Tram Launch

I almost drove home after the Paragliding National Championships at the Red Bull

The Pictures: (use 'Back' to return) View from Baldy Brad visits us ...and top lands! Lou on the Ridge Valley Lapse Lou's Layout First Attempt Early Launch Bo likes it! Over Snowbird Headed East Salt Lake City Leaving Snowbird Brad Thermalling Park City Hwy 80 turns East Coalville Sinkhole Snowbird is Far Away Flying "IFR" Ridges to the Horizon Todd gets one more 16,300 at 6:30 Todd Lands Final Glide 91.4 Miles!

Wings Over Aspen, since we had not completed a single task! But I had taken the time off, and Todd Bibler was offering me a place to stay for at least a few days. The weather didn't look too promising for the first days of the Snowbird X-C Competition 2000, but Inspo gave us a few good days of tasks before we were able to go to the 'Bird.
     The first day at Snowbird, we all walked over to Baldy, a 40 minute hike at 11,000 ft. We waited and waited, and finally it began to get active. Bill arrived on the tram and and launched right away, climbing out nicely. Todd launched from Baldy just as the wind began to really kick in, so the rest of us were stranded on launch until after 5pm. We finally were able to fly down and ridge soar in the valley behind the tram for an hour before landing.
     The next day we all launched earlier, getting some really nice flights out towards Heber and Strawberry Reservoir. Thursday, the winds aloft forecast showed a more SE trend, and we looked to head up highway 80 into Wyoming. I launched early, not wanting to get stuck on the mountain. I sunk into the bowl on the back side of Snowbird (long hike out) but hooked a low thermal and worked it back up over the tram launch area until it took me straight up to 14,000 ft. As it turned out, after I launched, the wind totally died for about half an hour, forcing the others to wait for a launch cycle.
     Everyone finally got on course, and there were many low saves and lots of great flying as the wind was low

Brad in an Early Thermal

and thermal activity increased. Since I had not flown the course before, I had to follow the highway as it winded around mountains and reservoirs before finally heading NE, where we were headed. I almost dirted with other pilots at Coalville, where the sink hole is, but I stayed on the sunny side of the valley, working it slowly along to the intersection where 80 heads east. A burn area kicked off a low saver, and I crossed the lake to the ridge to the east and began a wonderful series of climbs and glides from each peak to the next. This continued until I was almost at Evanston, where Todd showed up. He had launched almost an hour and a half later than I had, but knew to cut across the mountains at Chalk Creek Road. I had gone the long way flying "IFR" (I follow roads)! He had more altitude than I did, and I had to land to pee. I headed for a rest stop in Evanston, following a creek and hoping not to find lift there. A couple hundred feet off the deck I hit another great thermal, and my instincts took over.
     This thermal got me back into the game, and I followed Todd to the east down the highway. A little further on, Todd was getting low, but hooked another one just before landing. I was climbing again, and followed this one to 16,300 feet at 6:30! Gliding east along the highway,

91.4 Miles - Utah State Record!

I watched Todd land just one exit short of his previous state record, flown with Bill. I glided another mile and a half to land alongside the highway for a new Utah state record!
     The next day, The winds were forecasted to be much stronger from the SE, 17 knots at 12,000 ft. We were all set up on launch shortly after noon, and Bill got off in an early cycle, leaving us to fumble with the dusties. Another good cycle got Todd, Bo and Dale off, but watching them get their butts kicked made us hold back. They finally climbed out, but conditions on launch had rapidly deteriorated. The rest of us packed it up and listened as the four of them flew at 16-18 thousand feet under cloud streets at 40 mph. What had taken me seven hours the day before, Bill completed in three! Frank launched a few hours later, wanting to follow the others north, but had the worse flight of his life fighting the valley wind turbulence to land in the canyon.
     When the lift was over, Bo had gone 74 miles, Dale went 100 miles, Todd flew 150 miles and Bill set the new state record of 154 miles! Excellent! Read Ken Hudonjorgensen's magazine article here.