Ebenalp

Excellent flying today at Ebenalp. Thermals to be found almost everywhere: strong but not (too) bumpy  :-)  Unfortunately cloudbase has been to low to reach Säntis.

Ebenalp (launches); Säntis (highest peak)

Pano looking NE: Schäfler (left), Seealpseee, 'behind': Hoher Kasten

Pano (near Hoher Kasten) looking SW: Säntisersee, Alp Sigel; Säntis

After about 2 hours I had to land, as it has been rather cold (with Bise) for the season. On launch and after landing I met Kiwi, who -during wintertime-  is the 'resident' tandem pilot in Arosa.

Fiesch -3 (Binntal)

This morning the weather looked very similar to Saturday's: a layer of clouds between Kühboden and Eggishorn :-( While waiting for the clouds to dissipate I made a short trip to Binntal. For quite a while already the practice a 'soft' turism here, therefore the valley is in very 'original' state.
 

this bridge in Binn was built in 1394

Getting back to Fiesch it looked much better, but in odre to be on the safe side I passed by the LZ; here a local pilot recommended NOT to fly anymore, as in Visp the wind was already gusting above 55kmh. 

So I headed home, passing at Mollis to return the U-Turn Vision. Unfortunately I had been able to make only 1 flight here at Fiesch with this glider and I have not yet made a final desicion...

Fiesch -2

Much better than yesterday, but still not quite what Fiesch has normally to 'offer' ;-)

Nice flight with the U-Turn Vision-L: very long lines (which could eventually be a problem on small/ short launches), but quite 'sturdy'; not 'dental floss' as on many other (newer) gliders (ie Ikuma2).
Accelerated gliding (and C-steering): nice glide ratio. I felt very comfy under this glider...

Niederwald (behind my boot)

Landing in Niederwald, just a few minutes away from the train station for the way back to Fiesch. Tomorrow another flight with this glider, before I'm heading back home.

Fiesch -1

'Grimselschlange' on my way to Fiesch (Friday)

Fcst by https://kachelmannwetter.com/ch/wetter/2660781-fiesch

today's Regtherm (Goms)

Webcam Eggishorn (Saturday, 0830)

Not exactly the wx I've been hoping for/ expecting for my first day here at Fiesch ;-)

Around 1200 it finally began to clear up and I headed up to launch.

Strange conditions: very hard to get up and torn up thermals.

Pano looking East (Goms); Fiesch (and LZ) on the left

Hanging bridge at Fürgangen

Toworrow I'll be flying once more the U-Turn Vision, which I had picked up at Basisrausch on my way to Fiesch. Hopefully the conditions will be better, at least the regtherm is looking more promising:

tomorrow's regtherm (Goms)

Test Ikuma 2-30

Finally a Niviuk Ikuma 2-30 has made its way to Switzerland; albeit due to many construction sites along the route (and therefore long traffic jams) much later than anticipated (and hoped for): instead of 1200 I could get my hands on the glider only at 1345 :-((
I have been to today's flying site - Rotenfluh - only 3 times before: 1992, 1994, 1997; in the mean time a new gondola has been built, which departs just a few minutes from the LZ.
Launch is less than 10' from the gondola station.

I don't like this color very much - not enough contrast on pictures...

 

Here my impressions after a not very long flight: easy launching (though today I needed several attempts to get airborne). Great performance. (With my left hand) I can easily reach the A-riser in order to pull Big Ears. The speed system does not need much power to be fully pushed; together with Big Ears this gives a good ROD; no 'flapping' of the ears. Turns: to me it felt, that it was rather hard work making the glider turn. BUT, as I have to admit, I did all the turning/ thermalling only by using the brakes - the 'old-fashioned' way - and not by using the B2C-system. After landing I have been reminded of this fact, which I simply had forgotten.

Pano looking west

As this cloud was developing quickly I landed after about 50'.

Ikuma 2: certainly not 'love at first flight', but still on my list of possibe candidates. I'll need another flight in order to try making turns by using the B2C-system only (and not the brakes). I hope I'll be able to do this when I travel to Austria in the near future, as there is no size 30 glider here in CH.
Thanks to Peter from Paragliding Touch and Go for having organized everything!

possible candidates -2: Test Ikuma2

Ziad Basil (Dust of the Universe) has now published his test of the Ikuma2

Pix by niviuk.com/

Launching seems to be much more straightforward than with the 777 Rook3...
...but by compairing the 2 test reports I get the impression that Ziad Basil seems more enthusiastic about the Rook3. Can't wait to get my hands on one of those gliders ;-)

flyfiesch

Rob Smith's excellent website about flying "Fiesch, the Goms and further east" 

has changed its URL: 

flyfiesch.c1.biz/

Fiescherhorn (looking North): Aletschglacier, Fiescherhörner,  Fiescherglacier

Fiesch - Transport of hanggliders

As you might know, the (two) large cable cars in Fiesch, which had been used for many years for transporting hangliders have been dismanteld last year and replaced by a new gondola. These gondolas depart from a newly built station, which also serves as train/ bus station. It is -obviously- situated near the railway line of the MGB (Matterhorn-Gotthard-Bahn). 

the new hub: Train-, Bus- and Gondola station*

 
These gondolas offer space for 10 passengers - which is too small for transporting hanggliders.

Gondola for 10 passengers*

But: they have special special transport gondolas for transporting goods (and also hanggliders).
>> There may be waiting times until a transport gondola is available at the bottom station for loading the hanggliders!
Therefore it might be necessary to arrive well in advance in order to secure a space on such a gondola...

Timetable

Station at Fiescheralp*

Be it with para- or hanggliders: I wish you many safe and great flights! Fly high! Fly safe!

* all pix from 'Aletscharena' (via Flickr)

possible 'candidates' -1

Here is some info about a possible replacement glider for my Rook 2:
777 Rook 3, Niviuk Ikuma 2, U-Turn Vision

Triple Seven Rook3   
Test in 'Thermik' (German, printed)
Test by Ziad Basil  Dust of the Universe

Something I had first noticed in 'Thermik' -by reading kind of in between the lines- (as in these test for magazines deficiencies normally are not very 'openly' communicated) is the nil-/ light-wind launch handling. Ziad Basil is more open about it and this has also be confirmed by Nicole (she's been flying S and MS sized R3: the wing does not rise very easily and needs to be guided until staying really above of your head - otherwise there is a tendency that it will drop back again... But otherwise the overall performance is said to be great.

An interesting feature seems to be what they call the BC-system:

Pix from 777gliders.com

By looking at the pix/ video I just hope that I'll be able to reach high enough with my left hand...

>> unfortunately, so far no date has been set by 777 when this glider will be available in size L :-(


Niviuk Ikuma 2              
Test by Ziad Basil  (in progress)
Test Report

Niviuk has a similar feature, the call it C2BSystem:

Pix from niviuk.com

Niviuk's description: this new integrated system on the risers allows a 3-liner to be flown as if it were a 2-liner. Steering with the C-risers automatically includes the B-risers and this helps the profile to keep its shape and offers a better flight behaviour during glide.



U-Turn Vision 
Test by gleitschirm-optimal.de
Test by Ziad Basil  Dust of the Universe    
Test Report

The risers on the Vison have no such 'gimmicks' (beside the C-handles)   ;-)

Verbier

For my last day on this trip I went again to Verbier. I parked the car near the LZ at Champsec and within less than 5 minutes I could hitch a ride to le Chable; here I had to wait for the bus up to Verbier and then by taxi to the launch at Ruinettes. Roughly the same group of pilots as 2 days again were already getting ready.

Ruinettes (launch)

Unfortunately today most thermals seemed less organized to me and getting/ staying up was harder. But there also has been a good thermals which I could nicely center and that got me close to 1000m higher.

Champsec (LZ)

Apart from yesterday evening, where I couldn't fly due to the northerly wind, it has been 4 very nice days with a total of 7 flights. I hope that this long stretch with 'Bise' will soon be over  and than it will be possible to go to Fiesch/ Riederalp again - especially as gondolas/ cable cars will resume service on June 6th.

Soncheaux, Val d'Illiez

Soncheaux

Today I parked my car at the official LZ and took a taxi to the 'private' landing at the Lake Geneva used for the wing tests. They let me ride up to the launch at Soncheaux (1400m) with the test pilots. This launch is also used for the yearly 'Villeneuve Acro Show'.

Chateau Chillon

official LZ at Rennaz -looking towards launch/ Rochers de Naye

I don't remember having flown this site yet; in the early 90's I might have been here once, but we couldn't/ didn't fly...
As I launched around 1130 thermals had not yet really been well established, so I scratched around for about 45'.
After having packed up I then drove to Val d'Illiez. As luck would have it I arrived there just as Jean Philippe was about to head up to Croix de l'Aiguille with some student pilots. I parked my car, got my gear and off we went. Arriving just a minute later I would have missed this ride and would have had to wait :-))

Croix de l'Aiguille

Signal de Soi, Dents du Midi

Nice thermals, great views!
Originally I had planned for an evening flight from Signal de Soi. But by the time the bus was about to leave, Jean Philippe got the information that that on top there was North wind. In order to reach any possible launch site for these conditions (about 30') hiking is required, so I had to give up my seat in the shuttle...

(Villeneuve) Verbier

In the morning I went to Villeneuve to meet Nicole: she's 3 days here working for Alain Zoller (Air Turqoise), testing several paragliders fro the EN-validation. They are using a 'private' LZ - rather small for my liking ;-)

As planned I went to Verbier; I parked my car near the LZ in Champsec and went by bus via Chable to Verbier, then I took a taxi to Ruinettes. Here Gilles, on of the pilots who had been in yesterday's shuttle to Signal de Soi, was getting ready to launch with 2 other pilots.

Ruinettes

Perfect conditions for launchig and the house thermal quickly got me up to nearly 3000m; great views!

Pano looking SW: Ruinettes, looking towards France (Mont Blanc)

Mont Blanc

Croix de Coeur -launch

Champsec (LZ)