(Arosa) :-((

once more...

 +

no running...

 =  

:-((

Arosa

After yesterday's 'no-fly' everything had changed today: for once here on the Weisshorn exceptionally good conditions for launching :-))
Furthermore thermals have been very nice: strong, but not bumpy at all.

above launch

(over Hörnli) Pano looking North

Arosa Golf course (under construction)

Tomorrow I'll have more time, so maybe a little longer/ farther flight. The Regtherm looks rather promising, although it predicts somewhat stronger winds: we'll see   ;-)

(Arosa)

The 'usual' wind situation on the Weisshorn: 5% headwind, 95% tailwind...
Once I had set up and was ready to go the tail wind would blow the glider down; so unhooking, setting up, ... But then it was the same all over again.

...not very promising...

almost ready...

and once more...

After 3 attempts I gave up :-(
I'll try again tomorrow: the Regthern is actually looking even better, but the wind situation on top of this mountain will be difficult again...

(Arosa) X-Alps - Koaru Ogisawa (JPN)

(23.6.) Turnpoint Nr 6 of this year's X-Alps having been in Davos meant that many pilots would fly via Arosa.(or close by).

Koaru Ogisawa (Ogi-san; Team JPN) 

had landed here (Isla) in the late afternoon, then hiked up to the Untersee, where he is staying for the night. 

As this is just a short distance from the house I have grown up, I decided to make a visit and invite Ogi-san and his team for dinner. This way I could give back a little of the hospitality and generosity that I had the pleasure to experience during my various visits to Japan from the local pilots.

I wish him every success for the reminder of his race and especially that he can do it without any major health problems!
And do not forget: Ogi-san is just 6 month shy of 60 - and is still going incredibly strong!

Actually I met Ogi-san once in 2007 at a competition in Hakuba (Happo) while I was visiting my friends Koji and Mari. That day Koji and I flew as 'dummies'...

(Wildkogel)

Last day of my PG trip through SI, IT, AT. I stayed the night in 'Neukirchen am Wildkogel' in the Pinzgau valley. I wanted to fly from Wildkogel. Even knowing that the wind wastill quite strong, I took the gondola, as per fcst, the wind should be much lower by noon...
When I bought my ticket, I was told windspeed on top was 21kmh (compared to 45kmh a few hours earlier). But this seems to have been just a temporary lull.

After having waited for about an hour and talking to the man at the gondola station (according to him, windspeed should increase again), I decided to call it a day. I rode back down and drove home via Gerlospass - Insbruck - Arlbergpass. Apart a major traffic jam around Insbruck (I lost over 30 minutes) it was easy going: not too much traffic and just a few lorries.

Hauser Kaibling, Bischling

In the morning I drove from Werfenweng to Schladming and Haus in the Ennstal.
I wanted to meet Ralf from Airsthetik and talk with him about a possible trip to IQQ (Iquique) in Nov/ Dec. As he was not available until noon, I stopped at Haus and made a short flight from 'Hauser Kaibling'.

Launch is reached by a pretty 'old' gondola and is only about 5' walk from the station...

looking East towards 'Stoderzinken'

Haus; LZ is on the rh side of the long, rectangular field; parking and gondola in the valley leading to the lower rh corner of the pix

Afterwards I met Ralf at his office/ shop in Schladming and we discussed the trip to IQQ. I quickly made up my mind and submitted my booking request in the evening :-))

The best option for a second flight was (again) Bischling...

Today several XAlps teams wre flying here, so also SUI-1 (Chrigle Maurer).

Compared to yesterday, I found it much harder to get high,

I don't know any details, as the 'rescue' was almost completed when I landed: for a (German?) pilot the huge LZ apparently has not been large enough... But the local fire brigade got him down safely. Nothing but a bruised Ego ;-)

Bischling

Yesterday (Wednesday): same as the day before: South wind (Föhn) amd 'Sommerrodeln' . this time in Abtenau.

Today finally a fine day again. When I woke up the sky was covered ('Hochnebel'), but the summer sun burnt away the moisture quite quickly. But I was a little too early for the first flight: just a sledder.

looking North

For the second flight conditions improved quite a bit and I was able to climb from below TO in just one thermal up to above 3300m :-))
But some how that was the only real good thermal...

Bischling (launch) on rh side

Bischling (launch) on the lh side

So I rode up a third time. Upon arrival on top I was informed that the flight school had called and recommended not to fly anymore, as the (valley) wind at the LZ had become quite strong. I followed their advise, though I think it was a bit overcautious...

(Bischling) Föhn

As expected, today the south wind ( = Föhn) was too strong; not only here at Werfenweng/Bischling, but at all flying sites north of the Alps around here :-((

>> see max (gust) speed at 16:43: 55.1kmh...

There is a website which gives good wind info for Bischling as well as general info about flying here.

So I did some sightseeing and finally ended up at Bad Dürrnberg, where there is a 'Sommerrodelbahn' (Toboggan Slide). Actually the mountain is flyable in North wind conditions.

I needed more than just a run to get used to this, but then it was a lot of fun when you finally 'dare' to let the tobbogan run full speed. It's a pretty fool prove design: there is a 'centrifugal brake' which limits the maximum speed, so it's impossible to go too fast... The only limit is your courage ;-)
Problem: there have been many families riding as well; as some of them were going rather slow, many 'fast riders' cought up with them and had to slow down quite a bit.

Unfortunately, Tomorrow does not look much better :-((

(Lienz)

On my way to Werfenweng (Bischling) I stopped at Lienz. Unfortunately the chairlift up to Zettersfeld (Webcam here) is not yet working; this year, they reopen on 22.6.
After a thorough briefing at the (huge) LZ 'Postleite'

LZ 'Postleite' (looking West)

by Bruno Girstmair, he called a taxi, which took me to 'Ebnerfeld'-lauch (fixed price: 20EUR for up to 4 persons).

'Ebnerfeld'

There was another pilot coming up with me; he launched in the last phase with a little headwind. Unfortunately shortly afterwards, just as I was getting ready to launch, tailwind started and it also began raining :-(  I was expecting rain for today, but not at 1100 in the morning! According the fcst it was supposed to stay dry until about 1500...
The pilot, who had ridden up with me came with his car to take me down - many thanks!

For the next 3 nights I'll be staying at Werfenweng, at the base of 'Bischling' (webcam here).

view from my room: Bischling (high point)

 
The fcst for the next days is not overly optimistic: some instability with eventual rain/ OD in the afternoon, high temperatures and (worst): probably too strong (southerly) winds...

Obertilliach

Todays Alptherm for the region has been way off!

Cloudbase was supposed to be just around 2000m and only later in the aftrenoon rising to 2500m.
Also a more ore less constant cloud cover was forecasted - all wrong as you can see in the pix ;-)

above launch

Obertilliach is one of my favourite flying sites: much less crowded than nearby Emberger Alm; access by gondola + 10' (downhill) walk; large launch; often working already around 1030 (as also today); great views; friendly people in the village...

Pano looking West towards Obertillich

Pano looking East towards Obertilliach

LZ in Obertilliach; launch is above my glider/ below the cloud

Unfortunately the gondola here is only running today, so tomorrow I'll 'have' to go (most probably) to Greifenburg (Emberger Alm). Regular summer operations start next week...

Gemona

For today Arduino had organized a place for me in the 1000-shuttle (thanks!)
Conditions looked nice, though cloud base was rather low and some wind from the east. All taken together it didn't look like I would 'venture' towards Slowenia ;-)

Looking East towards Stol/ Slownia, Launch/ Helipad (middle of pix)

Gemona; launch at 0200

LZ (looking towards Gemona)

It was not easy getting above launch, as most of the pilots confirmed after landing. So after an hour I landed.
Then I continued towards Austria (Obertilliach), driving across the 'Plöckenpass'.

Meduno

My last day here in NE Italy in the company of my guide and good friend Marco (Zonca).
He proposed we went to Meduno today. Upon arrival launch was still in clouds, although a few pilots had taken off anyway. Luckily after a while cloud base started to rise and we headed up. Once we got there quite a number of PGs (and a few HGs) were already flying. As the wind on launch was on the strongish side, Marco suggested another spot for setting up and launching: little further up, but out of the venturi on the pass, where the 'normal' launch is situated. And he proved right (again!): excellent conditions for getting airborne.

quite hazy...

 I 'cruised' around for a little more than 2 hours in the steadily getting better conditions. After having said good-bye to Marco I drove to Gemona, where I'll stay the night and have dinner with Arduino, another Italian friend.

Lijak

Yesterday, today's forecast hasn't been very promising. Luckily the wx turned out much better than I had expected (once more!) and I could make a 2 hr flight in Lijak. Unfortunately, due to military excercises in Ajdovscina, flights towards the east this week are restricted; the limit is at the HG ramp.
The launch at Lijak has been improved again and is much bigger now; just the grass (on the new part) would need some cutting...

Mangart, Tolmin

After an early breakfast and departure we met 'Zepp' at Log Pod Mangartom at 0930. Here, in this small village below Mangart, is also the normal LZ. Zepp gave us a briefing and mentioned that normally after 1300 the valley wind could become rather strong... Then we drove up towards launch. The road is not yet completely open (but they are working on it), so we had to park a little further down then usually.

Even though access had been still snowcovered, launch was almost completely clear.

Actually I was surprised to find the region so clear of clouds, as the forecast hasn't been very promising. But cloudbase was supposed to be rather low (below launch) later, so waiting too long for good thermal conditions was not recommended by Zepp. 

Marco landed after about half an hour and reported winds of 15-25kmh. So I didn't hang around too long either... But it's a flight area certainly worth coming back again!

Unfortunately at this time of the year the cable car at Bovec (up to Canin) is running only on weekends, otherwise this would have been an option for a flight. Stol was completely in clouds (and strong winds too), so in the end I made a flight from Kobala (Tolmin).
Overcast, very weak thermals and after about half an hour Marco informed me about a CB growing to the NE...

Pix by Marco - thanks!