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| Waiting for the low cloud to burn off. |
Tracklog here.
After yesterday's epic rain (we got caught up on launch and had to hide under the overhanging roof of the hut on the west launch...it was locked and we couldn't find the key :) the ground was completely soaked, but the skies were clear and the low fog was burning off. Looked like it would be a good day; lots of pilots showed up, almost to the point of looking like a small comp had showed up :)
It took forever for the low cloud to burn off but once it did, pilots started hucking off although nobody was staying up. It looked like it was gonna be a slow day, but then it turned on in a big way as the NW wind came in and people started ridge soaring.
Oodles of pilots were heading north towards Cheval Blanc but only a few actually crossed to it...I didn't like the NW wind coming in over the col so I turned around at the last gap crossing and headed back towards launch, detouring to the west to explore the smaller hills in front of launch. Other pilots headed over to Pic de Chamette before returning to the very active LZ...it was switching from south to west as the two valley winds fought each other. I watched one pilot not make the LZ and have to land on the riverbed. His glider landed on the rocky shore but I watched him splash into a puddle (the river is very low now). Initially I thought he was OK but it turns out he broke a wrist upon flaring into the big rocks at just the wrong angle. And a nice whack as a HG landed the wrong way as the wind switched from west to south at the last minute...typical afternoon St. Andre LZ conditions.
Jim and Colleen flew Gourdon today and sounds like it was sunny down there after the low clouds burned off too...we may head down there tomorrow.
Breathtaking view!
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