Last task - what a cracker...

Blast around the valley, then Tremp and halfway back before a short dash for goal. We all knew the upwind leg would be tough and decisive. So it proved... No goal for me but I'm really pleased with my flying today. After yesterday's mess it was good to finish feeling I'd flown well. Apart from the cancelled days 4/5 saw me fly further than I ever did in the UK, I also got more airtime in the last 8 days than I did in the last 8 months. I guess I'm a little down about not finishing higher in the rankings but given I wasn't exactly great first time around it's no big thing... On the whole it's been fun and I've now got loads of new friends to boot. When I get back I'll post tracks and pics so the blog is complete. Right then, donde esta cerveza?

Last day - lots to fly for...

Forecast looks good, it's tight at the top and lots of pilots are waiting to see how it will all pan out. I'm still kicking myself after yesterday but mindful that I need to stop that. I got goal on the first day. Let's see if we can't bookend the trip...

Day 6 - 64km to Oliana

Elapsed time so take the start when you're ready. Dunno why but I seem determined to 'race' around low and consequently slow... Still, I had a plan & then went and changed my mind. Given the drift I thought it would be easier to cross the canyon further south. Turns out that was a big mistake, paid for dearly. 20km and surely condemned to finish in the bottom third now. Still, others have had a far worse time of it so I should at least be grateful I'm back in one piece and just need to pack the wing, not the reserve as well...

Task 5 - Cancelled

A storm approached from the SW just as the start opened. I was running back to Tp2 as the cancellation was announced... Shame, it was a really good looking task too but a good decision and timely made.

More tomorrow hopefully, this should be the last day of storms,

it's raining really hard now!!!

Task 4 - cancelled

Dag nab it... 18secs to exit the start, slick & quick with the next 2x tp. The plan for the flats worked a treat and then a big storm put paid to loading my track on the bus. Just over halfway and reasonably quick too...

hasta mañana...

Well prepared today, just over halfway in 4 hours :-(

Big delays on launch today with a heavy inversion. No excuse for not being prepared but I blew the start big time and couldn't get far enough. East early enough before the wind changed... 55km out of 90 something... very lower third. Bbq tonight, new day tomorrow.

C+ = must try harder

No goal today, 111km for circa 95km actual via a much bigger zig zag across the flats then hopefully an 'easy' run to Organya...

I actually got a really good start but had an awful preparation period and conditions on take off were tricky so I was far from settled. Alternating between being gift wrapped in Enzos and Icepeaks and getting a kicking at the inversion does nothing for pre task jitters.

I then proceeded to ruin my good start by topping up to Tp2, I should've stuck longer with the gaggle and ended low and on my own after Tp2. Fighting the headwind all the way back down the ridge was tough and I couldn't work out where would be best to make the jump behind.

In the end I opted for about 2km shy of the canyon. Occasionally I'd be with others but I was flying my own route now. A succession of low saves followed and I got back in the game at Tp3.

It wasn't clear here who was heading for Tp4 or who was off to Tp5 so I didn't wait to find out but pressed on low. Every stage felt like there was a headwind but there were still triggers pumping from the terrain. I could gain 1,000m but would suffer massive sink pushing to Tp4. I got decked just over halfway but lucked into an amazingly easy retrieve. Much tougher 3hrs in the air together with poor preparation did for me today.

Must work harder for height tomorrow (& take fleece, void bladder, trust gps, be ready to launch before briefing, etc)

I sort of feel C+ is a little generous, but making the start is a challenge in itself somedays...

Day1 85km via 5tp

85km looks intimidating when you've not done 8km this year, seeing as how that attitude puts / keeps you on the ground I set off with a 'let's just make the start' mindset.

The task was out and back to start then across the canyon to the east for a turnpoint before zig zagging in 'flats' behind to goal at the lake. I blew the start tagging it late and low. It's impressive watching the mass start but frustrating not be in it. Serves me right for launching 25mins after the window.

Getting back to tp1 was troublesome too, more than one occasion I thought I'd blown it, I could see others above 2,500m but couldn't get near myself. Crossing the canyon was easier than it looked and I started to catch some that had left me behind. Tp3 was the toughest part, strong climbs, no real landing until way off course and really choppy in the air. I decided to back track along the ridge to conserve altitude on the run to Tp4.

The first couple of km from the ridge were really rough & sinky but my line along the ridge paid off and I was able to tag the turn easily enough. On the way to Tp5 the clouds came out and with it a chance to get really high. Now there was a head wind all the way to goal.

The run to ess was ok but the 8:1 required didn't factor the 12:1 needed to clear the terrain. I had to ease up and conserve height and lost a place to Marko, he nearly didn't make the landing. Got down ok, chuffed to bits with the good start to the week. There were 50+ in goal so hopefully I'm in the top half. If I just make goal every day I'll be happy.

As an aside, I was too busy in the air to take pics and I'm blogging from my phone... maybe I can borrow a laptop to provide some eye candy tomorrow.

Laters, Px

Day1 - Task 1?

Well, here we are and it's all looking good for a task. Thanks to mobile internet / sim problems I can only post morning or evening. The Spanish anti-terror laws have put paid to the mass tracking too but I'll be 'live' as usual...

You just won't know what I'm supposed to be doing...<><>Report on the day to follow this evening,

Laters, Px

Familiarisation day

Not much flying due to a light north wind which became moderate westerly. Managed to launch ok after a wait and a wander and some more waiting. 35mins in the end but nothing special and quite rough.

roll on tomorrow (after the welcome party tonight!)

Testing, testing...

1... 1, 2...

1, 1... 1, 2 ... check, check

Seems to work...?

Now, what else have I fogotten?
Oh yeah, insurance... might be handy, you never know!

sent from my HTC

FoF 2012

The Foot Or Flybubble 2012 challenge is kinda like the Red Bull X-alps but without the mountains and over just one day.  Like last years X-alps it's also been hit by unseasonable weather, the full story of my first attempt is at the Flybubble website and whilst it runs to the end of July I'll be unable to have another crack before the Nordics.

Here's a summary of the key learning points...

• Start at your chosen take off, don't waste an hour walking to the course before you start
• Stuff goes in zipped pockets or is securely tied onto straps
• Take food and drink with you, especially drink
• Run fast, fly slow, maintain altitude on the ground and in the air if you can
• Make your decisions before you arrive at the point you need to think about them
• Pack quick, save time, if you're sure it's good then unpack and launch
• When choosing a field from the air, don't forget to spot where the gate is
• Take your pack off when jumping fences
• Smart phones are really just phones... they are no substitute for proper maps and GPS
• Be prepared for the weather to change, don't forget the hat

Here endeth the lessons, hope you enjoy the vid (& pics)
thank you to
my gorgeous wife for letting me loose
the flybubble team for the top class support, kit & organisation
the people behind rasp for actually being able to provide a useful met interpretation
the X-alps athletes for inspiration
the person who found my helmet
the people who own the fields I 'occupied' for a while

and most of all
John for driving me there, back and collecting me when I really couldn't face any more

So much for an epic June...

Unseasonal weather and an unusually positioned jetstream put paid to any hope of a decent June and what is normally one of the best (most consistent light wind) months for flying in the UK was an almost complete washout. I had 8x days in North Wales and 3x free weekends out of 4 and managed 0 hours...

July hasn't been much better but I had a crack at the Foot Or Flybubble challenge, exploits detailed on the Flybubble site in the near future (if not already). www.flybubble.co.uk/news/section/855

I mentioned previously how comps had changed, the biggest changes are in the scoring and post flight analysis thanks to the advances in GPS technology.  When I was last competing the 'standard' was to set a goal at an optimistically achievable distance downwind.  For example, the Pandy bottom landing field from Merthyr.  Soon after, one or two turnpoints would creep in and my last 'proper' comp at Piedrahita in '96 had people racing off to the East end of the ridge and back (set in an attempt to spread out the pack) but this would result in pilots going round in circles, in close proximity, trying to take photos of ground features, often from not far above the ground.

Personally, I found this to be all too much, I wanted to learn from others and was learning nothing, sick of being slapped in the face by tips and trying not to snag a brake cascade with my boots I made a decision to quit on the way home.  So why am I going back for more..?

Well, for one thing, times have changed.  From the outside, the sport appears less 'gung-ho' at the upper levels now, there appears to be more restraint and tolerance.  I watch the videos of Philippe Broers on Vimeo and it looks like huge fun, plus the advent of GPS trace, together with Google Earth, allows the aspiring pilot to see exactly how the winners achieved their glory.  The opportunity to learn has never been greater.  Lastly, I want a break, I want to fly every day, in the company of equally able pilots, not be worried about retrieve, share some tales of 'there I was' and fly somewhere new in 'relative' safety.

For me a this comp is kind of like a guided holiday with an element of challenge, Fof2012 has proved I'm not x-alps material, my ankle is not quite as fubar as I thought but my fitness is nowhere near 'cos I've had 6 months of being comparatively sat on my backside. That and I like my creature comforts too much, there's always vol visa but why do that when you can just vol, vol, vol...?

Dos cerveza por favor!!!

About time...

Gosh what a wait but I feel so much better after the weekend.  A monster drive and a lot of waiting around but finally I got a long flight in! I didn't fly highest, furthest or fastest but really don't care, I had a blast and feel completely settled.

Just shy of 2 hours in the end and everything seems ok, minor tweak on the harness to do but otherwise I think we're all set.  Had some honky climbs and a couple of 'interesting' moments but it's all reassuring for now and I'm really starting to get that 'good' feeling.  Everything that's new is working ok, might need to rethink the clothing though. I was still 'dressed for spring' and it was in the mid 20's on take off.

I mentioned at the start of this about how comps had changed and haven't really talked about that yet, so more soon for sure...

Laters, P

photo taken a few days prior
(from Carlo's Album)

no flying = no posting

I was hoping to have something a little more inspirational or exciting to write about by now but am temporarily grounded by work & domestic commitments.  Struggling for free time and having duff weather when the free time comes is never a great help when you're trying to find a way to train.

Currently getting ready for 3hr+ flights by spending 3hr+ driving in the car to somewhere that isn't raining and / or facing into winds of less than 40kph isn't great either.  Don't get me wrong, Derbyshire is nice & pretty, just a very long way to go for 5 mins in the air.  Even more frustrating to find your mates are flying huge distances the very next day.

I've still got another 10 days of heavy shifts before I can get out again.
Trying to stay optimistic that June will be good...

Completely different conditions for the last couple of days flying, eeeking out an hour on a windy ridge under a transiting cold front and then a few days later being stuck on a shallow ridge for a few hours under a glorious sky & completely unable to get more than 30m off the deck... both of these highlight the level of perseverance required on the difficult days and the determination needed not to pack it in too readily, but also of always being mindful about when to quit.

It'll be another couple of weeks before I can get out next due to work / life commitments, hopefully spring will still be ongoing and I can actually get high and go somewhere... currently very envious of the flights getting made whilst I'm otherwise engaged and I'll need to be wary / mindful of the 'red-mist' that will ensue when I get the opportunity to head out next.

Must remember that it doesn't really matter... it's only a game.

The first PWC event of the season is on in Brazil at the minute and I find myself wondering how the first-timers are coping with the bad (unsuitable for tasking) weather and long delays.  At the minute when I'm not flying I have work, kids, dog, chores and life to be getting on with.  It's gonna be weird to have flying and nothing else for ten days, so my preparation will have to be about more than just dealing with the demands of flying for five hours a day.

Part of the reason paragliding appeals to me so much is the apparent simplicity of 'just' left and right controls.  The finesse of getting the balance right and the choice of when to apply just how much is part of what makes it enduring.  I have a feeling that, like my other passion the board game of Go, this event is gonna be something I can do well at if I just don't screw it up on something silly.

That's the problem with simple things, they're often anything but...

I've always been a logical kind of person, A comes before C and B sits in between is a typical example of my thought process.

So starting with an ambition and working back a series of steps to acheive said ambition seems to be a good way to plan the avoidance of embarrassment.  I sometimes wonder if I've bitten off a little more than I can realistically chew in doing this comp but stuff it, it should be fun finding out.

Goals then, I'm going to the first paragliding competition in 15 years I guess a good start would be to make goal everyday.  Let's make sure I know what tasks are and how to get round them then.

It's all very well setting up a practise run for taking the dog on a walk but you gotta remember to turn the task off and the sound on when you go flying next...

I think that's this weeks lesson done :-)

more soon,
Px

It's a long way from the South Downs to Spain but you know what they say about a journey of a thousand miles, this will document some of my steps and learning in preparation for this summer's Nordic Open paragliding competition at Ager (Spain) in July.

Stay tuned for more to follow, much more in fact as things have changed a bit since I last had a crack at something like this