Back to Blogging…
Dennis trying out the new school – Alpha 5, goes up easy enough!
So I’ve decided to have a go at reviving the blog… the reason I haven’t kept on it was mainly because I haven’t been carrying my camera around, and prefer to keep my phone as a phone and not a camera!
Paris Peter launching..
The other thing is if I don’t have the camera I don’t have to think about it… so it’s plain old lazyness on my part. Anyway, it seems folks may still like to know what’s happening in this neck of the woods so I’m going to have a go at reviving it to keep the updates going. So first off… this morning, it’s pouring down with rain… So our new pilot, sadly wont be able to complete some of his EP/CP tasks, we were hoping to get him through them in the given time but the weather has decided to put a delay on the proceedings… Still he will be completing them a little later on.
However, yesterday was a different matter. It was a holiday day here; I wasn’t actually aware of this fact, until I realised that there were loads of people about, later in the day and a group of Saga’s best turned up making my heart skip a couple of beats as some of them attempted some doddery launches! oooooo… phew!! glad he got away with that! A whole load of hangies were there too, and a few were up from Paris, and it’s always good to see them, even if I was a bit abrupt! Sorry Peter…. it’s ok I wasn’t up all night not sleeping and worrying about it…. 
) tee hee… Steve, got a couple of shots of your launch.
Ok so the weather, it was strange, bizarre. Early morning it was fine, lovely and smooth and just perfect for our beginner Steve, although we had a bit of all or nothing on launch. But all the launches were clean, bar one… Just a little sidestepping was all that was needed…
Dennis flew down, and did the landing whilst I stayed on launch and did the launching. Steve managed five flights so did really well, passed his EP exam paper with 99% very impressive! But then he is a bit of a skydiver! So he’s got a bit of a head start. I had a flight a little later on when the sky was turning black! Dennis always leaves the nice conditions for me!!! But it turned out a nice enough day for us all, if not just a bit busy… but eveyone seemed happy enough!
Photos in Daily Pics.
Bright and Just a Little Bit Breezy
More ploufing today, but great for Tom our new One to One client. He’ was the only one on launch this morning, except Tizzy having a scratch on the launch area, where as the rest of us were having a scratch just below the launch area, a bit later on in the day as we gradually descended into the lower inversion. Tom had five really good flights, but then he does kite, ski, has a PPL licence and does most things so it all seems natural. He’s doing his own lovely landings already and only on his second day, which is excellent.
Tom, preparing for his first flight of the day
We’ve got flyable weather until next Tuesday, so we should be out ploufing ourselves whilst waiting for the snow. It wasn’t all ploufing today though, as there was a good face breeze, which certainly helped Tom, get some reverse launch practice in, he did an independent reverse launch without a hitch, as well as four forwards launches, and completed most of his EP tasks, so he’s well on the way.
Whilst I was preparing to have my own plouf, another pilot landed after getting some reasonable height just above the Fiz, it was possible to climb out if taking off from a higher altitude. A couple of gliders managed a scrape out. It’s ok, if you can hike up there, but with full xc gear it can be a bit tough. Chamonix lifts are still closed for the time being so we don’t have that luxury for a number of weeks yet.
Preparing to Plouf
Lots of Prepping for Ploufing
Well the weather’s been well, boring! I know dreadful thing to say, but apparently the Meteo forcaster in Chamonix has been saying the same thing, just emply blue skies with nothing happening. I can really appreciate the clouds and know exactly where Gavin Pretor-Pinney is coming from! Well all that’s happening on the flying front is ‘ploufs’ be they ‘bon’ or otherwise, “That’s all we’re getting and be satisfied!”, say’s mother nature! Well we’ve had a late in the season beginner pilot learning with us, and he had his first flight today. It was a bit touch and go whether to launch him to be honest as it was a nil wind situation, anyway I need’nt have worried, as he’s got a natural touch and a good run, so all was well.
There were a couple of tandems working unusally this time of the year, but maybe the seasons are on the change and we could be entering a new age?! Who knows?!
Mild Mannered October
It’s been flyable.. but there’s not really any strength in the thermals now. We had our last one to one client of the season, Harry, finish his EP and is now partway through his CP, all done in five days with four good days of flying! Needless to say the weather provision has been perfect for the job.
Harry, Clouddodging
We’ve enjoyed some tandem and solo flying, and will hopefully be out again tomorrow. This good weather just seems to be hanging on! There’s a short, sharp, bit of an occluded front destined to arrive on Tuesday, and depart again late Thursday opening up for more good weather come Friday, so maybe a few blips will sound in the minor pre-frontal conditions tomorrow (17th).
Tandems Mostly
Yesterday was a wash out, but the rain did clear Plaine Joux launch from all the snow, and a timely visit of late afternoon sunshine did an excellent job of drying the area, that, with an added touch of Northerly wind; Plaine Joux launch was left with a blow dried finish even Vidal Sassoon would be proud of!
This is the Ozone 'small' Magnum Tandem - 'I like it a lot!'....
Tandem Assessments
It was mainly tandem day today, meaning, a number of tandem pilots were going through their assessments. It was a beautiful October day, maybe a tad warm for the time of year but lovely all the same. There was really only light flying to be had.
We have a beginner with us as the moment, and the conditions have been just perfect for him, so he’s progressing in leaps and bounds.
Tomorrow the weather is looking good again, so perhaps more of the same, but not so many tandems about.
Weather Update
a glimpse of Varan, and fresh snow through the cloud
Weather update… after all the fabulous but still air. We’ve had a couple of days being swamped in grey cloud with almost constant precipitation.
...and a similar glimpse of Col d'Anterne though pretty much the same cloud!
The weather isn’t all bad though, managed to catch a glimpse of the fresh fallen snow on the Fiz, it’s all starting to look quite wintry. Dennis went to Bois du Bouchet to do some ground handling with our client as Plaine Joux launch is covered in snow.
We’ve made fires for the first time this week, as we have been feeling the chill. Improvement is said to be on the way, with only some precipitation in the morning, followed by clearing skies and a return of the sun. This afternoon there were a couple flying, in the minor break in the weather, apparently it was freezing, maybe time for the winter woolies to make an appearance. We will be out tomorrow anyway so we’ll see what we can glean from the day.
Empty Blue
It’s been a while since the last blog reason being… busy! We’ve had a pre CPC pilot with us for a while now, and we’re pleased to report a new CPC pilot joins the paragliding ranks. The week took us to Annecy a couple of times, and the rest of the time here.
Alex Rodriguez, incoming... after a flight of some perserverence!
Unfortunately, we didn’t make St. Hilaire as we were teaching, it sounded like a good gig this year though, with plenty of exhibitors, as well as the country being blessed with good weather so it sounded like it was an all round success. We had our own little successes in as much as managing to fly most days, although struggling in cloudless expanses of lifeless air didn’t fare much for any flights of substance, but fun was had and it was perfect for the ‘L’ platers.
Most pilots have been doing speedriding, and acro… to alleviate the struggling lack of airtime, but at least we are flying. I’ve been spending some time Tandem flying which has been a new dimension for me, and most enjoyable, so will keep that up now for the time being.
Air of September
Tandem
Another flyable day… although having said that it didn’t look like it was going to be first thing. We had a fair bit of cloud clover with low level clagg, so we had to wait for the cloud to lift before we could venture out to fly. As it turned out, the weather was fine, in fact a bit warm for the time of year.
It started off a quiet day.. . As it’s such a spectacular view of Mont Blanc from our launch area, the Shearings coaches stop by on there Annecy and the French Alps tours so all the old folks pop in and have an ice cream whilst watching all the paraglider pilots impersonating lemmings! For me, I find it endearing to hear them speaking in that English tone that only the pensioners can speak, about having indigestion and asking if ‘anyone’s got a Rennie?. I suppose not hearing English spoken in that manner for years makes it sound quite warm to my hearing….
There were a group of school children having a lesson on the launch area.. not learning to fly, I might add, more of a geography lesson or something, so it was all a bit busy but not with pilots! First off a couple of tandems flew and managed to get a climb out above launch, later… Lucas Bernardin, one of the top French Pilots on his R11, as well as Mathieu also on his R11, were whizzing around all over the valley. Watching the glide that these guys have on those gliders is incredible.. I can certainly appreciate the sense of ‘loss’ they must feel in not being able to fly them in comps anymore, but on the other hand I can also appreciate the ‘loss’ families have felt from those who flew them and never made it home….
Not wanting to get too poignant, it turned out to be a nice days flying. Alistair and me had a nice flight and Dennis flew afterwards, so we were all happy.
Alto Cloud Symphony
Alto Symphony
Woke up to the correctly forecast change in the weather… Skies were alto(gether) Cumulus, a positive symphony of altos were playing, well high up there, warning of weather changes. An Airport run was on the schedule for me today, whilst Denns was fully occupied with Huw.
We’ve got organising to do, for our second jolly coming up in a couple of days. 
Stable Chamonix.
very stable and cloudless Chamonix
We went to Chamonix this morning. It was so stable, with barely a breath to launch. Still, our clients, Huw and James had a couple of exciting flights and were both really pleased to have flown Plan Praz. I was thinking about trying to get a climb out and grab myself a mini xc. Dilemma, very difficult to get a climb out, if I can’t get out within a given time I have to land, otherswise no lift back. The gliders that were out and about were scraping along, looking for scraps, I tried the pump, which worked ok, but the inversion was a tough one.
Time was running out, I couldn’t keep our clients waiting so had to decide to let it slip and land. After folding up, and journeying back, there were only two gliders managed a climb out, one of them was an R11, the other looked similar(ish).
Back at our ‘old faithful’ I did some much needed Start Gate practice… jeez… I should’ve got it by now! There was a minor page switch, that my instrument did at a crucial moment that de-railed my thinking, so I wanted to make sure it had been switched off and returned to it’s former simpler view! I think I may have it sorted now….
