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)

Val d'Illiez

It's now 16 years since I have last been here in 'Val d'Illiez' (Champéry, Portes du Soleil).
Luckily, Jean-Philippe from PG school 'Flyaway' still remembered me. He welcomed me, showed me the new LZ (DMVL, as 'Camille' has been closed) and also offered to drive me to 'Croix de l'Aiguille' for a first flight.

TO: Croix de l'Aiguille, looking East (Signal de Soi, Dents du Midi)

Unfortunately thermals have been rather weak so that I have been unable to get above launch :-( 
After scratching for a while I changed to the other side of the valley, where I was able to climb up again. But still nothing special. I landed after a little more than an hour. The LZ is managed by the local club: DMVL - Dents du Midi Vol Libre

LZ: DMVL

At 1700 Jean-Philippe returned to the LZ to pick me and 3 more pilots up. He took us to Signal de Soi, the local evening site. The other pilots hiked all the way up to the top of Signal de Soi. But Jean-Philippe showed me a launch just 100m from the end of the road :-)

Nice launch and I quickly could climb out. The Aerologie with the influence of the northerly 'Bise' made me flying rather coutiously as I don't really now this aera well. Landing again after a little more than an hour.

looking West towards Croix de l'aiguille; LZ

Dents du Midi

Thanks to JeanPhil for a really nice flying day!!

for once NOT paragliding ;-)

some well know songs - with lyrics adapted to 2020
 

(no special sequence)

- the lion calls tonight     

- Leila 

- battle hymn of the Republic    

- American pie

- the battle of New Orleans       

- stand by your man                  

- with a little help from my friends   

- sound of silence                      

- where have all the flowers gone   

- the gambler

- Mrs. Robinson                        

- Have you ever seen the rain  

- 50 ways to leave your lover  

- everybody knows

- don't worry, be happy

- 50 ways to leave your lover  

- Bohemian Rhapsody               

- Hallelujah

- Delilah

- sixteen tons

- down, down
  
- stairway to heaven

- ??  (does anybody know the title of this song?)

Fronalp: Test U-Turn Vision

At short notice I decided to go to Fronalp (above Mollis, GL). This site can be reached by car (taxi), as after yesterday's 'hike', my back needed some rest ;-)
On the way I stopped at Basisrausch, where Danny Kamm gave me a U-Turn Vision to try. A long time ago he had tried to organize this wing in size L. As he didn't receive this size by the time I left for La Plama at the end of December, I never had the opportuity to test it. 

Launch: pano looking NNW towards Mollis

I had to wait until after 1700 for the wind to die down enough at the LZ at the small Aerodrome of Mollis. But the wait was well worth it: an easy launch and soon after 2 locals showed me the house thermals :-)

Fronalp: launch on the rh side (2 gliders)

looking NNW: Mollis; LZ is on the East side of the runway (left side of pix in the shadow)

looking South: rh side: Mollis

I was pretty happy with the wing; it really felt comfortable, safe and trustworthy. But the usual 'problem': I'm unable to reach the outer A-riser on the lh side, so I cannot pull big ears. If I'd ever want to buy this glider, then Danny would have to come up with a clever fix. Also the compression pack is not really to my liking. Though packing the glider this way takes up very little space, I don't know if this kind of packing would also work, when the glider is NOT unhooked...

So I have not 'discarded' the U-Turn Vision yet, but I'm hoping to lie my hands on a Niviuk Ikuma 2 and a Triple Seven Rook 3 soon. Then I hope I'll be able to make a final desicion.

Test by Bazil Ziad here.

Euthal: 'local crusing'

'Euthal': my last flights here have been in 2004. Originally I had planned to fly 'Hummel', but passing the LZ I saw that there have been just way too many people; furthermore it's a longer hike to get to launch, so I continued to 'Euthal', just a few kms up the road at the end of 'Sihlsee'. In less than 20' I was able to reach launch - there are several options.

launch: looking NW towards Hummel

Overview: launches, access, P, LZ

Pano looking SE (towards LS-D12: right side of center)

Conditions for launch have been perfect: not too much wind, but still strong enough to climb up immediately :-)
Interestingly conditions became weaker the longer I flew; also the aerology has been rather strange: clearly the wind on the ground/ LZ was NW; but higher up: N, NE, E???

looking NW: Sihlsee, Hummel

LZ, P, beginning of track to launches

Schrina: hard work ;-)

Today I was finally (!) able to fly with Beda (a long time friend and former colleague from Swissair times). We had planned a long time for this but it never happened as his company keeps him pretty busy. Even now during the lock-down he's working full time. Some probably will consider him lucky ;-)
We drove up all the way to the launch above Walenstadt, called 'Schrina'; so I just had to carry my gear for a good 10' - thanks a lot!

The site today attracted many pilots, some of them having problems in estimating how much '2 metres' actually is ;-)

Anyway, launch is big enough and we hiked a few minutes further up where we had more than enough space for us.

Beda launched first and soon disappeared from sight, as the conditions had been rather weak. I waited about 40' longer before launching: a good launch despite the rater flat terrain. But I had to work for more than 30' before getting above launch (1400m) and another 25' before getting above 1800m. From then on it was easy going up (max) 2300m. 

Säntis

Chäserrugg: Gondolastation and restaurant

The first hour had taken up much energy and I didn't feel like going really far, even though cloud base was much higher and the forcasted CU's didn't materialize.

Pano looking East towards Sargans

Pano looking West: Walenstadt, Walensee, Churfirsten

I landed afer 1h40' at the official LZ in Walenstadt. Before heading home I drove Beda up towards Schrina, so he could retrieve his car. We hope to be able to fly more often together in the future...

Track

Track can be seen also here

Stels

Exactly 8 weeks after my last flight (Laax) I was able to fly finally again today :-))
Together with my friend Andy we had selected 'Stels-Mottis' as our launch site, because it can be reached by post bus from 'Schiers'. Unfortunately upon reaching the launch at Mottis there was some tailwind...

Stels-Mottis: launch in front of restaurant.

Andy knew of another launch option further up near 'Stelsersee', but walking from here for me was out of the question. Luckily we could take someone into driving us up the mountain, so I had to carry my gear only for about 15'  - that's about all my back will allow for at the moment.

Launch near Stelsersee

Luckily it is still early in spring, therefore the grass at that altitude has not yet grown much, so we could lay out without having to hike up even further.

Andy launched first, but found only very weak thermals; nothing to climb in and center properly.
10' later and in a slightly different location I was more lucky and could climb to almost 750m above launch :-)

Stelsersee

'Chrüz' - pano looking east towards Klosters

It probably would have been possible to head east towards Klosters, but I was more than happy just to be airborne again. So after a little more than an hour I landed in Schiers.

Pano looking west: Stelsersee, Fanas....

On the drive home I passed the launch at 'Kerenzerberg': it looked ok, but would have involved another 15'-20' hike...