Major Update

Well, it has been a while since I have updated my blog. I am sure you all have been waiting with baited breath. Hopefully, all of you haven't given up on me, and trusted that I would update the blog someday. So, Here it is.

The last blog I wrote was at the Dunlap, CA Nationals. Alot has happened since then with the season opener at Villa Grove, CO, and the Teva Mountain Games in Vail, and just some great flying after and in between.

In Villa Grove, as usual for this time of year, we were tethered between the struggle of seasons from winter summer. Snow on the peaks, rain in the valley, thunderstorms menacing our short opportunities to get airborn, and gust fronts toying with us once we were in the air. It certainly did not dampen the spirits of the group. What I love about this event is the camaraderie between the hang glider pilots and paraglider pilots. Even with the challenging conditions everyone got some airtime, though it was short lived, especially for the paraglider pilots, as wind seemed to make it more risky for us to stay in the air. I remember deciding to go to one of the hotsprings close by, and watching three hang glider pilots setting up for a landing in front of a huge thunderstorm with the gust front clocking winds at about 35 mph.

One of the evenings saw a paraglider pilot getting caught by one of the said gust fronts, and managed to land his glider going backwards at about 10 mph. He just got dragged a little through the sage and cactus (ouch), but was ready the next day for a flight.

I managed to get two good flights in, but chose to be in the air for no more then 40 minutes due to the unpredictable nature of the weather.

What could not be topped, though, was the hospitality that Tiffany and Larry gave to the event. Most pilots camped on their property, which is right at the base of the Sangre de Cristo mountain range. We can use Lar and Tiffs property for a landing zone, which is wide open range land. Larry is a hang glider pilot that has devoted himself to making this site one of the premier sites in Colorado. The party they threw was unbelievable, with a huge bon fire, lots of grilled food, kegs of beer, and live entertainment. You can't beat the venue, with two hotsprings close by, including one that's clothing optional, a pristine setting of snow capped 14,000 foot peaks, and you know you are in God's country.

I will continue to attend this event as long as it's on the table. Hopefully, one year we will be graced with perfect conditions, and long cross country flights. The potential is infinite.

Two weeks after the Villa Grove event, the Teva Mountain Games came to Vail. Originally we were going to have a competition with a cross country race to goal. But due to the previous year's conditions, many pilots were relunctant to sign up. So, because of the small roster we decided to make it more of a fun fly-in.

Unfortunately again, the weather was not on our side. Wind and rain was the norm, and we struggled to get in the air for some excitement. The first day we spent down in Wolcott with the hopes of flying into Vail. Big cu-nims with rain shafts, cranked gust fronts through launch all day with hang glider pilots, and paraglider pilots trying to squeak a flight in between. Everyone got flushed, with no one flying for more then 30 minutes. The second and third day we were blown out completely with no one going to launch. On Sunday, we got permission to fly from Vail mountain, and luckily we had a window. Observing the realtime weather conditions and the forecast, I was reluctant to head up the mountain, but since this was a rare opportunity, the group decided to go up anyway. Even though the winds were strong at 12,000 feet msl, with launch being at 11,000 feet msl, we had slight cross but reasonable conditions, so we hucked and had about a 20 to 30 min flight into Vail landing at the Rugby field. We were psyched.

Another Teva Games, and not the greatest weather. I am convinced that one year we will have the great weather needed to sport paragliders all over the sky for spectators enjoyment.

I will continue to blog more often now as summer has settled in. Stay tuned for more fun tales. Cheers!