Happy Holidays!!

 

Arosa - more: 12./13.; 17./18.12.

Some more trips to Arosa:

12./ 13. slowly the slopes are getting 'better' - meaning that I'm not sinking anymore up to my knees into the deep snow :-) Flying has been possible only on the first day, as the 'bad' weather arrived much faster than forecast; extended sledder to Chur.

Webcam 12.12.22

17./ 18. Still, the 'FIS' is not yet groomed, but at least hard packed in places by the skiers.

Sat: launching was ok - on the 3rd attempt :-(

Many thanks to PeterN/ Züsi and Hampa for their assistance and patience, as well as to Réné for the lift to the train station!

...tailwind...

17.12.22

Sun: as the wx station in Chur was reporting southerly winds (Föhn tendency) with 15-27kmh, I decided not to repeat yesterdays flight. A surprisingly large number of pilots have made their way to the Weisshorn; launching has been a bit tricky in the unsteady SW/ W -wind. 

In order to extend my flight by a few minutes, I landed on the large meadow in 'Isla'.

Arosa - 2 days with Oli

 

...too much snow for me...

I've spent the last 2 days in Arosa together with my friend Oli. Perfect winter weather, but that does not mean perfect flying weather ;-)  - especially not on the Weisshorn.

Tuesday: 2 problems: 1) to much (deep) snow on the not yet groomed slopes; 2) too much wind from a less than ideal direction (NW).

After about 2 hours on the mountain we decided to call it a day. When going down we met Bruno, who apparently after a failed launch in the deep snow managed to get off for a sledder.

Wednesday: 2 problems: 1) (still) to much snow; 2) not enough wind...

I've made 3 attempts to launch in almost nil wind from E-SE, but didn't make it. Afterwards I was completely drenched in sweat...

                                        

...so I didn't try again.

Oli managed to launch in this light easterly wind for a sledder to Mittelstation.

He came back up again to launch. Meanwhile the wind had shifted to light W and he finally could launch on the FIS. All this 'hassle' paid off for him, as he could find some thermals above the golf course and in the end he landed after more than an hour (as he was getting too cold) - congrats!!

As from coming Saturday, Weisshorn should be opened also for skiers, so by then the slopes are supposed to be groomed and launching -even in less than ideal conditions- should be possible also for me again ;-)

Arosa

Just a short trip to Arosa for an autumn sledder from Weisshorn (2640m) to Chur (640m) - about 11km as the crow flies.

I had to wait quite a while until the pilot 'in front' of me got away - it's rare to see someone who is 'running' even slower than me ;-)

But due to this waiting time the wind finally changed from nil/ minimal tailwind to a just a 1 or 2 kilometers headwind.

Chur: I've landed in many places since 1993, but never on this meadow here...

new try ;-) Video USA 2022 (Video compiled by Andy -many thanks!!)

 Compiled from Andy's videos and Taggi's pictures and some videos.

Ultental -Schwemmalm

'Trautmannsdorff' - a very nice botanical Garden in Meran

Having spent 4 warm and sunny days in Südtirol (Alto Adige) together with Ruth (27. - 30.11). When visiting Ultental (Schwemmalm), I took the opportunity to fly down (instead of taking the gondola); just an extended sledder... Some pilots, who had hiked further up have been able to stay up and enjoy some autumn thermals ;-).

Schwemmalm (with some launch options)

LZ, P and Gondola station (at 5 o'clock)

Scheidegg ;-)

Leeloo SM

Medergen / Arosa

Tue (18.10.) Hiking from our hut in Medergen up to 'Wangegg'. As I had feared, the wind was rather weak - but at least from the good direction. Even though the flight lasted only 5 minutes, that was far better than having to hike down again ;-)

Wangegg: looking towards Medergen/ Arosa Weisshorn

Sapün

Medergen

launch is on the ridge at the far left/ Medergen/ Medergerflue

Wed (19.10) Arosa Weisshorn: lot of patience was needed before I had a good window for launching. But the waiting time was well spent, as right after take-off I hit a thermal, which took me to 600m over the top of Weisshorn within about 5 minutes :-))

Arosa Weisshorn (2653m)

looking SW: Hörnli, Aroser Rothorn

Pano looking South: Bernina group

Medergen

Golfcourse

As I had promised Ruth that we'd go to Medergen for an afternoon tea, I landed after a little more than half an hour at 'Prätschli'. For this time of the year, conditions have been excellent: nice/ mellow thermals, high cloud base and only little wind.

'official' LZ at Prätschli

US'22: thanks & conclusion

My foremost thanks go to Ruth, who has been so generous as to 'let me go' on this trip for almost 6 weeks!!

Then also to my friend Andy for coming along and 'keeping an eye on me' - preventing me from making some stupid mistakes ;-)

Then of course to my guides and drivers: Stacy/ Aaron/ Talyor/ Mike and Kari - without them such a trip would have been virtually impossible! But besides driving/ guiding they all have been great company and told us many things about the US, which you'd normally not get to know on a 'standard' trip.

(PS: it should read Chalk Bluffs iso Chuck Bluffs - sorry)

Sites flown / (visited)

Lookout -at Golden / Boulder

Mt.Princeton / Whale Hill / Villa Grove

Aspen / Lookout -at Glenwood / Roan / Skinny Ridge/ (Gran Mesa) / HLF

Dinosaur

Cove / Monroe / Mt.Edna / (Junction) / (Uranium)

Pajute / Gunthers / Flynns / Chalk Bluffs / McGee / (Mammoth Mtn)

(Alabama Hills) / (Walts Pt. aka Horseshoe)

Marshall / (Elsinore)

notable visits

Cove Mtn

Bryce Canyon NP / Devils Garden / Hole in the Rock / Devils Backbone

Mono Lake / Bodie

Horseshoe Meadows / Tehachapi Loop / Mojave Airport

some numbers

sites flown: 20           number of flts: 37

> unfortunately -as can be seen in the schedule above- there have been quite a big number of unflyable days (13: due wind/ wx). This of course has greatly reduced the number of sites we could fly - but luckily in the US there is no shortage of sights/ places to visit in such a case; and really 'bad' weather -like rain/ fog- we had only on 3 days...

distance driven (approx):   >5000 mi/   >8000 km

A word about my wing: Profly Leeloo (XL): the longer I fly these (!) wings, the more I like them: I can't even remember if there has been a major collapse during the whole trip! With my first Leeloo I have now made more than 165 flts (since 8.4.21) - but especially on this trip the wing has taken quite a beating...

US'22 (7./ 8.10.) (Elsinore) / LAX-ZRH

FRI: very last day here in the US. As my flight was scheduled to leave only at 1915 I had the whole day to 'kill' the time. Therefore I didn't drive directly to LAX, but made a detour via Lake Elsinore, where I've flown in 1992 (flts 189/ 190), 1993 and 2008.

Lake Elsinore

Arriving on launch I met a HG pilot with whom I had a long chat. It's a nice (East facing) site, but kind of 'special', as normally pilots are waiting for the thermals to devellop sufficiently, but trying not to miss the (last) moment for launching, before the West wind kicks in - then it would be too late ;-) In winter, when there are (light) Sant'Ana winds, this is not a problem and also soaring becomes possible... Another problem: there are no official/ approved LZs anymore :-(   >> toplanding or landing in one of the few open fields and getting out before anybody complains...

route flown...

arrival in ZRH (Rwy 14)

Boeing 777

Uneventful flight: leaving LAX on/ arriving in ZRH 10' before schedule :-)

US'22 (6.10.) - Marshall

Thur: Getting up early to be at the loop around sunrise...

...and as luck would have it, another of these 'monster' fright trains came in sight. After returning to my motel for breakfast I left for San Bernardino, stopping on the way at Mojave.

wind park 'California' style

...in need of an used airliner? (dry storage at Mojave airport -KMHV)

I arrived at San Bernardino/ Andy Jackson Air Park (AJX) around 1300 and just 1 pilot (Reilly) could be seen flying, but he had to land due lack of thermal activity. According to my flight book(s) I have already made 18 flights here: the first in 1992 (!) and the last in 2009 - always when flying into LAX as copilot (on either DC10 or MD11) - half of them toplanding.

Marshall (launch) on highest point (Reilly landing)

The usual problem: how to get to launch? Luckily Reilly 'knew' the solution: call Gene Embree +1 909 260 0131, who took us in his ATV to Marshall Peak. A cool ride up the mountain with his dog (Max) sitting in the copilots seat and ejyoing the ride - 20USD well spent, especially as Gene (a longtime H4/ P4 pilot) gave me a briefing along the way :-)

Marshall, looking SW towards LA

AJX - the green field obove my left boot

Apparently I launched too early and had to land after only 20', but completely drenched in sweat as I had dressed in the hope for 'something different' ;-)

Gene was waiting for an other ride up, but I declined, even though it looked that conditions would improve later in the afternoon.

driving to my motel: Marshall (middle of pix), AJX below

'last supper': Prime Rib, Sam Adams (and cheese cake)  ;-)

US'22 (5.10.) - transfer via Alabama Hills, Horseshoe and Tehachapi Loop

WED: First stop on my way south to LA: Alabama Hills.

Alabama Hills / Sierra Nevada (background)

Unfortunately I couldn't reach the launch here with my rental SUV: conditions seemed good for a possible flight on this North facing site. I was even prepared to make a flight, land at the bottom, stash away my gilder somewhere and hike back up to my car ;-) But in addition having to carry my glider up to launch would probably have been a bit too much for me...

I then continued to Horseshoe Meadows, passing another possible launch: 'Walts Point'.

Walts Point

...what used to be Owens Lake...

Horseshoe Meadows (2950m)

After another 2 hours driving I reached Tehachapi, having passed huge solar power farms.

Why go to Tehachapi? Because I wanted to see the so called 'Tehachapi Loop'.

train going down the loop - 'filling' the complete 360-turn

This is similar (but on a much larger scale) to the 'loops' in Switzerland: RhB in Brusio (Bernina line), SBB on the Gotthard line), MGB (Matterhorn-Gotthard-Bahn) in Grengiols (with cog wheels) or on the DFB (Dampfbahn Furka Berg) below Gletsch (also with cog wheels). I have been really lucky, as just after a short wait a very long freight train (total of 7 engines: 2 in front/ 3 in the middle/ 2 at the end) went up the loop while at the same time a (rare) passenger train came down the line :-)