US'22 (6.9.) - Roan / Glenwood

With a promising fcst we left Glenwood before 0800 for the looooong drive up to Roan Ridge. Until Rifle it has been easy driving along I70, but then the dirt track leading up to Roan has taken us more about 1 hour and 20 minutes: this 'road' has even gotten worse than it has already been 4 years ago :-(

Pano looking East to Rifle/ Glenwood

Arriving on launch we found really nice conditions: head wind, not too strong, so Andy and I launched shortly after 1000.

At first it looked, that I would have to head out to the LZ immediately, but then I found some lift. But all the lift Andy and I found never took us more than 200m above launch - just enough to take some pix...

Roan launch

looking back to launch (and the track we've been driving up)

LZ

We both landed after about 45 minutes; then back to Glenwood for another Sushi lunch and a short nap, before heading up to Lookout Mtn again, where we found much better conditions than yesterday :-)

We quickly laid out and Andy (as usual) has been the first to launch: I followed a few minutes later and immediately found a thermal which in the end took me to almost 2000m (=4450m) over launch. Andy had to search for a while but then he also found this huge thermal and finally landed 40kms from launch (direction Aspen). Even fully accelerated he was climbing from 4000m to 4500m without turning once. And what a nice thermal it was. In the end he run out of sunlight and had to land (his flight > here). Above 4000m it became too cold for the way I had dressed and so I landed after 50mins at the LZ in Glenwood: a very tricky landing, as the thermal was sucking up all the air and I had to land towards the river...

high above launch

Glenwood LZ (besides sports field)

US'22 (5.9.) - Glenwood

Mon: in the morning, Stacy went to meet Pine from  Adventure Paragliding and also made a sledder off Red Mountain.

As by now it has become too late to reach a flying site for mid-morning flying, we stayed at the motel. I worked on my blog and later had a Sushi lunch with Andy - Stacy declined the invitation as he is neither a friend of rice nor fish...

!! HOT !!

> 37°C

At 1630 we finally left the heat in Glenwood and drove up to Lookout Mtn; of course hoping for similar soaring conditions as yeterday as well as a bit lower temperatures ;-)

Pano on Lookout Mt looking West

Unfortunately the wind came out of NNW, meaning a cross wind of 45°-60° from the right. Andy and I decided not to launch, but after a while Stacy felt he could handle the wind. He ha d a good launch and a very nice and long flight.

Tomorrow we'll be leaving early for Roan in order to on launch around 0900; even if the fcst does not show ideal conditions, there areno real alternative sites for flying with the expected wind direction...

US'22 (4.9.) - Aspen / Glenwood

 SUN: leaving Salida very early (0530), as we had to be in Aspen at 0800.

Our route has taken us across Independence Pass (12'096ft/ 3687m)...

Lake on top of Independece Pass

..., and we have arrived in Aspen just in time for the 0815 shuttle to the East launch.

This launch is in so far 'tricky', as the window for launching normally is quite small: after the tadem pilots have launched one cannot wait for too long, as the wind might start blowing over the back...

All 3 of us could fly for almost an hour before the NW-wind set in and made the thermals too rough.

East launch

Andy approaching the LZ

launch is on the 'brown' slope above the windsock

Another thing here: there is absolutely NO landing to the west of the river flowing by the LZ (left side of river on pix of LZ): this is a nature preserve and landing there would close the LZ!!

Furthermore: no flying closer to the gondola than 1000ft/ 300m as well as flying further North than the North-LZ (due to the proximity of Aspen airport). XC towards Snowmass/ Glenwood is still possible, but if you sink out, you cannot glide out to the valley floor for landing, but have to land somewhere in the hills,...

After this nice flight we continued to Glenwood (our stay for the next 3 nights). At 1600 we left for Lookout Mountain (the local evening site) where we (unexpectely) encountered excellent soaring conditions, permiting climbs to almost 1000m above launch :-))

Lookout Mtn (Glenwood)

Pano looking SE towards Aspen

Colorado River Gorge

Pano looking West

So a very intense day has come to a great end :-)

US'22 (2. / 3.9) - Villa Grove / Whale Hill

Salida

1.9. Back to Villa Grove, where we have been joined by Jeff. Very similar conditions to the day before. On the first flight all 3 ouf us (Jeff, Andy and me) sank out. The high pressure makes thermals sharp edged and 'spicy', as well as hard to center... Stacy picked us up for a relaunch.

Second flight: again I sank out :-((  Andy had launched just a few minutes later and found a 'monster' thermal which had taken him with  > 7.5m/s to above 4000m. He has been able to fly over the plains towards Villa Grove and the Country festival held there. Incredible the number of RV's parked nearby.... He landed near the village. Jeff flew for about 20minutes.

RV parking for the festival at Villa Grove

In retrospect it probably has been 'a good thing' that I sank out, as Andy said that it has been a pretty rough ride; furthermore just about 20' later a gust front went through with windspeeds > 60kmh.

...starting to OD

Prime Rib for dinner with Jeff, Stacy and Andy

2.9. Already at 0800 we met Jeff and many other PG-, as well as some HG-pilots at the LZ for Whale Hill. I had been here with Stacy and Hart in 2018, but at that time the wind remained over the back the whole morning, so we had to drive down again... But in the late afternoon I then could make a really great flight (> see here).

Originally all these 'roads' on these mountains here had been built in the late 19th century for mining silver, gold and other stuff. It's hard to immagine how hard it must have been to construct these roads and carry up all the material necessary for mining. And don't forget, the 'hill' is 3600m high and how cold it can be up here - especially during the night (even in summer)...

remains of a mine on top of Whale Hill

The drive from 2750m to 3660 took about 45' on a pretty rough 4WD track, requiring high clearance.

At first, the wind had been blowing from the South, but after a while it weakend and turned more to the East, thus permitting easy launches.

looking SE

...on can launch anywhere on this hill... (Jeff)

Whale Hill

heading out to the LZ...

I could climb a bit over launch and took some pictures, the started heading out to the LZ, as the SE-wind could be clearly felt. Andy and Stacy have been able to get higher and also landed at the LZ. 

Car park and LZ (at 0200 from cars)

At first we thought that maybe a second flight would be possible, this time form Villa Grove; but the wind in the valley floor increased even more and it also quickly started to overdevellop over Wahle hill, so we had to call it a day.

OD over Whale Hill

Remark: OD = overdevelopment / overdeveloping

US'22 (01.09) - Villa Grove

 Yesterday evening had ended with some 'interesting' skies.

Jeff had called in the evening and discouraged us from going up to Mt.Princeton again today (due to the Northerly flow I had mentioned in yesterday's post), but he suggested Villa Grove, as there might be a flyable window in the morning, before the N-wind would also become too strong here...

So we left shortly after 0830, for the drive to the LZ at Villa Grove and up to launch. The road, as well as the launch, has been improved quite a bit during the last years and they are even building a launch facing NW - a direction which can come in handy here.

Pano on launch: looking S-SW - the whole ridge on the left would be soarable in the right conditions...

I and then Andy launched, but conditions have been just a tad too weak to stay up. 

But by the time we got back to the take-off for a second launch it looked much better. This time, Andy launched first and quickly climbed away. I on the other hand struggled for quite a while before I finally found a thermal which took me to > 4000m :-))

Villa Grove: launch area

Conditions on this flight have been rather 'sporty' - it's rather rare that I could take just a few pictures during the flight (actually the one above is one of them....): big climbs, huge sink, gnd speed > 70kmh as well as below 10kmh: everything has been there and kept me busy. In the end I decided to call it a day and landed near a dirt raod, wher I have been picked up just as I had packed my gear.

Meanwhile the forcasted N.wind had also set in and I have been not too unhappy to be back on 'terra firma' ;-)

Thanks again to Jeff for correctly forcasting the flyable window!

(Actually the window stayed open even longer than hed has anticipated.)

I had launched on the far left on the pix

About an hour after landing...

Just got a call from Jeff: towrrow (again) Villa Grove: 1000 at the LZ and he'll be joining us as well.

US'22 (31.8.) - Mt.Princeton

As mentioned in my last post, we had an 'appointment' at 0930 with Jeff near MtPrinceton/ Salida. This of course meant, that we had to leave Lakewood at 0615 as we wanted  to have some breakfast along the way and still arrive on time.

driving up to Kenoosha Pass

Our route took as over Kenoosha Pass, another flying site - but of course it was way too early for a flight and even if conditions would have been good, there simply has been no time when we wanted to meet Jeff as scheduled...

Kenoosha Pass (West side)

Mt.Princeton

Unfortunately due to a detour and an error in navigation we reached Jeff's place about 30' too late, so we immediately loaded our gear in his car and headed up towards launch: a steep road with some (very) narrow turns, requiring 4WD and high clearance; then a 20' hike-up to launch.

Pano on launch looking NE to SE

Jeff and Stacy

In 2018 we had launched towards SE, today we took off towards the NE in a fairly strong wind. 

Thermals have been abundant and strong (> 5m/s). Unfortunately, I didn't feel to well after a lousy night, so I landed after about 30' near Jeff's place.

Afterwards we continued to Salida, where we stayed for the next 4 nights, hoping for the wind flow to change to S/ SW/ W, so we can fly Villa Grove.

Many thanks to Jeff for taking care of us and especially driving us up to launch!!!