Piemonte: Cavallaria-2

What a difference to yesterday! Whereas yesterday everything was 'hard work' and tiresome (even Pierandrea Patrucco said that only the first 2 hours had been 'fun', the rest just sh...t - so he landed at his home after 'only' 4 hours). Today on the other hand was a flying day right out of the 'picture book'!

Yesterday we launch from 'Cima Cavallaria' (1430m) around 1100; today from 'Manifestazione' (1390m) after 1300. This meant, that probably the wind on Cima Cavallaria would have been too strong...

'Manifestazione'

Also contrary to yesterday, where it took me 2hrs before I could climb in a thermal for a few hundert meters, today already the first thermal brought me to more than 500m above launch :-))

heading west towards 'Santa Elisabetta'

I atempted to fly West, hoping to make it to 'Santa Elisabetta'-launch, which I eventually did :-))

coming back...

So after a little more than 2 hours I was back at the LZ in 'Lessolo/ Calea'.
I consider this so far to be the best/ coolest/ nicest/ most interesting flight in 2018.

Piemonte: Cavallaria-1

Another fine day here in northwestern Italy (Piemont). Virtually no clouds, much better visibility than yesterday. At 0915 I was at Lessolo, the LZ for Cavallaria, where Pierandrea Patrucco (the local 'high-flyer' with 6-800hrs on PG annually!) had organized for me a seat in the 'navetta'. The ride to the upper launch takes close to 50mins.
Piearandrea Patrucco: find his flights here

'Cavallaria' (upper launch, 1430msl) - looking SW

finally - spring is here!

enough space for everyone

'Maestro' Patrucco launching

Conditions on launch were perfect: just enough headwind to permit an easy reverse launch.
Patrucco launched (almost) first and was quickly out of sight; I think none of the other XC-hounds, whose plan was to follow him had been able to do so.
I on the other hand (almost as usual) lauched last...

'Cavallaria' -upper launch (left of my boot); Andrate - on the other side of the valley (above boot))

even the 'Matterhorn' could be seen

looking west towards 'Santa Elisabetta' (another launch here)

Unfortunately today I didn't seem able to 'center' the thermals properly; rarely I could make 3 or 4 consecutive turns before I lost the lift :-((   It took me almost 2 hours before I could center 1 (one!) thermal for a climb of several hundert meters.

So I 'jo-joed' around for about 2.5hrs, never getting above 1800m...

LZ in Lessolo

Piemonte: Andrate

As promised a few weeks ago, my italian friend Ennio (the new president of FIVL -the italian free flight organisation) mailed on Monday, telling me that a few nice days could be expected in nortwestern Italy. So at short notice I packed my stuff and headed south :-))

Ennio

Andrate's upper launch: 'San Giacomo'

With 2 cars and 6 HGs we headed up to launch, where conditions looked pretty good with the wind coming straight in - even a little strong at times.

looking West towards 'Cavallaria'

'Cavallaria' is another good lauch, but the 'navetta' does not take hangliders, so the always go to 'San Giacomo'.

large LZ in 'Borgofranco'

So with an 2hrs flight I landed in the main LZ; later I drove 2 pilots back up to launch, so they could retrieve their cars.

Fanas

Unfortunately the gondola to the Weisshorn in Arosa had shut down last Sunday, even though some lifts (like Hörnlibahn) are kept running until tomorrow (15.5.) So I had chosen to go to Fanas. Basically a nice day; a little bit like the last flying day in Arosa: lots of high altitude (Cirrus) clouds in the beginning. BUT: lots of pilots, lots of snow on launch (Eggli) and very little headwind (mostly light tailwind)... Andy came with me and could launch with no tailwind. Already in the beginning I had my doubts about my ability to launch in these conditions.

Eggli

So after having waited quite a while and watching several failed launches (due to the high snow and/ or tailwind) I took the gondola down to 'Mast 4'. Here lots of Hangies were setting up, as this launch can be easily reached by car.

HG launch at 'mast 4' - Plandadein is the meadow at 12 o'clock in the pix

From here I walked to 'Plandadein', where there was no snow and even some nice head wind.

Plandadein

Plandadein

I had a pretty good launch but I expected only a short flight and a landing in Grüsch. 

Eggli

But luckily I made it up to above 2000m and could finally land in Schiers, where I had parked my car  :-))

Arosa

After the 'Föhn' (last weekend) is before the 'Föhn' (this weekend) ;-)
But Friday finally was a good day - without the cirrus clouds it most probably would have been an excellent day. But so, the thermals have been (very) weak at times ant it was hard work to stay up.

Peter

Marlies

I went up for another flight, this time blue skies! But no thermals - at least I couldn't find them ;-)

Arosa

Sorry for the long break in blogging, but the wx didn't really cooperate since I have returned from Colombia ;-) But at least I had my glider checked and the reserve repacked in the mean time.
Hoping to finally make my first flight in 2018 from the Weisshorn, I had travelled to Arosa the day before. But I knew beforehand, that there was a big chance of too much wind...

...and so it turned out: not really 'Föhn' yet, but coming from the west. It probably would have been flyable, but there was no point in taking any risk just for an extended 'sledder'.
As I was about to take the gondola down, Marlies saw me and invited me to a tea and some small talk. Many thanks to Marlies and Peter - hope will be flying next Friday!

Föhn clouds