today

We went up Chabre to the top launch to try to get off to the South even though the forecast was for Northwest winds. After we got set up, the task committee called a basket weave starting with a long leg to the west and then back to the main valley to zig zag around the valley before flying to goal at the Laragne camp gorund. The clouds looked good but we knew that over development was eminent.

Launch conditions were switchy and light with numerous cycles over the back before a light cycle would blow up the hill allowing 4 or 5 pilots to launch. There were some close calls which made pilots with less than stellar launch skills nervous. It seemed to be taking forever for the line to get off the hill. I was getting very frustrated (as many were) with the launch officials because they were trying to tell us when the conditions were launch able and when they were not. We know from experience what we are capable of in terms of launching and can judge for ourselves when it is dangerous and when we can get off the hill safely. They were consistently stopping people from launching because of a light (1 mph or less) wind over the back on the top sock even though the wind was straight in with velocity on the flags in front. Of course the sock on top would be blowing light down when a thermal was coming up the hill. To make a long story short, out of the three launches, mine was by far the slowest and by the time my team members were leaving the start circle to take the first start time (the best with the coming over development), I was still standing on top waiting in a line to launch! I pushed an hour before but was told that it wouldn't matter because the launch was being dictated by what the launch directors deemed safe. I launched in a frustrated mood, feeling in a hurry to get going after finally getting on the ramp. The directors kept switching pilots from the North launch to the South, not able to make up their minds, and I ended up running off without asking. I climbed out over launch fairly fast and glided over the back looking at my flight computer, pissed about the fact that it was already between the 2nd and 3rd start times. I got across the valley and climbed out to base with 8 mins left to the 4th start gate so I waited.

It was at this point that I completely changed my head space. I thought to myself, what am I so worked up for? Here I am. I am already out of the race for the day by default. I might as well do my best and enjoy the flight and from that point on, my day went really well. I raced off down the dark cloud street finding strong lift, dolphin flying for several clouds down the ridge line that lead to the first turn point about 40 k's or so into the mountains. I took a strong climb to base getting rained on and smiling. I flew as fast as I could to stay out of the cloud while going on glide. After that I felt like everything was lining up. the streets were dark and I took three climbs in a row where my last turn was at full rope and while flying away from the climb, I was pulled in to my waist, flying as fast as I could, just barely getting whited out by the cloud before popping out the side to fly to the next. Even though I was flying into a 10-12mph head wind, I was making good time and knew that the way back to the 2nd turn point would be fast with a tail wind. I started to catch slow guys from the 2nd, 3rd and even some from the first start times (that had been caught low) and watched Davis (from the first) and Dutch Rob land while gliding over the high pass to the turn point. About half way between cloud base and the ground I saw three Griffon Vultures climbing together about a half a k away. Griffons are huge birds with wing spans that are 6-8 feet across. I joined them for ten circles before they peeled off and I yelled a thank you while continuing to climb at 4 mps back to base. I ran into the mountains and got the turn point, turned around and started making really good time with a 12 mph tail wind. I had been flying with the same 4 or 5 guys for the previous two or three climbs and we all spread out a bit with me in the lead, heading for a ridge line to the North because the line we had just came from looked ominous with over development. I made it a little more than a third of the way to the next turn point when the safety director came across our frequency to announce that the task had been stopped. I turned around and circled down to the guys behind with my legs out of the harness to give the international signal (bicycle legs) that the task had been stopped. They waved and we flew in formation to the field where Davis had landed on the way to the first turn point (with around 5 others). We spiraled down from cloud base to land in a nice flat field with a perfect 10 mph breeze. Katie, our driver, was already there picking Davis up so it made for a quick retrieve.

A stopped task is a bit of a bummer because the rules are to go back 20 minutes from when the task was stopped and judge everyones distance. The problem is that my score is judged the same as someone that took the first start gate (because no one made goal) although my distance is much shorter because I was only able to fly the course up to an hour less because of the much later start time. If I was in the air and chose to take to fourth than it would be my screw up and my score would feel valid but because I wasn't even allowed to launch until after the first start had happened, there feels like an inherent lack of fairness.

For me, I have had a couple of bad days and it doesn't matter any way. I had an awesome day of flying in the mountains. I got rained on, flew with huge raptors and jumped ranges at cloud base. I get a bit caught up in the comp because I am competitive and because it has taken a lot of time, energy, commitment and sacrifice (by many) for me to be here but in the end it's all about the experience. I love my life and although the rules can be a bit of a thorn occasionally, I still value the experience and the lessons learned and feel like the luckiest and most fortunate man on the planet. My glider is going really well and for the time I had in the air, I felt like I had an epic run. I just wish I could have kept going for another few hours.

Looking forward to tomorrow

hope for a task

Yesterday was forecast to be more West later in the day indicating that we should go to the Aspres launch. It was very North when we woke up so there was a lot of question as to whether we should instead be going to Chabre for a task. It is extremely difficult for the organizers and there is a lot of pressure on them to make the correct call for each day and when 130 pilots are set in motion, there is no going back on their decision. The mounting pressure comes in part because we have only had 3 scored tasks since the Worlds have started and as of yesterday had only 5 more days possible. With only 3 tasks, 1 bad result or slow finish (which is very easy here) can cost a pilot numerous positions. An example is Robert Reisinger. He is, for sure, one of the best pilots in the world and was in 3rd overall until coming into goal late on the last scored task which bumped him down into the 30's or 40's. My own interest in flying more tasks is high because of two tough days leaving me very little chance to make up ground with only a few more days. Needless to say, yesterday I was very keen to fly. I can still score for the team with a couple of fast days so my interest has shifted solely to this purpose. Also, I have been sick with intermittent fevers and a head full of fog for the previous few days but yesterday, the antibiotics had taken effect and I was feeling great with no ear problems and lots of energy. It was one of those days that I just wanted to get in the air, for the pure bliss of it. The mood in the van on the way up the hill was fun and the energy level was high. Zippy is doing very well and Jeff and Dustin (who has also been sick) were feeling good and ready to try to blaze.
We arrived on top and my stomach dropped a bit when we immediately noticed that it was blowing (pretty hard) over the back. By the time everyone got set up, it had come around a little but was still predominately 90 cross. The times were pushed back and rumors and reports started flowing that the conditions at Chabre were perfect. Bummer. After a long wait, the cycles occasionally started coming up the hill (although I think it was mostly rotor) and we all lined up. We had waited so long that I had a strong feeling the day would be canned. Manfred, Jonny and a few others launched and most ended up getting drilled and landing out front or down the valley. Manfred and Jonny both got up but from very low and a long way down valley where they were able to escape the "over the back" influence of Aspres. My heart really sank when two gliders came over Aspres quite high from Chabre, apparently during a flight of around 100ks. A few others intermittently got off the launch I was in line for (including Jeff) while Gerolf and I pushed to try to get people going. In the end, launch conditions were not safe and they called the task and closed launch to free flyers after an hour of sweating in my harness. We broke down, drove down and met Jeff back at camping after he had flown the 15 or so k's back.
Today I have a feeling that we will go up Chabre. There is conflicting weather info as to what the chances for precipitation are. Last night, the storms materialized and there was a bit of lightning and rain. Today, they are calling for 80% chance this afternoon but I don't have any idea based on the inconsistency of the weather and the nature of the Alps whether or not it will over develop. Right now it is beautiful outside. I will hope for the best.
By the way, I am bummed that my sd card is shot and I have not been able to take in flight photos but Jeff and Dustin have been taking nice shots of how beautiful and grand this place is. Check out their blogs;-) Regardless of the competition, we are all very happy and stoked to be here. This is truly one of the most spectacular places in the world to fly hang gliders.

days

Sorry it's been a few days since I have updated. I have been fighting off a head cold that has been going around camp but thanks to a friend (and Kiwi Pilot), Conrad, I started a run of antibiotics to combat the sinus infection that has resulted and I am feeling worlds better. We have had two days of called tasks because of high winds and storms (although both days people flew;-). The first called day I broke down and rode down the hill in a car which was a good opportunity to get healthy.

Yesterday, I was feeling a bit better so when the day was called early, I spent the morning enjoying the free flight festival that was going on in Laragne. It was cool to see everything from sail planes to RC air craft and there was even a scooter tow rigged to yank up paraglider and speed kite pilots into the air (even in the high winds). A few sky divers (some in wing suits) jumped in and landed there too. The organizers asked if we were willing to fly for a bit of a demo and because the launch conditions seemed totally reasonable, Jonny Durrand, Jeff, Zippy and I went up the hill with the current aerobatic champion (Sam) to have a fly. It was blowing around 20 and the thermals provided a nice combo of ridge and thermal lift. We took turns strafing launch and interacting with the folks standing on top for around 30 mins. At the beginning of my flight, Jonny got on the radio and said that Sam had just blown a loop over town and tumbled. He threw both chutes and by the time I looked towards where he was, they were both out and looked beautiful. He had a nice, soft landing in a good field. Apparently, it was really turbulent and in the climb out for his loop, he flew through a lumpy patch and lost a bunch of energy, stopping up side down. He took out an upright, his keel and his sail tore from the chute bridle. It was his 7th time under canopy. When the rest of us flew to town and over the LZ, it was indeed turbulent and none of us felt like looping. We did some mild spins and wingovers into our approaches. I was a little taken back when I heard my name being announced mixed with a bunch of excited french over the loud speaker while landing. There were people lined up to watch and after landing, I turned around to join them in watching the others land. We had some photos taken and broke down with smiles after a good flight with good friends.

Today, we finally had another task day. It was forecast to be light wind and strong lift so most of us were really excited. They called a barn burner of a 100 mile box that had us flying deep into the mountains. Today, timing was everything and I kind of blew it. Some days I am really upset at myself for not doing well because I feel like I made bad decisions and flew poorly. Today, I feel OK even though my flight was short. I will explain.

We started out with conditions that any mountain pilot dreams of. We climbed out quickly and easily and spent 40 minutes driving around cloud base, sometimes taking lift up the sides of clouds to much higher than base. It was a beautiful site to see over 100 gliders high among big, white cumulous congestous clouds. I wasn't in a great position for the first start and, although almost the entire field left on the first start, OB and I decided to stick around for another 20 minutes for the second. I was climbing back up with OB about 1000' over head when he came over the radio telling me to look over at a glider that had just dropped out of a cloud up side down with the pilot laying on the sail. I watch nervously as he spun with a broken outboard leading edge, up side down for a couple of thousand feet. I was yelling out loud for him to pull his chute (like he could hear me;-) and was relieved when I saw it finally come out clean only around 350 feet over the trees. I started to concentrate on my climbing again when I realized that there was only 2 more minutes until the second start and again I was in poor position. I found strong lift and made up some altitude quickly and was able to leave with Jeff. I was around 600' lower than him and when I stopped for a climb on the way to the first turn point, I reached base just under 4 ks out of the circle and there was only 6 or 7 minutes to the last start. The lift was strong and the clouds were working so I went back to get the last start. This turned out to be a MAJOR mistake. At first I felt good and was going fast. I quickly caught up to some pilots from the second start including Swiss Nick. We worked well together for a while until we started to notice the sky filling in and looking very dark. I was getting reports from Zippy that the climbs were still good and where he was in the course indicated that they were going very fast. Nick and I were finding totally different conditions. It was very soft with light lift, hardly any of the clouds seem to be working well and the ground was very shaded. We pushed hard and did our best but by the time we got close to the second turn point deep in the mountains, it was shaded out and we had a head wind from a cu nimb in front of us pulling up the valley. We were low and landed a couple of fields apart. I got sprinkled on while breaking down.

Back to my point about being disappointed. Some days, I feel like I fly poorly and my decisions are weak. These are the days that I spend a few moments in my LZ cursing and kicking the dirt (hang glider pilots version of a tantrum;-). Today, I made a decision to take a start that turned out to be a poor choice because I should have recognized the onset of overdevelopment. It was a decision that I committed to. That's hang gliding. After the decision was made, I felt like I flew the best I could and landed when conditions deteriorated. Both are examples of failure but both are a earned opportunity to learn valuable knowledge about how to be a better competitor. I am feeling humbled in these mountains and yet feel overwhelmingly lucky to experience this. We learn from our success but I have learned from years of climbing, failure happens far more often and is a necessary step towards learning the lessons that are required for success. Tomorrow is another day.

On a good note, Zippy smoked the course and placed in the top 5 for the day (I think). Nice work Zach! Dustin is also in and Jeff is still in the air, hopefully on his way.
Cheers

task 2

Today the forecast was for a west/ northwest wind that was to turn to south west late in the day. The winds were going to be stronger on the ground than up high and there was to be the applicable valley flow which would turn out to be not only true but would make things quite difficult on the final glide. Because Chabre doesn't have a launch that works in a predominently west wind, we went to the beautiful set up area of Aspres (about 10ks north of us). The launch is a stress free affair with green grass and wild flowers which was a welcome change from the rocky ground on top of Chabre. We set up and went through the task briefing and learned that we were to fly a long, slight dog leg with the first turn point on a feature we all refer to as the volcano located just to the north of the camping area and would continue on to a turn point in a gorge south, south east of Sisterone. After getting that turn point we would try to come back pretty much the same course line back to Laragne. It would be a long day and with the winds forecast to be strong on the ground, I wasn't sure if it would be easy with the Southwest that was supposed to roll in or if we would struggle in the 10-15 knot North west that was blowing while on launch.
No one on launch was extra keen to get off as the few guys who did launch early weren't making it look too easy to get high. Soaring was not an issue but the prospect of 130 guys fighting for position 1-200 feet over the ridge didn't seem too appealing. In the end we all piled off and the climbs were actually very good. Soon we had jumped across the valley and the gaggle began driving around cloud base waiting for the start times to turn over, all fighting for a good position. I thought about the weather briefing and the talk of potential over development and was keen for the first start. I was in good position and felt like I was in good company so went 2 or 3 seconds after the first gate rolled over. Jonny was off to my right, Atilla was with us and Blay was right next to me with Zippy just behind. We made a couple of fast glides to the first turn point and the gaggle went left toward the mountains and the clouds. Blay, Zippy and I went off into the blue and across the valley just to the east of the camp ground. It was a risk but if we found a good climb or two in the flats, we stood a chance to beat the gaggle to the second turn point. Zippy went off for a cloud that started to pop but didn't end up finding much. Blay and I had a good climb and made really good time across the flats although by the time we got to the mountains the gaggle was a little behind but higher so it wasn't long before they caught us. We worked well together across the mountains to and past Sisterone until our decisions divided and we split up. I ended up making a signficant mistake at this point, passing up a climb just before the turn point with hopes that I could glide the 3 ks to tag it and turn around to get the climb on the way back. Several faster pilots had already snagged the turnpoint and passed me going the other way so I thought I would have company. As I dove in to get the turn point, I encountered a lot of sink and lost signifcant altitude which forced me to climb out from low on the ridge that I passed up costing me a lot of time. I went on glide feeling a bit discouraged but hooked back up with Tom Weissenberg (sp?) from Austria and we found a strong 5-6 mps climb to base. I was stoked to hear OB on the radio saying that he was under the same cloud just off to my left. We left together with him gliding into the mountains while telling me on the radio that it was the fastest line the previous day and that he thought the climbs would be stronger. For some reason, I slowly drifted away from him (at first only with the intention of spreading out) and felt like I was getting a better line although in hind site, it would have been much smarter to stay with him. He is flying exceptionally well and we would have been stronger as a team of two but after a certain point, I was committed to my decision. This was the second and MOST costly mistake I made today. I got really low in front of the ridge to the east of Sisterone and had to litterally claw my way in ridge lift and thermals back to peak height to where I could properly climb out. It took almost an hour, I think (at least it felt like it was that long;-( but I managed to climb to a 9.6-1 into goal. I left with 16ks to go at slightly faster than best glide. My numbers were good and got better while I was high but as I decended into the valley flow and the west turned to a dreaded north west (headwind) my glide angle quickly became 4-1 or less. It felt like I was flying a standard as opposed to my race wing. I HAD to stop for a few turns in weak lift with less than 3 ks to go because I was not going to make it by 500 m. I ended up crossing the goal line with 10 feet and landed 30 feet past it. I wasn't the last into goal but there weren't too many after me. Ha ha. Once again, tomorrow is another day and another opportunity to learn and do better. Zippy, OB and Dustin all made it in as well and Davis landed 16 ks short on the west side of the river in Sisterone (as I think many did).
My impression of this place is that although it is by far the most beautiful place I have ever raced in, it is absolutely unforgiving of bad decisions and will make you pay for them like no place I have ever flown. The valleys orient in every direction and the mountains are random in a way that it's sometimes hard to keep track of the side that is wind ward because the valley flow is often a different direction than the

first task

After a couple of Mistral days we had beautiful weather for a task yesterday. Light winds out of the South west and good lift forecast allowed the task committee to call a 164k course (around 100 miles) in a huge square like shape around the area. The winds were light on launch and as often happens on Chabre, the wind started comng in from the west which cause for "over the back" conditions occasionally and dust devils to roll through launch which made it a bit sporty to get 130 pilots off safely. In the end there was only 1 blown launch which resulted in a damaged glider but the pilot was ok.
We (the US team) got off and climbed to cloud base trying to find each other and to be in good position. We all ended up taking the second start and seemed to be making good time to the first turn point. I lost most of the team but was with Alex Ploner (from Italy) and Andre Wolf which felt comfortable and fast. I climbed in a screamer (the strongest for the day for me) that took me back to 3000m in 12-15mps and that's when I made my first poor decision. Most of the fast guys went straight across the town of Gap to the turn point which was a very direct line. I thought that the clouds (the only clouds) over the mountains looked faster so I swung wide and got on top of the peaks. I found good lift and ended up on the same course line that I took on a task last year over Peak de Bure. It worked but I was now 3-4 glides behind the leading group. After crossing the same turquoise lake that we crossed last year (OB took really nice photos of us crossing it for a pre worlds blog post) I got the turn point and had to take a couple of slower climbs to get over the mountains to make it past a largely non land able area on the way to the last turn point. I climbed with a russian and about 3 other pilots over a sail plane port and managed to pick a decent line to the turn point which was on the low side of a ridge line made up of several scallops. Unfortunately, I didn't clear the ridge and got a bit stuck between two ridge scallops and had a bit of a scary time trying to beat the rotor to the front of the mountain. The Russian woman, Julia, and a Kiwi, Warren both apparently landed in the trees in this same place later. I made it to the front of the mountain very low and tagged the turn point with just enough height to work ridge lift and thermals back to the peaks top and saw that I had to make a pretty long jump across a high plateau to make it into goal. I worked hard but never got above 1900m and decided to try to make it with hopes that I would find lift on the plateau and or the peak on it's flanks. After an hour and a bit of cursing I landed 13ks short up on that plateau.
It turned out that the road I landed on was a bit hard to find and it took around 4 hours to find me which made for a long night. It's hard starting a comp off way down the results list as many pilots either made goal or barely didn't but today is another day. That's the beauty of this sport. It's exciting, self reflective and humbling all taking place in some of the most beautiful places on this planet.
I apologize for not posting photos. My SD card is somehow not working so I will have to replace it.

finally, a task

It's been a few days since I have made a post because the internet access has been a bit spotty, at best, here at the camp ground. Jeff has been able to make posts occasionally and has been doing a great job at compiling video and photos to keep up with what's been happening so I will try not to repeat too much. I know he posted a video of the opening ceremonies so I will spare you but I will say that it was a moment in time that had a greater impact on me than I thought it would. Not to be too sentimental but it was a really cool feeling to be following our national flag around town with all of the diverse nations from every corner of the world while the drum band played a rhythm that you could feel in your feet. It was hard not to smile and soak in the moment.
The next day we wanted to take Kara and Katie to the Via Ferratta

sisterone

It's been a whirlwind (literally) the last few days with a mistral blowing though the Haute Alps. We were able to wade through the forms and insurance/registration paperwork to be official and are now in the process of waiting to race. Although everyone is happy and the mood is positive, I can tell that I am not the only one, by a long shot, that is chomping at the bit to start the comp for the same reasons that I was excited for Christmas morning when I was a child.



It has been a huge bonus this year to have my wife, Kara with me to see and experience some of the things that add such charm and romance to this area of the world. She has been a trooper dealing with the hang gliding oriented tasks and fourtunately we have been lucky to travel with a great group of people and to have time to do some of the things that I really wanted her to have the opportunity to do. Yesterday, after a walk through town and a visit to the train station for a schedule to get her to the airport in Marcielle for her flight on Wednesday morning, we drove the short distance to the town of Sisterone and walked through the Citadel (built 2000+ years ago by the Gauls) followed by a stroll and a coffee. On our way back to Laragne, we stopped for a swim at the same gorge with the waterfall that we cooled off at so many times last year. It was a great way to spend the afternoon and had me feeling thankful to be "here, now" for sure.






By the time we got back to town, the evening was setting in. Dustin and I felt like we needed some exercise so we decided to take a run/ hike up to launch. Our friend, Kurt Warren decided to come with us and the three of us started off with the wind howling through the trees at the base of Chabre. It was a really cool hike/run (about 20K's I think) and felt like just what we needed. I have to say, it was really cool being up on launch at the end of the day with the wind blowing close to 50k's/ hr. We arrived back at the campground tired, hungry and psyched that there was the entire comp listening to live music and drinking wine. Nothing like coming home from a long stroll directly into a party;-)

update

Just like last year, we had a crazy reintroduction to European travel and flying. Zippy and Katie met us at the airport in Dusseldorf and after working out the last minute details in regards to the team van, we were on our way with the intention of making it to Chamonix. The drive brought back so many memories from last year. Just like our all nighter to France from Greifenburg, we swapped driver duties and made it in good style to Chamonix around 2am. After a very difficult couple of hours sleep in the van, we woke to sunny skies and glaciated mountains overlooking the village. I can tell when I am in a place that has magic in it. There are many beautiful places in the world but a few stand out. I felt the same way the first time I visited Yosemite. Walking around the streets in Chamonix and looking at the mountains that I have dreamed of flying and climbing in since childhood seemed like a dream. We found the local paraglider LZ and inspected/ rebuilt our gliders after the flight from the States and got sorted to find the best flexwing site in the area, Plain Joux. Just like our lucky day in Greifenburg last season, we had perfect conditions and climbed out in smooth lift, gaining enough height to scan the entire range and some. We took a tour of the valley and stayed a group of three, laughing our guts out while taking video and photos of the Mont Blanc Massif. We landed after around an hour and a half, broke down and drove until 11:30pm to Laragne.




After a much needed sleep, we went to the "peoples market" and shopped for fresh veggies and supplies. I love the culture here. The romantic town of Laragne was full of happy people out enjoying life. Conditions for the day were forecast to be good and although Jeff, Dustin, Zippy and I got a much later start than most, we headed up the hill with promising clouds popping over the mountains in all directions. We stayed a group of four, climbing and gliding together north toward the Aspes launch and Peak De Bur. I really enjoyed the going with our group. Flying with Jeff, Dustin and Zippy in a place like the Haute Alps was yet another life highlight that won't be forgotten. On a fast glide back to the LZ in Laragne, we spent a few minutes getting rained on directly over Ceuse (a famous sport climbing area) which made the last part of the flight around the mountains kind of surreal. Pure beauty, pure bliss;-)


On our way to Aspes


On our way back;-)

Thanks for the clearance Clarence

Do we have clearance, Clarence?
-Roger, Roger.
Surely you must mean that we can take the gliders?
-Yes I do, and don't call me Shirley.


I quote from the movie Airplane because traveling with hang gliders, especially internationally, is a bit stressful at best and at worst, can age you 20 years instantly. Today we rolled out of our hotel just south of Bellingham, Wa and crossed the border north into Canada to catch our flight from Vancouver to Dusseldorf. We checked in and after a little charm and a lot of luck, O'Brien had us paying $40 Canadian each for our gliders. I managed to get the two handlers that were there to help us to feel important about the fact that they were about to help make or break our trip and we left feeling good that they would make it on safely. The folks that helped us went way above and beyond and although it took a truck to come to pick them up curb side (they wouldn't fit in the service elevator), we were told after arriving at the gate that they did indeed make it on.....safe and sound.
Brilliant!
Now, we are just kicking back with a coffee and waiting for the complimentary drinks that will flow on the Atlantic crossing.

It's the process, not the result

Sorry it's been a few days since I last up dated but life has been a mad dash.  Kara, Jeff and I had the pleasure of seeing our good friends, Patrick and Cynthia, get married on the shores of the beautiful Swan Lake in North Western Montana.  It was exactly how I had envisioned their wedding, good friends, nice weather and a relaxed and celebratory atmosphere in general. Patrick has been one of my closest friends for the past ten years and I have had some of the most growth oriented moments in my life while climbing with him.  The wedding was something that I had been looking forward to for a long time for a couple of reasons.  First, I was extremely happy to see my good friend marry such an amazing woman knowing that they will be happy durring their lives together and second, I had the distinct honor of being Patrick's best man.  Also, one of the coolest things for Kara and I was to see our daughter, Nya as the flower girl and we were so proud of her for being who she is.  I feel lucky to have their family connected to mine and look forward to new memories to come.

What a perfect way to start off an amazing adventure and trip.  We partied with Mr. and Mrs. Knolle and after a good night sleep at the lake, woke up to drive back to Missoula to collect our gear for the journey to Vancouver for the flight to Europe.   One of our defining attempts during trips (and life in general) is to pay attention to the process.  There are amazing things to experience if you pay attention and the beginning of this trip was no exception.  When we were finally packed up and ready and my precious daughter was safe with Grammy, the clouds were dark and clapping thunder and flashes of lightning directly above the house was our send off.  I felt pretty intense energy in the truck when I looked over at Kara and then at Jeff in the rear view mirror while loud music was playing and the realization that we were actually on our way. 

Next stop, Germany!

Sorry it's been a few days since I last up dated but life has been a mad dash.  Kara, Jeff and I had the 

Finally had the chance to go for a test fly with Jeff at our local site here in Missoula.  I was pretty psyched to have Jeff up there.  It was his first flight from Sentinel.  I've been telling him for years how much fun it is to fly there and it was cool to finally blaze around above town with only days left before we leave for Europe.  It's a special situation to be able to drive right out of the town that you live in to a site that the wind sock on top is visible from your deck.  Equally as cool is to land in perfectly manicured grass and after breaking down to be 5 minutes from something to eat and home.  Gotta love Missoula!

I have been attempting to pull out my little hand held camera to take some video lately.  Apparently, so far I have been pretty unsuccessful in producing anything but a lot of wind noise and indiscernible chatter.  I always like to see video because, although people like O'Brien can really catch a moment and use a still photo to inspire, video seems to give a better impression of the "life of the moment".  This one kinda sucks but I will try to improve and consider it as a work in progress.  More than anything, I am trying to practice to be able to get some nice short clips from Europe so please bear with me.

We are going to fly again today for the last time before short packing the wings for the trip.  I get the feeling from the forecast that it will be better flying conditions than yesterday.  I am going to try to put a small camera inside my sail to get some footage of my sprogs.  There has been a bunch of hype in regards to the pitch police for the Worlds which has sparked my curiosity.  Maybe I will get something useful.

late night work session

I graduated from art/design school in '95 and for a brief period in my life was lucky enough to make my living being allowed to create through design.  I remember the feeling and flow of creativity while painting a mural or sitting at the sewing machine and how quite often I would find myself grinning from ear to ear or laughing out loud.  



Times of listening to music and feeling like an artist are some of the most satisfying and influential moments in my life.  



It's been great to feel that same feeling, the feeling of artistic creativity while flying hang gliders and to be here at the house, getting ready to go to Europe to race hard with friends from all over the world and to help to design and build top notch equipment to help pilots to be more efficient and competitive...... well, it feels like dreaming awake;-)

getting race ready

Yesterday, Jeffrey and I set up our new T2C's with the intention of installing our custom control frames and generally getting the wings "race ready". After a lot of laughing and wrenching, I walked around my new glider smitten like a teenage boy. I have to say quite honestly, the newest sail cut looks extremely tight to me. The tips are extremely clean, I love the handling and the glide..... oh the glide;-) The T2c is GOING! It's gotta be my favorite wing out of all the gliders that I have flown in the last 17 years! Really looking forward to a test fly to check out some of the tuning changes that were made yesterday. The weather here in Missoula has been pretty unstable the past 3-4 days because of a stationary low to our west but with some luck, Jeff and I will be able to sneak up the hill for a fly tomorrow. It's good having him here and it feels like momentum toward the Worlds is continuing to roll.

jeff's juicy hog is wrapped in gold spandex and constantly caressed by Dustins lips.