I arrived at 11:00 and its moderately strong but very north cross. I set up and wait around, but decide to go for it.
Very thermally but they are getting torn to pieces. I eventually work a good one up in the gap at the south to 1200 over and it was pretty easy afetr that. That is until my zipper blew on my Vulto. This time the toggle was low at my knees and control was a bit clumsy. I also couldn't get my legs out except for below the knees. I call it quits and head into a cookin' lz, where probably by just pure dumb luck I pull a nice no-stepper flare.
Meantime Dan Broxterman and Steve show--Steve with a new mountain pilot Tim who was a student of Sunny's at Highland. I get a ride up and Dan is itchin' to go, and Steve agrees to huck Tim before he goes.
Dan launches and gives it a valiant struggle on his big-boy U2, but alas it was not to be.
So I look over Tim's old Falcon 195 and it is one of the more tired wings I've ever seen, lots of rub wear, mildew etc. and the sail looks like its seen more than its share of UV.
Things got light and Tim has a perfect launch. Couldn't have been any better. He flies straight away from the ridge and is a little wobbly while climbing into his coccoon, but he succeeeds and flies on straight to the lz.
Tim is not turning or slowing down. But he is going up.
And he goes up.
And he goes up.
He's probably 500 over by the time he gets to the lz having done nothing but fly straight out.
Then Tim appears to start circling in preperation of an approach.
And he starts going up.
And he goes up more.
And he keeps going up. Looked to me at least a grand over launch level--staright over the LZ.
Before I leave I mention to Steve that after launching he might consider flying straight out to the lz--but he didn't (after a protracted chicken-scratch effort of getting into his pod's boot he managed to struggle up).
That flat-lander training held up pretty good in the mountains, I thought
marc