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Tuesday looks even better with light winds aloft increasing only slightly during the day. Still lots of moisture in the area, so an early task is the call. Task is called from the Chair 9 starting line across the canyon to Greenback, then west to Iron Hill and finish at Oops Field, just west of town. Paul Fergusen is one of the first off the hill in light NE winds, and we all watch as he slowly climbs to cloudbase with a few other pilots. My strategy is to wait until the thermals are clearly marked, since we will be using the GPS to score, and every competitor makes their own start time when they cross the starting line. Reverse launching at 12,000 feet is very interesting! I managed to get a 5 mph cycle up the front and got cleanly off before sinking into the canyon. Heading for Town Park, I got a few bumps and soon I was climbing up the spine towards Chair 9. Once over the starting line, the lift got more organized, and I topped out with 14,000 feet at cloudbase. Looking across the canyon, I could see Paul climbing slowly below Greenback, and I pushed on the speedbar and went prone in the Cocoon. I really appreciate the glide of my new, pure white Nova Vertex with skinny lines, and soon I was climbing again, now with Mark and Paul. As we approached cloudbase once again, we got the turnpoint at Greenback and headed west toward Iron Hill. We could see Jill scratching low on the spine near Iron, but the lift was weak, and soon she headed out towards Oops. Mark had found a small, rowdy thermal about halfway to Iron, and we all worked it until I decided to dive deeper along the ridge to find something better. A very small strong thermal took me all the way to cloudbase again, and I headed right down the spine to Iron, got the turn and headed for goal. Paul was low, but with the GPS, you can get to within 2/10 mile of a turnpoint, and you have made it. If he had to get a sector photograph, he would still be looking for another thermal, since it was getting pretty dark and shaded out there. Paul, Mark and I all crossed goal within a minute of each other, the first to do the entire task, although not necessarily the fastest! It turns out that since I left the starting line later than both Mark and Paul, but caught up to them on course, I had a better time. Today was, by far, the sweetest day of flying I've had all year. Telluride is an intense place to fly, but when it's L&V without overdevelopment, it is really incredible. Later, the hang glider pilots but on a great show over Town Park with flat spins, barrel rolls and loops. Day One Scores:
See the full score page here (use your browser's BACK button to return). Wednesday was overdeveloped before we even got to the top of the hill, so the day was called off and we went four wheeling to the Tomboy Mine.  |
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