Wednesday, October 31, 2007
Most frustrating days for a guide. Excellent weather forecast for the day. Northern winds dying off by the afternoon, blue skies, end of october so still warm valleys in our region, which is all promising to take the pilots to a special site. To put their flying where their mouth is, epic flying, big fat thermals, XC-stories.
But shit, the winds dies off to quick. No thermal activity. More moaning. Aaaaarrrrghhh.
What can you do. Keep calm, make another effort and find a site driving home.
Did it, drove up to La Solana. Cross wind, hey not MY fault !
Some can have it, some can't have it. Some take it as it is, some have to get rid of their frustration. And as a guide, you wish for one moment you weren't living your dream. A job as a paraglider guide, making visiting pilots happy, taking them into the sky. Damn !
ps : foto's of todays' flying at La Zafra north. Yes I know, blue sky, sunny, gorgeous weather. Still ....
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
www.domestic-fly-zone.be
Monday, October 29, 2007
We got out today inland, checking sites near Carche, Sierra del Buey, Jumilla.
And we found a new one to play on.
After visiting the monastery of Santa Anna near Jumilla, we searched for a ridge facing the gusty northern winds we were having today.
And just opposite the village of Jumilla, known for its red wine and castle we found it.
A 50 meter walk up, kicking away the stones for a convenient take off. Fine, we're of in the air.
Big fun, and glad the guys wanted to make the effort.
One of my life motto's is, that pessimists always are right. Of course they are. So I try to be opposite and positive. Many times it helped us finding a site, and flying on days like this. I am sure lots are gonna be amazed about us being in the air today.
By the way, Alicante was under orange alert for having huge rains and possible thunderstorms today.
We just checked out where the best area would be from afternoon onwards, inland away from the coastal northern winds. At the new site we checked and checked if it wasn't too gusty, if there was a escape route if winds were gonna kick in fast and strong. It felt like paragliding should feel like.
Bernt, Julia, Wally, Stefanie, german pilots, Christophe, Radu, Julia french, Olivier Legrand le petit belge. Good pilots, I can take 'em anywhere !
Sunday, October 28, 2007
Saturday, October 27, 2007
Lots of wind predicted. So off to the coastal site, early on time. But no wind. Having done the thing I hate most, parawaiting for over two hours.
Info from inland : no Nick don't come here, it's strong north and clouds are black. Ok, pretty convincing. Waited again.
On the sea we could see white horses (goats for the spanish, schaumkronen for the germans, ducks for the scandinavians), but no wind at our coastal site right near the beaches. The wind was just blowing parallel along the seashore, north so. And it never veered to the northeast as we all wished. Funny, strange, awfull, boring.
Ok enough time for a long chat with the visiting pilots, this time from Germany, France, England, Sweden. Interesting. they asked me what keeps me going, doing this job for more than 8 years already down here in Alicante.
I told them, at one point I sometimes need to disconnect and watch a damn football game. But then days like yesterday do recharge my batteries quickly.
So, like today, I was so greedy to get in the air, even if it was only gonna be soaring, just getting in the air, getting my fix I guess. Still love to fly.
Friday, October 26, 2007
Thursday, October 25, 2007
Wednesday, October 24, 2007
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
This mornings sky, 7.30 am.
Red sky in the morning, shipper's warning, something like that DAVE ?
I had an inquiry of norwegian hanggliding pilots, to come down here and enjoy our sites.
Well you are very welcome of course, but I fear the region would dissapoint you.
For paragliding it is excellent ,but for hanggliding .... the landings are a bit small.
Robin Strid, Norwegian hanggliding champion for many years visited us before. Unfortunately he had a fatal accident years ago in a comp I think it was in Australia.
He used to visit us as I said, but he also had a paraglider with him. Because only a couple of sites are suitable.
Sites like Pena Rubia, Cabo, and Carche would be great for you guys, but that's it. While we would have fun, you could be stuck. Anyway thanks for being interested.
Monday, October 22, 2007
Strong westwind in Alicante, car all wet in the morning, fog, inversion, hihg pressure.
Off to Murcia Carrascoy. Where we had to meet lesser winds and nice thermals.
Ok, we flew. But the thermals were not present, not like they use to.
Too much inversion. When we arrived passing by Murcia, there was a thick brownish inversion layer over the big town. yAK !
The sun had to burn this off. But the sun got screend behind the cirrus clouds at 2 pm. Just the time when our northwestern sites work the best.
A shame. But we flew though, but not the promised 1600 m ASL with a view of beaches in the back.
Sunday, October 21, 2007
Saturday, October 20, 2007
El cid, palomaret, all fine today.
I have a red nose again, forgot suncream, I know mom.
But it was fun all the way. Last day for some of us, leaving tomorrow after a succesful 5 out of 7 days flying. And quality flying at Carrascoy, Col de Rates, Cabo en Palomaret, El Cid.
Some days were iffy, and needed some skills to stay up in the thermals, some days were a bit strong at take off, but that's practice practice practice.
This morning thermals were there for our every skilled swedish pilots and Glynn, the welsh !
This afternoon the mother mountain of Alicante did it again for all of us. Cloudbase for everyone.
And don't you worry guys, those loose and barking dogs at take off, we only have when a visiting pilot from Valencia comes around. And he's an instructor, blimey !
Oh, if he reads this, I'm gonna get it. Oh shit.
Friday, October 19, 2007
Thursday, October 18, 2007
Some very nice foto's from Frans, chief Freeparagliders Belgium ( FAQ : freeparagliders doesn't mean you get a free paraglider, it is just funny belgian-english)
Wednesday, October 17, 2007
Season started to hear down south a bit when winds start blowing northwest. So we did have our first day of autumn thermals in Carrascoy.
With its height difference of 650 m always a treat for everyone. Low airtimers bummed out (all the time ....) and, more experience had one hour and a half of thermal flying.
Carrascoy is overlooking the Librilla valley, with on its opposite side the Sierra de Espuña. A magnificient mountain range not known by the beachcombers visiting our region. Maybe better, otherwise we find Dick Turpin's bars up there as well.
I do have very nice foto's, but the blog- system is not uploading them. I keep em aside for ya.
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
Time to top up some meteo knowledge, trying to understand the weather. But the more books your read, the less certain you are about your predictions. But it is such an amazing thing, the weather. Keep it up Al.
Monday, October 15, 2007
Sunday, October 14, 2007
Knowing maybe this week no other site than coastal site, the decision was unanimously made. INLAND !!
So here we go, hay-hi hay-ho !
Off for a 80 km drive to my most far site I visit, Col de Rates.
The site on itself is beautiful, but too close to the sea to ever get high cloudbase. Days with 500 climb are very rare for instance. Anyway it is the choice if in southern Alicante you're stuck with clouds. And it is the choice in autumn when Monte Cabrer, San Antonio are covered in clouds.
When we arrived, some local pilots, Nacho, Mirko, Mani, Pedro were soaring already.
So up we drove.
We had to brief to get all pilots ready for spirals and big ears because the incoming northeast eastern air from the sea was gonna get our already low cloudbase lower and lower.
But it was brilliant, all flew nicely in and out of the clouds. And most important I think, for lots it was the first time experience with flying in and out of those clouds harmless. Smooth cloudsuck, new for some of us.
Next days, it looks like more clouds are gonna hit us, so we'll have to look for sites near the coast.
I saw very controlled take offs, to very uncontrolled landings today. Be careful guys, stay fit, do groundhandling, don't let the glider fly with you, YOU have to fly the glider. Bye bye.
By this, I want to congratulate my good old brother-in-law Hassan for running the Antwerp race. Hip hip hip ? Hoera !