Swiss Champs Day One

BIG.  So BIG. 

 

Big mountains, big lift, big turbulence!   I just don’t have the experience to know what constitutes rough air.  All the local swiss got a laugh that the air rattled me.  I woke up at 8 to clouds already popping on the high mountains.  Conditions were prefrontal and the organizers wanted to get us up and done as quickly as possible.  We rode the cable car to the base of the ski resort.  Even at the base, we were ridiculously high (check the pics).  Launch was a nice grassy hillside usually used for PG’s.  Task was up and down the valley twice for 124k.  Getting up at launch was very easy, only 15 minutes or so to make it to the start gaggle. 

 

From the beginning it was hard racing conditions.  Strong lift, good clouds, and high mountains.  I didn’t push hard enough and got separated from the lead group.  The lift was different then it had been in the Bavarian Open.  There I was afraid to fly past lift without knowing it.  Today it was big enough that if you were near it, you KNEW it.  The influence of the big-uns spawned turbulence over a wide radius.  Climbs quickly got to 4,000m (stinking high!) and it was pretty chips up there.

 

The views were nothing short of Amazing!  Behind the Galvera launch is a glacial valley that will take your breath away.  3 merge into one and run what must be 15 miles down the valley.  I wanted to take pics but focused on trying to fly fast instead.  I wasn’t flying very efficiently today.  Putzing in lift I should have left or flown through.  Taking the leftovers of the leaders rather then my own line and it cost lots of time.  Overally making goal was a no brainer, it was just going that made the difference.

 

After crossing the virtual goal line I flew back to a monster that tried (and succeeded)  in chucking me far off my course line.   A quick run up to cloudbase and I was ready to fill that flash card with pics and movies but I managed to somehow press a sequence of buttons that locked the camera up.  Massively disappointed I floated back down to join the carnage in the designated LZ.  The Valley wind was ripping (as expected) but it was quite a bit more turbulent then I expected.  I should have used the drogue for precision in this postage stamp but I haven’t practiced with it enough.  This wasn’t the time for anything unfamiliar so I just shoehorned in that sucker.  Watching others land I would guess there was only a 10% success rate.  Lots of whacks and dropped wings at the last minute.  Grrrrr.

 

A front is cruising through and ruining the weather.  Not sure if we are going to fly tomorrow, or anymore for that matter.

 

Kev