Day 5 - Task 4

Same as yesterday..... the task was stopped. Forecast for tomorrow is not looking good either.

Random Photos



Ron Richardson (for Val)



Shedsy Team GB Model


The Official Site
2008 Chabre Hang Gliding Open - the Pre-Worlds
COMPETITION BLOG
Other Bloggers
Jamie
Oz Report
Weather and Stuff - links from the Oz Report
Laragne WIND
Laragne SATELLITES
Laragne WEATHER FORECAST

Day 4 - Task 3

The task was cancelled when we were all in the air due to a thunderstorm along the route.

The internet connection is not brilliant here which is why my entries are short. Jamie is blogging updates from the hill and her link is below.

Also - If you haven't spotted it yet there is now an official competition blog - the link is below.

The Official Site
2008 Chabre Hang Gliding Open - the Pre-Worlds
COMPETITION BLOG
Other Bloggers
Jamie
Oz Report
Weather and Stuff - links from the Oz Report
Laragne WIND
Laragne SATELLITES
Laragne WEATHER FORECAST

Day 3 - Task 2

Day 3 – Task 2

72.7 km

Launch Aspres sur Buech
TP1 – St Genis
TP2 – La Gache
TP3 – Tete de Boursi
Goal – Camping Laragne

First start gate at 16.45

We had a dilemma this morning over what hill we were going to due to the North wind a blowing! So we chose a South Westerly site due to the forecast of the wind going around to the West – which is kind of what it duly did. The back of the hill was North wind but the front of the hill was a West wind. We sat on the hill until first launch at 15.30.

The Aspres hill is a lovely hill with amazing wild flowers in unspoilt pastures and incredible variety of insects we even had a low fly past from Griffin Vultures.



Take off was good with very rough broken thermals low down and a trip across the valley nearly put me on the deck before the start but luck was on my side for the start and I climbed out minutes before the start outside the start circle and had to fly in and out against the oncoming traffic. So, I had a good start, good trash up to the first turnpoint, good trash up to the second turnpoint and from there on I must have been sightseeing. I got into goal to find that the task had been stopped and I was to be wound back 15 minutes due to a thunderstorm near Laragne with proper forked lightning right down t’ground.

I got my first verbal warning of any competition today for not moving my glider when the Marshall first asked me to (I won’t bore you with the reasons why I was where I was but I decided it would cause less disruption to pilots who were racing in to goal to stay where I was (I was not in their way) – Heather Mull gave me my warning and said if I got another one she would spank me.... come on baby!!!:-)

Robin

Gary

Dave

Ron

Team GB1 had Gary in goal early today and Team GBZ-buzz had Robin in early ie they were either first or second – we don’t know yet. All the brits apart from Malcolm were in goal but some were scored back to when the task was stopped.


The Official Site
2008 Chabre Hang Gliding Open - the Pre-Worlds
Other Bloggers
Oz Report
Weather and Stuff - links from the Oz Report
Laragne WIND
Laragne SATELLITES
Laragne WEATHER FORECAST

Day 2 - Cancelled

Windy or what?

Shedsy's new hat strap - will this trend catch on?


Day 2 – rebrief at 10am. Too windy to fly when we arrived on the North side of the Chabre with the wind blowing the barriers over and creating massive turbulence on the hill. They called the day and we opted to go to the gorge for the day swimming and laying about in the sun.

First time in my life I may have saved another…. Thinking I may end up in the same predicament as I pulled the young lad out of the swirling torrent which is called the ‘washing machine’ – most of the time all I could see was a pair of hands sticking out of the water. The young lad was suffering from shock and vomiting and was in a real state.




The washing machine






The Official Site
2008 Chabre Hang Gliding Open - the Pre-Worlds
Other Bloggers
Oz Report
Weather and Stuff - links from the Oz Report
Laragne WIND
Laragne SATELLITES
Laragne WEATHER FORECAST

Day 1 - Task 1

Day 1 – Task 1 -132km


Start – Aspres sur Beuch
TP1 – Chateau de Charance
TP2 – Le Batie Neve
TP3 – Cote Dormillouse
TP4 – Matinon (north of Digne Les Bains)
Goal – Camping Laragne Monteglin

Have been chilling for the past few days....

The first task, first day and it was sunny – a pleasant change from Austria that’s for sure!

The task was 132km with 4 turnpoints and the goal back at Laragne and flying over some of the most inhospitable landing grounds that you would care to come across in the vicinity – turns out there were people landing in river beds and up mountains and poor Lauren landed in a tree! Luckily it was a small tree and his glider was unaffected and he only hand small bruises to his right shoulder thankfully – lets hope it doesn’t affect him from flying overly much.

2 Brits in Goal (Gary and Gordon). Malcolm and Carl were close. The rest of us were around he 100k mark. Bruce had a nightmare retrieve after landing in the middle of nowhere down a 4wheel drive track and arrived back at the campsite at around 11pm. There were only 7 in goal in total all from the first start gate. Scott Barrett won the day.

It would have been a good task if the clouds had been higher and the overdeveloped cloud hasn’t spread out the sunshine and put lots of people in shade – maybe a day more of luck rather than judgement?

Practice Day


I had a practice day the day before the task with wsw winds on Chabre launch which was a bit awkward for takeoff and a lot of people de-rigged and went back down the hill. A few of us eventually got off and had a lovely fly around with almost to the Ft a 10,000ft cloud base. Flew to the North of Laragne on the ridges to the West of Aspre and beyond and came back over the top of Aspre where the first task was and then onto the volcano and then tried to find sink to circle in to get down in time for the opening ceremony at 6pm. A lovely stress free flying day – ain’t that just what flying is about?

Opening Ceremony


The Official Site
2008 Chabre Hang Gliding Open - the Pre-Worlds
Other Bloggers
Oz Report
Weather and Stuff - links from the Oz Report
Laragne WIND
Laragne SATELLITES
Laragne WEATHER FORECAST

On the road to the Pre-Worlds

Mon 23 June – Registration Opens
Tue 24 June – Official Practice Task
Wed 25 June – Mandatory Safety Briefing
Thur 26 June–4 July (inclusive) - Competition Task Days
Fri 4 July – Prize giving

Location: Laragne is situated in the South East of France about half way between Grenoble and Marseille.

GPS coordinates are: 44°17’52’’N 005°45’54’’E

Flying Sites:
Montagne de Chabre (N&S)
Aspres le Longeane (S&W)
Montagne de Buc (W)

GOOGLE MAP

The Official Site
2008 Chabre Hang Gliding Open - the Pre-Worlds
Other Bloggers
Oz Report
Weather and Stuff - links from the Oz Report
Laragne WIND
Laragne SATELLITES
Laragne WEATHER FORECAST

Day 12 - Cancelled - THE END!

Well done Elio Cataldi – our ‘new’ European Champion.


We woke to a blue sky


We were to have a task today of 90+km but this was canned soon after the first few pilots got off due to weak conditions on launch then the over development happening a lot quicker than expected.

We all had a punt round again and landed in the bottom landing field – at 14.00 there were cunim’s.













My thanks go to the comp organisers. This comp has to be up there as one of the best organised and safest comps I have been too. Lets hope that organisers keep this up and not ‘make’ pilots fly in bad conditions – there is no point leaving the decision up to the pilot - "you don't have to fly if you don't want to" - if you are up there with the leaders then you are ‘forced’ to fly. Comps are not to find out who has the biggest ego or knackers or get tasks in for the sake of getting tasks in to save face.

We went swimming with some of the French team this afternoon when the sun finally came out!



Yesterday the Russian girls entertained us all on launch with their amazing singing voices.


The bar is serving free beer from 9.30 on this evening so there might be some sore heads in the morning! I will have to keep clear head as I have a 10 hour drive to Laragne tomorrow:-((




Other Euro's bloggers:
Norwegian Hanggliding
Corinna
Matjaz

Click here - Official website of 16th FAI European Hang Gliding Championships

Day 11 - Task 3 - 154km Triangle

All the Brits in goal today with Carl being the fastest and about 5th in. The rest of us were a tad slow to say the least. It was a 154km task round some amazing mountains and lakes with nice smooth glides and some very rough climbs low down.

There were a lot of guys that just missed the goal by metres including Jorg and some of the French team. It’s never nice to miss goal by so little and after 4 hours flying:-(

I must have turned into a “tree hugger” the amount of time I seem to find myself trying to get in them at 7000 feet! I think the reason for low down turbulence has something to do with all the rain we have had mixed in with the valley wind which makes for uneven heating? I don't know.

Tomorrow looks like it may be no good again. We will see. No pictures today due to a bit of a rush to get off launch as I have to rig near the back DHO!


RANDOM PICTURES FROM YESTERDAY........

Oleg and his batten 'bunnies'


Sergy from Aeros


Phippsy or Yeti?





Other Euro's bloggers:
Norwegian Hanggliding
Corinna
Matjaz

Click here - Official website of 16th FAI European Hang Gliding Championships

Day 10 - Cancelled

No task today but we did manage to free fly:-)

At base


Cloud still on the tops


Heading North


Looking East


We are near the end of the comp with only 2 tasks in the bag. Today could have been task-able late on but there is doubt that we could have got all the pilots off safe and in the air ready for a start so I think a good decision. It did start to rain again on the takeoff after they called it.

We had a good fly around, climbing on the south, gliding to the north side, heading west around 17k then coming back to the campsite for a beer. A pleasant punt round.

Forecast is good for tomorrow for a task. Not the grass! But it might rain later:-((

A month of rain in Laragne too I hear?



Other Euro's bloggers:
Norwegian Hanggliding
Corinna
Matjaz

Click here - Official website of 16th FAI European Hang Gliding Championships

Day 9 - Cancelled

No task today due to bad weather.....


Other Euro's bloggers:
Norwegian Hanggliding
Corinna
Matjaz

Click here - Official website of 16th FAI European Hang Gliding Championships

Day 8 - Cancelled

There is no task today due to bad weather - forecast for the rest of the week does not look good either.

I shall blog more later.....


Other Euro's bloggers:
Norwegian Hanggliding
Corinna
Matjaz

Click here - Official website of 16th FAI European Hang Gliding Championships

Day 7 - Task 2 - 100k

Task 100k - 3 turnpoints - flying away from the front - goal field approx 40k away.





The task was set to avoid the warm front with the new height limit but there was a mountain in the way at the start so we all ended up in a big pack trying to get round the corner below the 2200m limit. I must have knocked my camera at the take off so no flying pics today :-(

As I mentioned in my last post - we had 2 brits in goal, Phippsy almost made it but you can ask him why he didn't. Bruce was only 5k short and I had an unpleasant day and was 15k short : It was not at all nice too witness a tumble - My thoughts are with you.

Other Euro's bloggers:
Norwegian Hanggliding
Corinna
Matjaz

Click here - Official website of 16th FAI European Hang Gliding Championships

Day 7

At last - we’ve got our feet off the ground today.

Quite a hard task and for whatever reason I seemed to spend most of the time grovelling in the trees. We’ve got 2 brits aka the scousers in goal. I’ve landed 15km short, Bruce 5km and Phippsy is very close but I can’t confirm details yet.

Other Euro's bloggers:
Norwegian Hanggliding
Corinna
Matjaz

Click here - Official website of 16th FAI European Hang Gliding Championships

Day 6 - Cancelled

Other Euro's bloggers:
Norwegian Hanggliding
Corinna
Matjaz

Click here - Official website of 16th FAI European Hang Gliding Championships