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Award Winning Instruction
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2010 Monarca Open - Task 2
The day looked similar to yesterday as we drove to launch. It looked like another high pressure day for us. The task committee sent us on a 63km task which started at 1pm with a 1km cylinder at Diente. The turn points were La Pila, Aguila, Jovan, and Sacamecate with Valle as goal again.
The lift was ripping on the mesa above the Wall, and it was no different at Crazy Thermal. There were two reserve deployments in the same general area on Crazy Thermal before the start by two female pilots. Pilots pushed out on Espina and found climbs as they made the move toward Diente. It seemed more risky to try and maintain altitude or get big climbs off the mesa toward Diente, but a few were making it work so the field followed and pushed out searching for nice climbs with 10 minutes left before the start. There were a few good climbs and things were hectic at times as pilots festered waiting for the start. Pilots dove out of the exit cylinder at the start. The pilots who slowed their roll and chilled back a bit topping out the moderate climb had an advantage as we pushed across the flats into the wind toward La Pila. The pilots with less altitude arrived at the spine on the back of the pronounced peak near the La Pila turn point. The leaders hit the turn point, and went searching for the big pulse around La Pila. The pilots who had come in low were now getting a climb near the turn point. As the field settled into climbs around La Pila, we looked to the mountain ridges to the South-west which would lead us to the Aguila turn point. Things got better for everybody as small clouds were beginning to pop for the first time in days. They were starting to form on the range leading to Aguila, and some couldn’t wait to top out and dove for the range. There was a fairly strong wind blowing form the west as pilots dove into the ridge line getting strong bullet thermals in the lee side of the ridge. The pilots who practiced a bit of patience and got established in the La Pila area before diving into the mountains faired well as they came into the small range above ridge line. Many of the pilots who arrived early and low into the range groveled for quite some time. Some ended up landing, and others eventually connected after a long fight to connect and get established. Once pilots were established on the range, the migration toward the Aguila turn point was fairly straight forward. There were a couple nice climbs along the way, and clouds were developing really nicely at the Aguila turn point, and in the lee of Aguila. Pilots got nice climbs at Aguila as they moved closer to base. Some pilots made a move directly back to the Penon and launch area while others came in at Espina and got established on the mesa. The clouds streets were setting up and if you got high on the mesa it was pretty easy to stay high. There were good climbs for pilots at the Penon and Wall as they benched up onto the mesa. The convergence was set up a bit off the mesa, but there were good climbs right on the edge of the mesa at Sacamecate and Saint Augustine. Pilots Tanked up before heading to the turn point at Jovan with what seemed like plenty of altitude. However, Sacamecate would be a tough turn point as pilots pushed into the lee side looking for a climb. There was a fair amount of groveling in the lee of Sacemacate. Those that were able to connect found nice climbs and some went all the way to base. The convergence was off the mesa a bit, but there were lift lines the entire way to goal at the lake. Brad Gunnuscio and David Ohlidal raced into goal. David edged Brad out to take the day, and Josh Cohn arrived third. There were approximately 35 pilots in goal today. We are very happy that we are getting clouds to help show us the way, and if they clouds are back tomorrow expect the pace to pick up quite a bit. Rob Sporrer reporting from the pit.
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