(Prarion) / Passy -Plaine Joux

Very early in the morning it looked very nice - almost no clouds (no pix); but around 0700 the sky quickly got covered by lots of clouds and it could be seen that the are the wind at higher altitudes was strong.

Vincent proposed that we'd meet at the Prarion gondola station, as there might be a chance for a flight.

Luckily by then the sky had cleared a bit and the sun was pushing through again :-)

Prarion (looking towards Chamonix/ Mont Blanc)

According to Vincent the conditions on launch have been very unusual: rather strongish (and gusting) Easterly wind - something he so far had never experienced here. Especially considering that the general wind direction at higher altitudes was West, we couldn't really 'read' this situation. Although 2 pilots have been flying we decided to descend by gondola and head for Passy (Plaine Joux).

The fcst called for increasing westerly winds in the afternoon, so we didn't wait too long before launching. But with hindsight we should have, as thermal activity has been (too) weak and the wind not (yet) a problem: back on 'terra firma' within 30 minutes...

LZ 'Chedde'

launch is on the very right side (approx 'below' the last peak)

And to finish off my vist to France: I shared a 'Cote du Boeuf' with Vincent :-)

X-Alps 2021: in the morning Chrigel Maurer and Benoit Outters/ Maxime Pinot had been approximatively in the same position; in the evening Chrigel had pulled 184km ahead of these athletes! Simply incredible! 9.5hours of flying...

Chamonix - some pictures by Vincent

Being the much better photographer than me, Vincent yesterday has taken quite a large number of pictures while flying together with me; some of them here. It's quite seldom that I receive such a large number of high quality pictures ;-)

Many thanks Vincent!!

 

 

Chamonix / Annecy

Friday evening I arrived here in Chamonix.

Aiguille du Midi (3842m)

 

Originally the idea had been to fly from Aiguille du Midi together with my friend Vincent. I already have been able to make this flight (launch is at 3600m) once (in 2000). The problem: from the cable car station (at 3820m) the descent to the launch site leads over a steep, narrow ridge, where crampons* are required. Vincent had offered to carry my pack, so I would reach the launch safely. Unfortuntely this week the wind situation wouldn't allow for a flight form this altitude :-( And between 1.July - 31. August it is forbidden to fly this part of the Mont Blanc massif, so I'm hoping that September will bring a suitable weather window ;-)

Instead we went to Plan Praz in the morning.

We flew locally for about 1.5hrs; initially the climbs have been rather weak, but later it turned into a perfect sightseeing flight.

LZ 'Savoy'

As Vincent had scheduled some tandem flights in the late afternoon at Planfait, we moved together to Annecy, where I could fly for another 1.5hrs. My last visit here: 1998 (flying a Nova Xyon).

Planfait

Planfait

Pano looking NNW towards Perroix / Annecy: Lac d'Annecy

Montmin launch (at Col de la Forclaz)

looking south: LZ at Perroix (Lac d'Annecy)

As Vincent sttill had another tandem flight to do (and later had dinner with some friends) I drove back to Chamonix on my own. At Grand Bornand I stopped for dinner (pizza), then I continued via Col de la Colombiere - just in time for a nice sunset on Mont Blanc.

Sunset on Mont Blanc (near Passy/ Sallanches)

>> all in all a great flying day in excellent company: thanks Vincent!

 

This day has also been the day when the leaders of the Red Bull X-Alps 2021 passed the Mt.Blanc turn point, but we didn't see them.

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* in 2000 I had arrived on top without crampons :-(  I still was very keen to make this flight, but I didn't dare to walk down the ridge without crampons... In the end -after mulling over my options- I decided to ask one of the many mountain guides coming up the ridge, if he would kindly lend me his crampons for my decent. Luckily he agreed after promising him to have them sent back up immediately with some other guide...

PS: this time I've taken my crampons and ice axe along ;-) (hand-forged in 1975 by the then renowned blacksmith and ice axe-maker 'Bhend' from Grindelwald. Bhend ice axes had also been used by in 1953 Hillary and Tensing on their Himalaya expedition.)

descent to launch (©www.youtube.com_user_ellomb)

 

Ebenalp

 

Very strange...  Today I went to Wasserauen for a flight from Ebenalp. When I arrived there: nobody flying and at the cable car station I have been told that so far just 1 pilot had ridden to launch. On launch I couldn't find anybody, just a glider pack. This is extremely unusual for this site: when it's flyable there (normally) is always (!) someone in the air... But after another check of the wind forecast/ Föhndiagramm and rain radar I couldn't find a reason for NOT flying. The rain radar predicted some possible TS after 1500, so I planned my flight accordingly.

For the first hour I had the entire airspace for myself - I can't remember to have flown here before all on my own. Finally some (student) pilots turned up...

pilots getting ready at launch

looking towards launch (cloudbase at about 1850m); Seealpsee (left

Hoher Kasten

I landed (as planned) before 1500; but in the end the rain/ thunderstorms started only after 1600.  But better be safe than sorry ;-)   

Nice local flying for almost 2 hours :-))    

Wasserauen: Gondola station (left siide); LZ: right side

Scuol -Motta Naluns

Today I had left my car in Grüsch and went by train to Scuol. It seemed that I had -with Andy's help (thanks!)- chosen the right site considering the amount of high clouds and Sahara dust in the wx fcst all over Switzerland...

 

Schwefel-Anemone

Launch was completely covered by alpine flowers: 'blauer Enzian' (gentiana), Schwefel-Anemone (a yellow kind of Pulsatilla alpina), Pelz-Anemone (Pulsatilla vernalis) and more.

Pelz-Anemone (unfortunately already withered)

Pano on launch (looking East)

But my performance today has been extremely poor: not only when considering what some other pilots launching from Motta Naluns have achieved, but also generally :-(   But once just 100m below launch it was -at least  for me- 'game over' as I have been unable to get back up again. In the end it just has been an extended sledder (25mins).

So back to Grüsch by train and not -as has been my faint hope in the morning- by flight...

Tarasp Castle

Arosa

Some days in Arosa...

Sunday: Weisshorn

Unfortunately no flight due to wind on launch- otherwise conditions looked great :-( 

Pix by Webcam

Monday: Medergen/ Wangegg

The last time I've flown from here: 1997!

Today has been a very good day for me: first in the morning some golf (8 holes: 4 good/ 2 ok/ 2 bad - considering I haven't been on a course for at least 7 months). Then in the afternoon I've been able to carry my gear (without cockpit/ instruments) for almost 50' (and 175m uphill) to this launch with no major problems (like pain...)  :-))  Unfortunately the wind was NNW (iso W), so no soaring. But still much better as no flight at all and having to carry the gear back down... (no tracklog avbl)

launch is on the very lh side of the pix - on the ridge, where the snow is in front of the Schiahorn

 

Later dinner with Ruth at our hut in Medergen 

 

Tuesday: Weisshorn

Again some golf (7 holes) in the morning... Once more tricky conditions on take-off (2*RTO due to wind) but finally I managed to have a good launch.

But conditions for flying have been very nice :-)   I flew for a bit more than an hour -taking also some pix of the launch from yesterday's flight- before landing at Prätschli.

Bernina

Weisshorn

Wangegg (yesterday's launch area) - looking towards Sapün.

Cavallaria

Last day of this trip to Northern Italy.

Luckily I could make one more flight today (after the last 2 days without).. But already before 1100, the sky didn't look too promising at all - and the Cumuli were growing fast!

...while waiting for the shuttle to depart...

On the ride to launch PierAndrea suggested that I shouldn't  hang around but get airborne quickly and of course to keep an eye on the clouds. He also offered to pick me up where ever I'd land as I shouldn't attempt to get back to the LZ at Lessolo just because my car was parked there when the wx got 'out of control' - just fly downwind and land in a sefe spot!

Manifestazione-launch

PierAndrea

Normally I'm rather slow in my preparations, but for once I've been ready launch just a few minutes after PierAndrea ;-)

Pano looking South

I just flew for a little more than 1.25hrs as I didn't 'trust' the conditions too much. And just after having packed my glider the first sounds of thunder could be heard...

Instead of flying a (last) capuccino and some gelati before heading home

looking to Cavallarina while driving home

All in all this has been a pretty nice trip: except for 2 days, where the weather dind't permit flying, I could make at least 1 flight :-)  And I have been able to meet almost all of my Italian flying firends (as well as some others. But these I have not specially mentioned in this 'flying' blog.)