Alptitude!

French Open

The French Open has been running since the 18th July, and is set to continue through to the 24th July… whether there are any more tasks I’m not sure as the forecast is not looking favourable.

French Open - Day 1, Les Gets Launch(Before everyone arrived!)

Anyway, I managed to get an unexpected place and made it for the the first day! But that was it.  It was well organised with breakfasts and lunch included. It was an interesting gathering with loads of top rated pilots. I was happy to be assisted by Tom Payne, on launch at Les Gets on the first task, where I also met up with a few more Brits in the shapes of Mark Hayman, Martin Dockerill and Chris Harland (who I met earlier at registration).  It was good for me just to meet up with these guys and have a bit of good ole banter.

I was one of the first up on launch and enjoyed the quiet and wonderful views, before everyone arrived. It was nice to take a cable car, then chairlift up, so there was barely any having to carry extra large rucksack on an evermore sweaty uphill hike! So was feeling quite refreshed and not all overheated, and bothered. The competition was centred around three sites being Les Gets, Samoens and Mieussy, hense the reason for our little ‘outing’ the other day! If pilots were staying in Les Gets a bus was provided to take them to the other sites and vice versa from Samoens, so all the sites were intending to get a look in. They almost managed to cover all the launches but the weather wasn’t making an easy job of it.

As far as the women contingency were concerned they were pretty much mostly top ranking ones and all seemed friendly enough, on the ground! Once in the air though, that’s where I felt at my most vulnerable like a single tuna in a starving shark pool! It was quite ferocious in part, and I was more concerned with avoiding a mid air than thinking about my thermal placement (this wasn’t just the women I might add!) it got me pushed to the outer rim of the thermal which took me an age to try to climb out from, as the inversion was  a thick layer and I had found myself in deep treacle, trying to find a climb out… that was basically game over for me. First French Open, interesting, fierce but again, I’ve gleaned some minor gems which I’ll keep quietly hidden in my para-pearl box of wisdom! Whether I actually have the opportunity to aire any of this competition information I’ve gained so far this year I’ve yet to find out..?!!!   Certainly nothing has shown up in any results though! except maybe how to lose?!! … give it time…. give it time…

Day two the task was stopped due to the weather developing into a level 3, and an almost similar situation for task 3, although I’m not sure if these two tasks are valid or not. I think if the task is ‘stopped’ it’s still valid. There were a few bones of contention over the stoppage of task 3, and a number of pilots didn’t fly. As for me, my competition is over but I’m glad for the experience I had and managing to get in was amazing enough in the first place! It was also great to meet up with some of the Brit Pack!

July 22, 2010 - Posted by Gillian | Competition, Flying