Breitenberg (Pfronten)

While driving past 'Pfronten' on my way home I saw some gliders flying. So I decided to head for 'Breitenberg', hoping for my first flight here in Germany (which hadn't taken place on 'Tegelberg' earlier this day).


Here (contrary to 'Tegelberg') TO is no issue, there is enough space to set-up and lay out.
After launch generally one flies North out to the ridge which lies in front. There the thermals together with the 'Bavarian wind' very often permit nice climbs.

looking East towards 'Füssen'/ 'Tegelberg'

So after 23 years of paragliding the Alps I finally made a flight in Germany:-))

Tegelberg (Flight Festival)

After my sled ride at Molveno I had driven North across 'Brennerpass' into Austria and Germany and had stopped for the night near 'Füssen'.

Sunset behind 'Füssen'

Here the 'Flight Festival Tegelberg' was to take place the following days.
I shelled out 7 Euros to gain entry, but I was mighty disappointed as there were few exhibitors (only 4 PG companys, of which none had a glider for my weight range...); the only good thing about this was that I met Oliver Guenay (a pilot/ photographer/ tour guide/ guide book writer) again. We had met last time 1995 (?) in Rio.

Sunrise over 'Schloss Neuschwanstein'

I underwent all the necessary paperwork necessary in order to be able to fly here at 'Tegelberg' - this has drastically increased after a (uninsured (!) tandempilot crashed into the gondola and then had fled the scene...

Tandempilot launching in NIL-wind (!) over the NE-ramp

The launches are rather technical:
- NW: there is some room to abort,
- NE: a ramp whitch allows no abortion.

But he tandem pilot in the picture above made an excellent reverse launch in these nil-wind conditions -compliments! - I wouldn't even consider taking off there in less than 10kmh headwind...

The winds remained light and variable and after having waited for 2.5 hours I decided to quit this mountain by taking the gondola down; furthermore more and more pilots had arrived and it had begun to get really crowded.

set-up area

Molveno

For my last day here in Italy I have chosen 'Molveno' - a site I have not flown before.
A rather old/ outdated gondola is still used on the first section to 'Montanara'.



Unfortunately the day was even more stable than yesterday and all flyers, except a local pilot, sank slowly out. But I'll come back: the scenery is very beautiful

Looking at 'Brenta'

and "Luca" (a former Italian PG Champion) is a very friendly and helpful guy and his "Hotel Olympia" well worth a visit too.

'Montanara' TO (looking South over lake 'Molveno')

'Molveno' and LZ

Canazei -2

Today the akku for the camera was freshly charged...
In the cable car I met Nick Greece, the pilot who became US open class cjhampion in Richfield rearlier this year; he does a quick tour of the Alps in order to wraite an article for XC-magazin.
Today the conditions on launch have been much better/ normal; but due to the high pressure (1030hpa) and the cirrus layer, cloud base was lower than yesterday.

'Lokomotive' and Sella'-Towers





When crossing over to the Marmolada I just could watch a pilot in front of me (about 250m away) taking a frontal. In the course ôf the resulting cascade of events he had to throw his reserve - he sunk out along some very rocky spine and landed on a steep slope high up on the mountain, but apparently he was ok as he could gather up all his equipment

Canazei - Dolomiten

Today I left home at 0500 and arrived in Canazei at 1000. I had to look for another hotel, as the one I have stayed with Arnie and Koba had closed for the season.
Arriving on TO at 1100, but the conditions looked rather strange to me: ESE 10+ -30+: For 4 hours I watched people launch in these (at times) rather sporty conditions...

TO Col Rodella

When the conditions finally improved after 1500, it was too late for any xc adventure, but it still was a very nice flight with base >3800m and excellent visibliity.

Marmolada

Unfortunately I had managed to leave home with an empty battery for my camera, so only very few pix :-(

Flims (Cassons) (24.9.11)

Pano from Cassons looking S

What a beautiful day! Even though I was a bit late, I still could make a nice flight.
On TO I met 'Diego', whith whom I had travelled to Brazil (South) last year.

Arosa Weisshorn (22.9.11)

construction work

Due to construction work for the new restaurant it was not possible to use the NE facing TO, but I had to use the SW TO; here the winds were nil to light tail / cross. After 3 abortions I was dripping wet by sweat and took the gondola down :-((
There is a reason, why I call this mountain also "Scheisshorn"...

Pano looking West

12 days PG with Arnie -4: Chamonix, Verbier, Fiesch

While having breakfast on MON morning in 'Vittorio Veneto', Arnie and I were discussing our options: TUE was forecasted to be OK in Bassano, but both of us were not very much interested in an OK-day in Bassano, so the decision was taken to go to 'Fiesch'. We made as side trip to 'Alba' in the 'Piemonte Region' and had an excellent lunch in 'Treiso'. Driving across 'Simplon Pass' it started to snow lightly...
We arrived in 'Fiesch' shortly before 2000.

Next morning 'Fiesch' was still cloud covered. We decided to try out 'Verbier'. Arriving in 'Martigny' it could be seen, that 'Verbier' was still cloudy, so I took Arnie for a very quick visit to 'Chamonix'.

Grands Montets

Arnie looking towards Verbier

Then back to 'Martigny' and on to 'Verbier'. After having shown Arnie the LZ's in the valley we drove up to 'Verbier'. The TO in Ruinetttes' (accessible by gondola) was still in clouds, but 'Croix de Coeur' was not, so we drove there.

Arnie after TO in front of 'Petit Combin' In 1992 on GS trip to 'Verbier', Claude Ammann (our guide at that time) had organized a helicopter transport up to that summit, so we had about an 30min sled ride, which at that time was considered to be a rather long flight...)

We landed both in 'Champsec' in the valley below and of course the car was up at 'Croix de Coeur'. I walked down to the road leading to 'le Chable', after a short while a postbus came, but didn't want to stop at first, as he was already out of service and returning to his depot, but eventually he stopped anyway and took me to 'le Chable' (without charging me for it -thanks!). Here I could just watch the bus to 'Verbier' depart :-((.
So I had to hitch-hike again. And as luck would have it, already the fifth car stopped: a pretty battered car with an old man driving it. On the drive up we got talking and after a while he mentioned that he was an aerobatics champion flying a Pitts aircraft and having more than 1'600hrs. A while later I dropped that I had flown jets with more than 10'000hrs. Among the people he knew from my SWR times was Daniel Wasserfallen, whom he had met just three days earlier. I had done my conversion course to DC-9's in 1982 together with Dani - what a coincidence!
In 'Verbier' Paul XY asked where to drop me and I said anywhere, as I had to get a taxi to take me to 'Croix de Coeur' in order to get my car. He gracefully offered even to drive me up there.
Many thanks Paul, that was very kind of you and I enjoyed also talking to you!
Then back to 'Fiesch', where we had a good fondue together.

WED: y last day together with Arnie. On the way up to 'Kühboden' we met Andy & his wife Michelle in the gondola. Andy (Fly with Andy) is organizing the trip to Brazil (Quixada) in which both Arnie and I will participate at the end of coming October.




The conditions were very stable, so only a prolonged ride down to the LZ for me; I then continued to 'Arosa'.
Arnie stays another 2 nights in 'Fiesch'; tomorrow (THUR) the conditions should be good there, even allowing some xc. He then will go to 'Grenoble' and 'St.Hilaire' for the flying festival (Coupe Icare 2011) and next week to 'Nice' for his flight back to LAX.

12 days PG with Arnie & Koba -3: Ljiac, Canazei

Wx fcst called for CB's in the Gemona-Stol region, so we went with Nicole to 'Ljiac', just behind the Italian border near 'Gorizia'. Many pilots had the same idea, but the TO is wide enough to handle also a large number of people.
I tried to fly East, bu sank out near the AD of 'Ajovscina'; while Nicole came to pick me up, I had my hair cut. On the way back we stopped at the excellent gelateria in 'Gradisca'; later Nicole and Arduino took us to an Osteria near Gemona.
Arduino: thanks for offering me dinner!

Lijac

Next morning we drove across 'Plöckenpass' into Austria and to 'Obertilliach' (one of my favorite flying sites). But thick clouds covered the mountains and instead of waiting for them to dissolve, we continued to 'Canazei'. At 1500 we were ready to launch.

Arnie soaring in front of 'Sella'

Marmolada

For three days we had good/ excellent flying wx in Canazei: especially on Friday cloudbase was rather high. Saturday then base was much lower as a front was approaching: xxra, xxtsgr in the afternoon.

Koba packing his glider

As the fcst for SUN, MON was very bad, for TUE "soso" at best, we drove Koba to 'Sillian', so he could catch the train to 'Vienna', from where he would return to Osaka' on WED. I hope you returned safely!!
Arnie and I headed South into Italy again and stopped at 'Vittorio Veneto' for the night.

12 days PG with Arnie & Koba -2: Gemona

Wednesday saw us in Gemona. Nicole had arranged transportation to Mte Guarnan, the local TO for XC-flights. She launched early, didn't like the conditions (too much east-wind) and toplanded again. An hour later, the conditions had improved quite a bit. Arnie launched first, then after some problems it was my turn and finally Koba. Nicole couldn't fly with us, as she had set-up a special tandem flight with a friend of hers and Arduino. She would tandem with her friend, who would then 'jump' with his parachute from the glider while Aruino was taking pictures...

Nicole

Arnie approaching the IT-SLO boarder

abm 'Kobarid' looking East towards'Krn'

Arnie and I flew together until Tolmin, from where I could fly back to 'Stol' and the SLO-IT boarder, whereas Arnie (being much lower) finally landed exactly in the same spot as hed did on his last flight here with me -I think he must have a SLO girlfriend there ;-)
I tried twice to overfly the SLO-It boarder, but the West component was too strong and we had lot too much time before launching while waiting for the conditions to improve. So I turned back (East) and glided as far as I could. This resulted in my longest flight this year (so far): 110kms with a very good average speed (for me).

XContest print-out for 14.9.11
:-))

12 days PG with Arnie (USA) -1: Scuol, (Rosengarten), Bassano

Saturday (10.Sept.'11) Arnie (USA) came by train to 'Fehraltorf' in the morning, where I picked him up. We then drove via 'Vereina-tunnel' to 'Scuol'.
Unfortunately, the wx didn't correspond at all to the fcst: weak thermals, 'strange' wind direction, so both of us had only a short flight. We might also have launched 30 minutes too early...

Arnie landing at 'Scuol'; 'Schloss Tarasp' in the background

We continued via 'Reschenpass', 'Vinschgau' and 'Meran' to 'Rosengarten/ Catinaccio'.
Again the wind on launch was rather 'strange', so we even took the chairlift down as both of us couldn't make much sense of the conditions...

chairlift to 'Rosengarten/ Catinaccio'

We continued via 'Agordo' -where we stayed for the night - to Bassano.
Even though cloudbase was rather low, we both had nice flights.
The next day (Monday) Masa (JPN) arrived with his group of pilots - among them Koba, who would stay with Arnie and me for the next 7 days. Masa presented me with a beautiful t-shirt MAsaka had made especially for me. Masako is the Japanese lady pilot who had suffered a very unfortunate accident in Canazei last year.


Arnie soaring in Bassano

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.