Big Adventure April 15

BJ launch looking south.

Flight is here!
Photos are here.

After yesterday's flight at Blanchard several of us were thinking of trying someplace different, just to get away from the fly-in crowds and try a new site.  Several of us had never flown Big Johnson and it seemed like the day to try it, so we reconvened at the BJ LZ around noon.

BJ is close to Maple Falls and faces almost due south; launch is about 500m or so.  It's at the end of a convergence of valleys which makes it ideal for ridge soaring as well as thermalling, and the multiple valleys makes it fun for lots of XC potential.  However the access is controlled via a gate so you need to accompany somebody with key access, or hike up.  You also need USHPA.  The launch is nicely grassed and you can lay out 2 gliders one behind the other.

Today the winds were scheduled to switch to west which is rather cross for this site, so it was important to get off early.  (In fact I think some people didn't get to launch due to cross-wind later on.)  Alex had been in the air for some time already by the time I decided to launch, and then Kevin and Brad joined us.

We had discussed flying into Canada already and once we felt out the air it was time to go!  I really had no idea specifically where to go...I haven't even been to Black Mountain before; I just knew to keep flying north and we'd hit the border sooner or later.  So when I got to 1650m I jumped the first gap to the NE.

This first gap is a bit of a doozy in that you end up on a rather low-angle ridge with only a few cutblocks to land in, in case you don't find a climb and have to glide out to the valley.  Kevin almost did exactly this...he had to veer off and head to the valley, but fortunately he was able to find a valley climb and get back in the game.  I managed to find a climb on the low-angle-ness and then it was back up to cloudbase and time to jump the even bigger gap to Black Mountain.

Up to now there had been a south tailwind up high, but Alex and Kevin were actually reporting a significant north wind down low, which ended up grounding Kevin next to the Black LZ.  Alex managed to squeak around the corner of Black and onto a windward face, while I was much higher and felt none of the north wind and was sailing along with my south wind.  When I reached Black I saw what looked like a very natural take-off, facing west, almost like the upper launch at Mt. 7.  It looked awesome!  It was only then that Kevin told me I was at Black Mountain that I realized I was looking at an actual launch site and not some natural feature.

Alex had climbed ahead of me but I missed his climb so I played around Black Mountain before continuing north.  As I approached 1600m again I could see the Fraser Valley, Sumas Mountain, and Dewdney.  In front of me were two mountains...it took me a minute to figure out that what I was looking at was International Ridge and Vedder, two mountains that I've never seen from this vantage point!

International Ridge is called so because it basically defines the US-Canada border in that area, so I radioed to Kevin that I was going for it and told him where my keys were stashed in the car still sitting back at the BJ LZ :)  As I glided over the US-Canada border I realized I would have to start keeping an eye on my altitude, because as soon as you cross the border there you are restricted to the Vedder CYA's ceiling of 5000' (1524m).

It was still a south tailwind up high so it was an easy crossing to Vedder which had nice cu's parked over the center ridge.  I had decided to fly along Vedder, rather than International Ridge, because IR was a bit OD'd and there aren't lots of easy LZ's on the US side the further east you go...Cultus Lake takes up much of the valley over there.  The Vedder side, however, was much less OD'd and has oodles of farmland to land in.

On Vedder Mountain looking at Cultus Lake and International Ridge.

I could see Elk and the Bridal range and wanted to reach it, which meant crossing the famously-windy Chilliwack River Valley, so I tanked up to 1400m+ before flying east across the Chilliwack River.

Despite the general lack of wind it was still a long glide, and starting at 1400m meant I arrived at Promontory at a measly 283m. I actually arrived below the upper houses on that ridge and could look up into backyards!  Had it been the normal windiness this would have been the end of it; I had prepared for this eventuality by picking out some nice big sandbars to land on, should I not get up and have to land in wind.  But fortunately it was so unwindy and I must have timed it just perfectly that as soon as I arrived on that SW-facing bluff, I hit a thermal and beamed back up to 1400m in one climb!

Alex was scratching elsewhere but joined me as I went on glide for Mount Thomm and we both found additional climbs to get us high enough to continue west to Elk Mountain and a return to the familiar.  At this point the usual Woodside and Bridal crowd were flying and we joined up with them, first off flying towards Cheam, before returning to Gloria and attempting the glide to Woodside.

I tanked up to 1700m and then Matt and I went for the enormous glide.  It was gonna be touch-n-go as to whether we'd make it across the river or not, and as I got closer I was still unsure about it.  I was hoping for a last-minute sandbar thermal to boost me enough to make it the extra 1 km, but alas it was not to be.  I had to bail onto a sandbar connected to the wrong (south) side of the river, and watched Matt join me a minute later.

I radioed that I had landed on the wrong side and would be hiking out to the mainland and then Matt and I started walking.  I had noticed on my final glide that our sandbar may not be completely connected and there could be a short wading session but it looked manageable from the air.

Matt and I did indeed need to ford the sandbar at one point (the river is cold!!!) but it was only when we got to the edge of the second sandbar when we realized that we weren't actually connected to the mainland at all, but still had a 100' section of river to ford, and this section was too deep to wade across like the first one.  What to do?

Fortunately it was a Sunday and there were lots of ATV-ers on the next sandbar over (the one connected to the mainland) so it was just a matter of getting help from one of them.  Easier said then done!  With their motors it's pretty impossible for them to hear anything else, so I had to use my whistle to finally get their attention.  Once we got ahold of somebody and explained the situation, that's when the hoopla began!

A local had a boat, but when they brought it, the engine wouldn't start, and they had only 1 oar.  So they had to go get a second, working, motor.  Meantime the rest of the ATV-ers (they called themselves the Rosedale Rednecks) were starting to congregate on their side of the sandbar and we could see a bit of a party starting up with beer etc.  Turns out our rescue was the most exciting thing that was happening that day so they all decided to check it out and be part of the fun!

One last hurdle to cross.

Finally the second motor arrived, was put on the boat, and it sputtered to life!  We're saved! The boat owner came over and collected us, and drove us the 100' across to the other side where a huge crowd had gathered to cheer us on, videocameras recording the entire show.  It was fully dark by now so the only light was from our flashlights and the glow from the truck and ATV headlights, and everyone was congratulating everyone else on a job well done.

Matt and I offered money to both the boat and motor owners and they were just tickled pink to have been part of "rescuing the paragliders from the island".  Meanwhile Matt's Dad-in-Law plus Rob and Alex had showed up to help out so we already had our rides back to Rosedale taken care of.  As we left the Rosedale Rednecks were fully in party mode...turns out the guy who rescued us was so gooned already he hadn't been allowed to get the second motor and his wife had to do the driving to pick it up in Rosedale, but he was the only one able to drive the boat, so it's a good thing he didn't dunk us in the drink!

And so ended our adventure from the US into Canada...Alex's flight was a bit less dramatic than mine as he made it to the other side and didn't need rescuing.  I however, was able to play the part of "damsel in distress", even though that wasn't my original intention.  I've had my share of low river-crossings and will be taking a good look at any sandbars I land on in the future, just in case they are indeed separated from the mainland!  During the time that Matt and I waited for the boat-rescue (2-3 hours), we had to back away from our shoreline several times as the water encroached a good 5'.  The river is in full flood mode now and all the sandbars we rely on for landings will soon be underwater for the next few months.

I'd also like to say a big thank-you to Kevin, who landed out and was denied the chance to land at his house near Cultus Lake, but instead drove the car back to Canada for us.  You're awesome Kevin!

PS to fly from the USA into Canada you have to clear it with Canadian Border Services Agency.  If you want the specific procedure you can email me directly (see right hand side for the "email me" button).

Blanchard April 14

Enjoying the view.

More photos can be found here!

Time for the 2nd annual Blanchard fly-in and the weather co-operated again with clearing skies and light thermic conditions.  Initially it was sled rides to the LZ as the wind wasn't strong enough for ridge soaring, but there was the odd pilot staying up for a few passes until around 2:30pm, when Kevin launched and was solidly staying up.  I was able to get in the air a few minutes later and avoid the line-up that inevitably followed, with the NW wind switching to a more SW flow down low which helped things a lot.

Up high it was still NW but it was still preferable to the SW of down lower as that meant being in the traffic, many pilots being rusty after a winter of not flying.  Cloudbase wasn't that high...maybe 1000m at first when Alex crossed over to Lookout Mountain, but by the time a bunch of us got to cloudbase it had risen to 1300m and it seemed like some sort of convergence was setting up...the NW up high meeting the SW down lower and cu's forming all over the place.

I decided to stay local and not go XC and eventually headed to the LZ, then it was time to head to Jeff and Stacey's for the BBQ, bonfire, and party!  Once again they outdid themselves with salmon and chicken on the grill, salads galore, and plenty of deserts.  The roaring bonfire as darkness set in provided the perfect backdrop for the zip-line, as many pilots commandeered the apparatus so they could swoop the crowd.

RV's and tents were set up all over the place, and the next morning we were greeted with pancakes, sausage, and eggs before pilots geared up to head up the mountain for another day of fun in the sun.  The fly-in was a success with excellent weather, lots of pilots (~100), and lots of fun and food.  I hope Jeff and Stacey put it on again next spring!

Easter Weekend at Woodside

Alex and I decided to spend the weekend out in the Fraser Valley and get away from the city for the weekend.  Lots of big clouds over Sasquatch on Saturday so no XC-ing that way, but SW of Redneck Island it was nice and lifty, courtesy of a bunch of big cu's over the flats.

Trying the Aggasiz/Bear/Ludwig route didn't work for me and I ended up landing on a sandbar at the base of Ludwig (flight is here).  Alex made it up on Ludwig and was able to tag Elk and then glide back to Harvest Market.  Meanwhile I was hearing bits and pieces about a pilot deploying their reserve over Riverside; turns out it was an accidental deployment and he went down, hard, in some small trees that didn't stop his descent, with all the rescue crew (helicopter, ambulances, firetrucks, police) showing up shortly thereafter.  He was airlifted to Royal Columbian for surgery on one of his vertebrae but is reported to be stable.

Saturday turned out too windy from the NE; we could get off launch fine and the thermals were high (cloudbase was somewhere around 2000m) but it was so windy (20 kph NE) that it was hard to go anyplace, and those that went west ended up landing at Squawkum Park and reporting not-so-nice conditions.  Lukas made it as far as Deroche.  So after boating around for an hour or so I headed out to land while several other pilots ridge soared the north side of Cemetery and Hopyard hills over by Harvest Market.  Meanwhile over at Bridal a couple of pilots were able to get off the very-snowy launch and enjoy some nice flights to 2000m as well.

No flying on Sunday due to too much NE wind, more so than even Saturday!  Fortunately I was looking for a ~5 hour (non-flyable :) window to install a new lineset on my glider, so it was the perfect day for some glider maintenance.  And it was nice and warm in the FV with temps around 18C in the afternoon!

Bridal March 25

Lots of trees down on the road.

Opted for Bridal just for a change of pace, even though it would be hiking from about 1/2 way up due to snow.  Rob, Alex, Graeme, and I hiked up in about 3-4' of snow (there is a packed tail however, no snowshoes necessary although gaiters are helpful) in just over 1 hour.  There are *lots* of trees down on the road above where the snow starts, so once the snow melts and it's possible to get vehicles and chainsaws to the downed trees, it'll be time for a significant workparty.

No-wind forward launch time!

Up on launch it was pretty lame and in the end only Alex and Graeme chose to launch while Rob and I hiked back down to save a hiking-up retrieve later on.  Sled rides all 'round.  Sounds like it was similar over at Woodside with extended sledders.  But it was nice to have launch all to ourselve, get some hiking exercise in at the same time, and see the state of the road for when the snow melts and the crowds start showing up.

Another big tree down just below the spur road.

Woodside March 23

Crossing the powerline valley to St. Benedict.

Another cold but excellent XC day, although it was a late start.  With the lack of wind and high base a bunch of us were thinking of doing the fabled Woodside-Hope-and-return flight, with Martin H having to come through on his promise of a case of beer for the first PG pilot to do this (if a group does it all at the same time, do we all get cases of beer?...could turn expensive Martin!).  But alas it was initially inverted which meant we were not really able to get going until later (2pm-ish) which cost us a couple of usable hours.  And even then we had to work to get high at the beginning...it wasn't a cakewalk like other days.

Dropping out in Norrish creek on the way back to Woodside.

But there was XC all over the place today...I and a bunch of others went west to Big Nick, Dewdney, Haztic Lake, and Mt. St. Benedict, while others flew over the back to Bear, Ludwig, and Bridal.  The clouds were dropping out a bit on the Bridal side and a big one started dropping out behind Benedict...I got snowed on as I tagged Benedict and then got the hell out of there and back to the sun.  Big shade from that same cloud shaded out the entire range from Big Nick back to Sasquatch, so I had to run to Harrison knob to find sun (it didn't work), landed at Eagle Ranch after getting back to Woodside a bit too low to re-climb back out.

Deroche and Sasquatch in shade...run for the sun!

Alex and Rob, after tagging Big Nick and Dewdney, instead of heading to St. Benedict with me, turned around and flew back to Woody in time to do the Woody-Bridal jump, although they didn't make it back to Woodside proper, landing at Harvest Market and Agassiz respectively.  Al chose to land at his property in the Sylvester valley after flying the north side of Deroche and Big Nick, coming out of Norrish creek over the water treatment plant back to the Fraser Valley.  Saw Miguel, Tom Chromy, and Matt J. at Dewdney as well so there was plenty of XC action going on.  We even had a rare Alan-Dickey-at-Woodside sighting, going XC from Woodside to Big Nick and then return.  Spring is here!

Woodside March 19

Looking west from Sasquatch Mountain

My first flight since getting back from Mexico, and it was certainly cold!  Big puffy jacket, 2 wool layers, 2 balaclavas, ski goggles, mittens, and chemical handwarmers were needed to stay warm today.  But it was worth it!

The first group of pilots were already in the air by the time we arrived on launch (you can drive to the spur road despite all the new snow; the Hammer-mobile went all the way in) and it wasn't looking too promising with north cycles and shading-over skies.  But it turned more-on shortly and it didn't matter if it was blue or not...there was plenty of lift in most places.

At Sasquatch Mountain looking back at Woodside

It took me a while to get high enough to contemplate an into-wind crossing to Sasquatch and by the time I got up to cloudbase just shy of 1650m, I was very far north and not in the optimal position for jumping west, but I figured I'd go for it anyways.  The SW wind made crossing a bitch from my originating angle but I managed to get up on the other side just in time to watch a huge waterbomber come bombing through over Echo lake ~800m above me.

It was significantly SW over there and not so nice to continue west, so I snuck up to Sasquatch peak to get a few photos and then headed back to Woodside.  I didn't leave from very high, 1000m at the bumps, but I found something over Eagle Ranch which gave me an extra 100m and just enough oomph to continue to Woodside proper without committing to the bailout swamp and ignominy.

Sasquatch peak 

Started heading to Agassiz Mountain but about 1/3 of the way there I watched a shadow line creep up the mountain and realized it would shade it out before I got there so I turned around.  And a cell was dumping snow over on Elk and the SW winds aloft was pushing it our way.  Oh well time to head over the river and explore the sandbars; there was a paramotor there earlier doing touch-n-goes.  Landed just as it started to grey out and get all misty-looking.

In the end I flew for 3.5 hours and had quite a nice flight flying over the freshly-snowed-in trees.  (Tracklog is here.)  Other pilots flew to Agassiz and back, or over to Ludwig and Bridal, while a bunch stayed local and top-landed to drive down the multitude of vehicles.  Alan at Bridal had worse luck...he hiked up and then back down as it wasn't really launchable.  And I heard Ivan commenting about some Elk flights.  Looking at the forecast, this may have been it for the next 4-5 days at least!

Final task!

Let me start off by saying: GOAL!

The final task of the SF and it was a medium-sized 76km from La Pila to Mesa-D, back across the mesa to Laguna (out by Divis) and then the lake.

Cloudbase over on the Wall was already 3700m and it wasn't even noon yet; a good day shaping up!  Those of us who launched early had a really fun time playing around the edges of the clouds with no crowds to worry about.

Heading to Mesa-D

Of course that all ended when everyone else joined in and then it was the giant merry go round until the start.  A perfect thermal right over La Pila and then it was time to head to Mesa-D.  This is partway to the Monarca ridge and there are multiple ways to get there: I saw many pilots heading straight down the middle of the mesa and the shade but I didn't want to get shaded out.  So myself and several other pilots diverted to the Wall where we ran the sun/clouds to the Penon and then dove over the back as well.

This was taking me to the dreaded Sacamacate area and I was determined not to make the same mistake as yesterday, so I took it slow and tried to stay at cloudbase as much as possible.  Many pilots had raced ahead, low, and were now stuck in the shade and the wind between Mesa-D and Sacamacate.

I was getting low(er) after tagging Mesa-D and was not keen to repeat my performance of yesterday, so when the other 2 gliders I was with decided to head to Sacamacate low and try their luck there, I said no way and instead turned back to the sun where I could see a glider climbing and beamed out again.  So unlike yesterday I was able to fly over Sacamacate and see that I was gonna make the Wall and Salvation!!!

With the hardest part of the course behind me I was able to relax and cruise along to Laguna on the NW side of the Maguey-Divis ridge.  A couple of hang gliders showed me the way and then I had to figure out when I had enough height to cross the lake, tag the La Pena ESS, and then tag Torre, all on one giant glide, since from that direction you are unlikely to get additional lift once leaving the mesa.  When I knew I was gonna make it and my instruments agreed it was time to leave the safety of the lift and head over the water.  The good thing about the Torre 400m, if you arrive too low to tag it the first time around, you can ridge soar your way up until getting it, and with the ESS already behind you, you can take all day to this and not get penalized.

The goal field was quite crowded but there was still a tiny space left over for the late-comers :)  My first goal of this comp and it only took 2 weeks to get it right!  And it was great to finally see what a SF goalfield full of pilots looked like complete with music, refreshments, cameras, crowds of people, and even a couple of BASE jumpers (is a tandem considered a "BASE"?).

More pics are here; tracklog is here.

I know today's task was not "big" like previous ones, but I still feel pretty happy about finally getting to goal at least once during my first SF.  And it's a nice way to finish off the comp: on a positive note with a great last Valle flight under my belt.  Now it's time to pack up the glider and head back to Canada, but not before one last party in Valle!

Note: I didn't bother taking any photos of the closing ceremonies; you can find these and videos at the PWC website.

So that's the end of my first SF.  It was truly a privilege to fly against the best in the world and I learned tonnes about efficient flying, various transition strategies, and general decision-making.  But I've had enough PG for now; in my 4 weeks in Mexico I racked up over 62 hours of airtime and 1050km of XC.  I'm pooped!

Penultimate day at the SF

I hate Sacamacate, I really do!

The task committee decided to go big for this next-to-last day with a 120km task that criss-crossed the mesa to Saucos, La Pila, past Llano, Santa Maria, and finally the lake.  When I heard it was 120km and involving a east-->west crossing of the mesa, my heart sank, as in all my years of trying this mesa crossing against the wind, I've only accomplished it once.  But, maybe this would be the second time :)

Anyways, heading to Saucos was pretty uneventful against a quarter-headwind (it was NW up high) and coming back at least to Mesa-D was also fine.  The problem came with crossing to Sacamacate from Mesa-D...on the mesa it was SW, not NW, which meant it was an uphill and upwind slog to get to the other side.

Saucos TP

Now I possibly had the altitude to get over the edge of the mesa back to the Penon side, but it was gonna be tight, and I'm not fond of pushing full speed bar into the wind, low, over trees, approaching the probably-rotory edge of the Wall.  The potential risk is too high for me; over the years I've watched lots of pilots chuck reserves as they get a rotor-collapse too low to the ground and end up in the trees, or just plain ol' don't make the glide over the edge and end up in the trees anyways.  Call me a wuss but I wanted more height to get this right.  So back I turned to the hated Sacamacate to tank up and try again, and of course my curse replayed itself, with no coherent lift to the clouds sitting above it and I landed on the plateau right at the base of my nemesis.

Other pilots with more balls sailed overhead and apparently made it over the trees and to the Penon side, where they presumably flew many more km's.  From the preliminary results, it appeared if you could make it over the edge of the mesa you were golden for at least another 50-60km.

Did I mention how much I hate Sacamacate?

On the flip side I did have a beautiful afternoon waiting for retrieve, working on my tan and enjoying the last bits of warmth and sun before I head back to Canada on Sunday.  Retrieve took a while since the regular road to Sacamacate is apparently closed so I eventually had to get a local to drive me down the little-known "back way".

It would be nice to break my streak of not making it back over the mesa against the wind, but unless we try this again tomorrow it'll have to wait for another year :)

Superfinal Task 7

New pics are here!

Finally after several days of grey skies and weak conditions, today dawned bright and sunny.  There was, however, lots of moisture on the grass so I figured it would quickly go big as it heated up.

Watching it start to blow up over the volcano

Today we had to tag Divis and then head south over the flats to Aguila, before crossing back over launch to the convergence to do a zig-zag over there before heading for the lake: about 96km.  In keeping with the quickly developing skies the lift was abundant but so was the sink, and it was very bouncy all around.  I had a hard time keeping my glider going in a straight line (as reported several other pilots) since it was quite turbulent in spots.  One almost-reserve on the way to Divis but this time the Enzo pilot managed to halt his cravatte-stall-spin routine before hitting the trees and flew away unscathed.

Aguila is across the flats to the south and it was a long let to get there.  A bunch of us were at cloudbase when we left 3 Kings but not much on the way across to Aguila.  I passed several small hills and considered stopping at them to sniff around for lift and tank up, but the group I was with just kept going and I preferred the safety-in-numbers concept vs. going it alone so early in the game.

The hill we were heading for is bordered by a canyon, high tension power lines, and a river, all great things to be heading for, low!  As I dropped lower towards the hill I knew I had made a mistake in staying with the gaggle as they arrived slightly higher than me and were able to climb out, while I (and a M4 pilot) were stuck on the wrong side of the canyon, river, and power lines.

There was a house with a clearing just short of the edge of the canyon and power lines, so Luciano and I bit the bullet and landed in the front yard as the rest of the gaggle climbed out above us.  I had no idea where we were, just on the wrong side of everything, but fortunately the farmer was home and gave us both a ride to the nearest town in a pickup that I thought was gonna up-n-die at any minute, where we hooked up with the official retrieve and Darya, Marina, and David who had also landed.

Meanwhile there had been a reserve toss just behind the Penon with the pilot landing on the ground safe and sound, and no damage to either his Enzo or his reserve.  I also heard reports of a second reserve toss but I don't know specific about that one.  As we drove past Jovan's we picked up part of the lead gaggle who had raced themselves into the ground a few km's short of goal; not very happy campers!  It was completely shaded out and OD'd to the north and east so many pilots got low and landed in the shade as the cu-nim blew up over the volcano.

I'm not quite sure I really "enjoyed" the flying today.  Irrespective of how I did points-wise, today was just a bit too bouncy for pure enjoyment.  It was tough to keep the glider pointing in a straight line on the transitions with lots of pitching (apparently the new gliders don't do this as much, better for plowing through rough stuff)...many other pilots reported bumpy conditions with lots of glider-wriggling going on.  Even though I would have preferred to climb out on Aguila and at least make it back to the Penon (with the hardest part of the task behind me), I wasn't that broken up by landing early as it meant I could relax and enjoy the heat and sun on the ground vs. a couple more hours of being bounced around in the air.  And at least I wasn't last today too :)  I am maintaining an average of ~107-110th spot per task so at least I'm being consistent!

Task cancelled in the end

Another grey day in the morning and the wind techs were having a pretty hard time staying up.  After 2 provisional tasks and talk of using elapsed time the day was finally cancelled due to "too-weak" conditions and the rapid loss of sufficient task time.  I think a large part of the decision was because of the perception of luck being too much of a factor today.

Assembly line of Boom X line stretching

But it was still flyable so most pilots chose to free-fly since there would be retrieve from the Piano LZ until 4pm.  As expected, it was initially very light and mellow conditions but most pilots were able to climb up on the Wall.  I saw several pilots head over the back to fly to the lake, while a bunch more stayed local.  I played around over the Piano to test the climb-out-ability of that area in case I ever end up low there during a task.  Yes despite the cloudiness it was definitely thermic and entirely possible to climb out from only (for example) 100m.  Good to know for future reference!