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Award Winning Instruction
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2009 Monarca Open - Task 3
The start time was again 12:15pm, and the open window for launch was from 11:00am to 11:15am. This is the period where anyone can launch. After 11:15am, the launch order is determined by any pilot’s current standing in the Monarca Open. You could be waiting in line to go and any pilot in a better position than you in the current standings can move ahead of you. Sometimes things can get hectic so it’s a good idea to launch early unless your current standing is high. Pilots were getting high out front early on between the Piano and launch. We normally see a good amount of drift in the thermals at launch taking us over the back. The drift picked up a bit later in the launch window, but the early birds were climbing nicely out in front of launch. Many of these pilots got to at least 9000 feet before making a play for the Peñon area. If you come in at the top of the Peñon, you can often get a good climb, but sometimes it’s not pulsing when you arrive, and you can linger in front or dive around the Peñon and head to the Wall. The lift was in different places than usual today, and pilots were having to search in different areas than they have become accustomed to in the previous days. Things sort of shut down for a bit out in front of launch when some of the top ranked pilots launched later in the window. It was working better for the early pilots, and the pilots who launched late had to wait a bit for things to release again in order to get into position for the start. The pilots who had established themselves over Crazy Thermal Mesa were the highest as the armada moved toward the start cylinder. A group made a bit of a delayed move from the Peñon, perhaps because they were tanking up some altitude in one final climb before the start. Pilots tagged the start then went for the turn point in the same cylinder before making a 180 degree turn to head back for Crazy Thermal Mesa. Once at Crazy Thermal, pilots found the lift they had just left to get the start and everyone was climbing. Some pilots were getting it in the “G Spot” which is between Crazy Thermal and the Wall. The gaggle of pilots finished their climbs at different times and one by one followed the mesa which leads to Espina on the way to the Diente turn point. There was a head wind and most were mashing bar all the way. Some stopped to turn when they hit a nice core, but those who were high kept pushing into the wind towards Diente. As we got within 2.5km of Diente there were some nice climbs and most pilots decided to stay for some turns to tank up some altitude rather than press on. There turned out to be some good lift at the turn point. The leaders hit Diente, and turned to head back towards the Despegue turn point which is launch. They were lower than most everybody, but were confident they would find something to turn in on the way back. Some gaggles came into the SW side of Espina to get a climb and follow the mesa back to Crazy Thermal, then the Peñon, and eventually the Despegue turn point. Others found some good lift further SE over the flats past the Cerpel turn point. These were good climbs in smooth air, and when these pilots pointed toward the Despegue turn point they were get ground speeds of over 60 km/h at times with the nice tailwind. The leaders had reached the Despegue turn point and found a good climb which drifted them a bit behind launch. After they finished the climb most took the back road behind the Peñon, and linked up on the mesa just behind The Wall. They found a good climb and made their way toward Maguey. The next group came into Despegue and found climbs in the same place we do when we launch to start the day. After topping out these climbs some headed to the Peñon, and Crazy Thermal. It didn’t pulse right away for these pilots, and they had to struggle a bit to find it, but it came together and they got nice and high for the glide to Maguey. The west wind made for a bit of a head wind on the way to Maguey. Some pilots pushed down the Crazy Thermal mesa toward Espina before making the crossing in order to quarter the wind on the glide to Maguey. It didn’t seem to matter much since both groups made it to Maguey. After tagging the Maguey turn point, the first group pushed out front toward the Three Kings looking for a big one. They found it and climbed out getting as much altitude for the crossing back for the Peñon turn point. The move from Maguey to the Peñon was no doubt the crux of this task. You had to get high and make the glide all the way back to the mesa. If you came up short you were likely to get drilled. It was shaded, and in the lee, so you needed to tank up as much as you could at Maguey and point your toes and hope for a buoyant line. Lots of pilots came in with plenty of altitude, while others barely skimmed the top of the mesa to get back on the Peñon side of things. There were others who didn’t get it at ended up landing in the valley on the North side of the Mesa. There were some heroics by Kevin Pfister who made a move to shoot the gap at the “G Spot” after a group he was flying with found something to drift with which gave them enough altitude to make the move. His group followed him through the gap, and the Pfisters were the last into goal. The pilots who did make it back to the Peñon side of the mesa connected again at the Peñon, and some connected out front between the Pennon and Crazy Thermal. The lift was more out front today at Crazy Thermal and pilots were getting it there most of the day. After topping out at the Peñon or just in front of Crazy Thermal, pilots put it on glide for Sacamacate. There were a few bubbles to turn in along the way, but the best climb was just behind Sacamacate in the lee over the junk yard. No surprises here. Pilots tanked to almost 11,000 feet before putting it on glide for the Ramon turn point. Once at the turn point, pilots were getting climbs to the SE toward Mesad. It was pretty smooth sailing for pilots who were established at this point. They favored the west side of the ridge which is what we usually take to and from Casa to Mesad. There was plenty of lift at Casa, and pilots made one final climb before putting it on final glide to goal at Ramon. It seemed like there we a healthy amount of pilots in goal. There was one reserve deployment today as a pilot had things get away from him after mashing bar on the way to goal. He landed about 1.5km from goal, and was just fine. We are halfway through the event at this point. Stay tuned for the final three days of racing. Rob Sporrer reporting from the pit    
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