a night with lots of rain.
But again in the end the day turned out better than I had expected (- sorry Peter!).
They set a pretty tactical task of 63km. 

Peter Neuenschwander (CH) / Seiko Fujuoka Naville (FR) won this task.

More info (results, pix, videos) you can find on the local webpage or on 
PWC's homepage (videos).

waiting for the briefing

Gendusas launch

getting airborne

Nicole

Alberto

the pulk

...again

my LZ at Sumvitg station

Disentis -2: Saturday: PWC -training task

Tomorrow the PWC should start (but most probably the wx will not permit a task), so today a training task of about 75km was called. Conditions looked very promising, with little wind and high cloudbase; later in the afternoon overdevellopment and RA/ TS.

view on launch 'Gendusas'

Briefing (done by Martin Scheel)

Nicole

Nicole

>> unfortunately, during the flight my camera malfunctioned :-((

landing close to our appartement

Disentis -1

Today we arrived in Disentis, where Nicole will participate in the PWC, which is starting tomorrow (SAT) with a training task.

our appartement in the basement

looking W towards Oberalp pass

Unfortunately, the upper section of the chaitlift to Lai Alv was not running, so Nicole and Alby had to renounce, as Nicoles equipment was simply to heavy (even for Alby) to be carried up to this launch (40kgs...)

Sunset, Piz Medel

For tomorrow the have announced a training task, so we should be definitely get into the air!

Arosa in August -2

Yesterday late afternoon my friends from Italy have arrived: Nicole and Alberto. They stay 2 nights at my place in Arosa. Tomorrow we'll all move to Disentis, where Nicole will participate in the PWC. So yesterday we drove to 'Medergen' to have dinner together and enjoy the sunset.

dinner in Medergen

Sunset at 2040.

Today up to the Weisshorn - of course hoping to fly.
We watched Peter (and some other pilots) taking off in the 'Rööslhang'. He climbed nicely up to 3300m and had a nice flight. Conditions became again very tricky with the wind coming from all different directions. In the end we decided that I would try to launch from the same position as yesterday further down the mountain. But also here the wind was switchy, much more out of the North and less thermic :-((

I could finally launch but didn't find anything usable, so in the end I had to glad  to be able cross the 'Carmenna Pass' - rather low and in a tail wind.
Uneventful landing in the 'Isla', the only ok thernals to be found above the LZ (where else?). 
Having watched my very unspectacular flight, Nicole and Alberto decided not to fly, which really is a pitty, as they missed seeing Arosa from a birds view.

Arosa in August -1

Finally, after more than 6 weeks without flying, a nice flight in Arosa :-))
And only thanks to my friend PeterW, who helped me to get airborne in these tricky conditions!

We had to descend almost all the way to the 'Carmennapass' to find a spot, where I was able to launch without problems (and with my lack of current 'training').

Arosa Weisshorn; PeterW getting ready in the 'Rööslihang'; I launched behind the building on the left.

Also in the air the conditions were strange: winds from different directions; sink zones in unexpected places, bumpy thermals...

looking SE towards Engadin: Bernina, Palü

So after a little more than an hour I was landing at 'Prätschli', our semi-official LZ.