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SUMMARY
January 8, 2009
The task committee created a great task for us today. They moved the start time back 45 minutes, which made for better altitudes at the start. The start was a 3K cylinder at Stater, which was also the first turn point. After the start they brought us back to launch at Despegue, then La Pila, Aguila, with Ramon as goal. The task was 76K, and the winners completed the task in less than two hours and thirty minutes.

We were getting higher before the start today, and it made a difference in the gaggles at launch. We had more room since pilots were able to get high enough to leave the launch area and make the play for the Penon zone. Pilots got climbs at the Penon, and at the Wall. The high pressure thermals meant you needed to put it up on a tip at times, and that was hard to do with so many pilots wanting a piece. You could get into the core and climb nicely if there weren’t too many pilots at your altitude.

After the climbs at the Penon and the Wall the move was to head to Crazy Thermal Mesa. Pilots were getting it where Crazy Thermal mesa turns into the knife ridge on the way to Espina. Pilots were also climbing at the south side ridge of Crazy Thermal Mesa. The air was a bit choppy, but pilots were able to sustain climbs.

There was a huge gaggle over the knife ridge end of Crazy Thermal with just under 10 minutes before the start. Everyone was hanging on trying to stay topped out as we waited for the start. It got a bit hectic at times, and pilots were being vocal letting each other know where they were as the pinwheel turned. The thermal we had all been sharing faded with a few minutes left before the start. The gaggle broke into different pieces as people fought to hold onto the scraps to stay as high as possible while continuing to be in position for the start.

The armada made the move toward the start cylinder at Stater. Pilots got the start then hit the turn point and raced back to Espina. Some pilots didn’t get back high enough to connect and ran around the south side looking for anything in the lee. The lift at the edge of Espina was chopped up bullet thermals. Pilots hung tough and were able to work it out together and connect. Other pilots were high enough to follow the knife ridge to the Crazy Thermal Mesa, and pilots got a great climb between Crazy Thermal mesa and the Penon. They topped out and were able to get high enough to glide to the launch turn point at Despegue, and then turn back for the Penon without needing a climb.

The rest of the field glided toward the launch turn point at Despegue after getting a climb at the end of Espina. This group missed the big climb between Crazy and the Penon, and flew by the Penon to see if they could get an altitude bump, but there wasn’t much love there. Most of this group arrived at or near launch altitude, and needed to get up again before making a move back for the Penon zone.

After getting the climb pilots made the move for the Penon, and the leaders were already established on Crazy Thermal Mesa and about ready to begin their move toward the La Pila turn point. The pilots chasing the leaders got up in the Penon zone, and then went for the Crazy Thermal Mesa where they found a good climb.

The leaders did not make a move directly on course line for La Pila. They favored the line to the left more toward Stater. There was another group who made a play for Three Kings and they eventually got a decent climb there before leaving on glide for the La Pila turn point. The rest of the pilots who had the leaders in sight took a direct line for La Pila from the knife edge. These pilots took a few turns in climbs as they pushed into the wind toward La Pila.

Greg Blondeau and Mike Steed were pushing hard out front all day, and they were the first to arrive at La Pila. The group who had favored the left line to La Pila arrived at the turn point first and they got the climb that we always seem to find here. The pilots who took the direct line to La Pila were next followed by the crew who had made the play for the Three Kings. These last two groups worked it out together and took nice climbs at the turn point.

Everybody pointed it towards Aguila after topping out at the La Pila turn point. Most followed the top of the mountain ridge line towards Aguila, while others stayed in the lee initially. There were strong climbs at certain points along the ridge line on the way to Aquila. Pilots topped out in these climbs and made their way to the Aguila turn point. Their was a nice bowl on the west side of the ridge line at the Aguila turn point getting full sun, and it let off well. There were also pilots getting it in the lee of Aguila.

The lead group took two different lines after leaving Aguila and heading towards goal at Ramon. Some of the group took a line right at the Penon. These pilots got away first, but the rest of the lead group took a line toward Cerpel and ended up getting a great climb. This put them ahead of the others who were part of the lead group who had made the play for the Penon. The leaders stayed on the mesa, and took a line between St. Augustine and Sacamacate. They followed this buoyant line and glided easily into goal. The leaders who had made the play for the Penon were not far behind. They saw the buoyant line the others were getting and mashed the speed to close the gap.

The chase gaggles made the same sort of moves, but they had tanked up before Cerpel in some mellow lift on the way which was drifting them directly down course line. When they finished this climb some of this group took a line more towards Crazy Thermal and others went for the Penon. The task had started 45 minutes later today, and things were starting to get weak. Crazy Thermal was not working, but the pilots who arrived a little later got a climb out in front away from the Crazy Mesa ridge line.

The pilots from this group who had taken the line to the Penon could see the pilots there were only ridge soaring, and had been for some time. As soon as the new crew of pilots arrived at the Penon, everyone at the Penon headed for The Wall, hoping for a pulse, and the pilots who had just glided in made the same move. This group ended up ridge soaring The Wall and eventually a bubble came together they could all circle in together. About the time this climb came together the pilots who had found the bubble out in front of Crazy Mesa arrived a bit lower at The Wall.

Everybody at The Wall eventually got high enough to point it toward Sacamacate. However, it was slow going and these pilots stopped to work anything as the drift pushed them along course line. It was working on the mesa behind the Pentitas, and pilots patiently work this lift before putting it on glide.

There were still small parts of the convergence on the back side of Sacamacate and St. Augustine, but you had to be high enough to get into this bit of lift. Pilots who came in lower couldn’t get into the convergence and many of them ended up 4K short of goal. Those who were high enough managed to work the light stuff and drift on course line toward Ramona and squeak into goal.

Yassen won the day for the third time at this event. The top ten have been flying very well. One more day of racing left for this group to make a difference and get on the podium.

Rob Sporrer reporting from the pit

SUMMARY FROM MIKE STEED
Mindful of the weak high-pressure conditions the day before, the task committee set a 1 PM start time instead of 12:15. As usual I was off launch about an hour prior, and among the first onto the mesa. By start time conditions were shaping up better (no overcast) and a swarm headed off above the knife-edge Spina to the start in the low hills to the south. There was some weak lift to be found along the way out and back, so some of us were high enough to get a wild ride on the swirling boomer at the end of the spine to get back up. Surrounded by sink holes, it is sketchy alone and even trickier with others, but my companions spaced out well. Next turn was launch, then back SE and way out on the lowlands. The leaders set off for the familiar hills at the start, while some of us lingered to get higher and/or chose better lines over the Spina, then headed more directly to the turnpoint. A couple others were way above me, I discovered as they passed me overhead. Along the way I stopped to work some light lift with a couple others. I noticed that one of the high wings had continued straight ahead, and was now alone way out front and slightly above me. He seemed to be getting a good glide, so I set out out to follow. Everyone else was content to work weak lift despite the headwind, so I was soon alone as well. The white wing ahead (I later found out it was Greg Blondeau) was getting a better glide, so while he crossed the ridge to the windward side and caught a thermal out, I went into the lee canyon where some obvious features and a couple birds showed me the way up. I bailed out of that one, crossed the turnpoint, and rode the usual thermal out. The thermal drifted along the next leg of the course, so when the gaggle arrived at the turn near my altitude, no one jumped ahead to my thermal. This left me alone to make the most of the small-bore thermals of the day.

Greg was now barely visible in the distance, following the ridge toward the next turnpoint. He got low on the sunny side and had to work some weak lift; I stayed above the shady side and found a good thermal. I was able to gain some ground on Greg as the gaggle came into the thermal below me. Somewhere along the line I nothced that Greg was rocketing skyward in strong lift. I wasn't sure exactly hwre he'd found it, so I followed the curving ridgetop as he had done and found it just before the turnpoint. Others behind me cut the corner, got better climbs, and were up with me as the thermal started to slow. Greg was long gone, following the direct line toward goal that would pass Pinion and the wall. I detoured left toward the near end of the mesa. Another wing followed Greg. Those behind us got to choose, and left turned out to be the right choice. We made it onto the mesa with only a brief thermal stop (or none at all for those high enough) while Greg and the others had to climb out of the river valley to get past the Piano. We formed a gaggle of sorts on the aptly-named crazy thermal mesa, climbing and drifting along the course. Yassen and I were flying together across the highlands, stopping in a couple of thermals, but passing Greg and others who had gone over the wall low. Yassen signaled that it was time to go for goal (I wasn't so sure about it yet) and here is where I sort of screwed up. I suspected the convergence line would be right of La Casa where it had been the other day, Yassen headed left. It was soon clear he had the better line. To make matters worse, I had taken a tip collapse and it took me a while to realize there was a minor cravat in the tip, spoiling my glide. Now well below Yassen, I stolled in a thermal near the junkyard while pilots streamed by to the left. Back on course I soon realized I now had a surplus of altitude and went most of the way to goal on full speed despite tome turbulence that caused one tip collapse. Yassen won the day, I was 5th to goal, Greg raced too hard and dirted a couple K short of goal. I had the most leading points, enough to place me in 4th. Greg would have had a ton of leading points, but you've gotta finish to get them!

Only today do I realize that today will be our last task. Sorry it will soon be over -- it's been quite a week.

Mike


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PHOTOS

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RESULTS

OVERALL RESULTS AFTER TASK 5

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