2010 Chelan XC Open Results

Friday Update -  The last task on Thursday was a short and fast, with many pilots getting stuck early in the task.  For all these reasons, the task was devalued and the day's winner, Dean Stratton, only earned 605 points.   The top-5 ranking changed little in the OPEN CLASS -

1. Russel Ogden
2. Jack Brown
3. Andre Rainsford
4. Josh Cohn
5. Brad Gunnuscio

Chris Galli flew the CRAP out of his GTO on the last day, placing 3rd for the day - Nice job Chris!

The SERIAL CLASS top-5 are -

1. James Thompson from Australia, (not bad for a guy who can't speak the language)
2. Arnie Frankenberger 
3. Marinus Brenkman 
4. Chris Galli
5. Luis Rosenkjer

Rounding out the WOMEN'S CATEGORY - 

1. Melanie Pfister
2. Cherie Silvera
3. Chrissy Drunk
4. Meredyth Malocsay
5. C.J. Brockway

All the scores are available on the http://www.chelanxcopen.com/ website.

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Thursday Evening Update - The final task was a dash to the East to WITHRW and then to goal at Simm's Corner.  A short task that took in the neighborhood of 2 hours.  None of the scores are out yet, but you can bet the boys were racing hard today.

 Results for task 5 will be available HERE and cumulative scores will be HERE.  

Congrats to all, not only the winners, but those wherever they finished in the standings - An epic flight is a personal event and scoring has little to do with the import that a great flight can have on the psyche.

I just arrived in Seattle and hope to get a ride to Chelan in the morning.  With luck, I'll get my first high-flight on the XC3 and find the corners that are important to explore when flying a new wing.  The Chelan PWC starts on  Sunday the 18th and it looks like it will start off with light winds and more classic Chelan weather.

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Wednesday Evening Update - The task today was an out and return to near Leahy, down to Mansfield, then South to near WITH07 and back to the Soccer field at the bottom of the Columbia River gorge.  Expect to see some shakeup of the top 5 is all I'll say . . .  

Results for task 4 will be HERE and cumulative scores are HERE.
Serial overall standings are HERE and woman's overall are HERE.

Tuesday evening update -

The task today was over 100K to Wilbur (East of Almira) and over 50 pilots made it to goal.  Score aren't out yet & I'm headed for bed - The day three results will be HERE and overall will be HERE

My new Avax XC3 arrived today and I got a chance to kite it for an hour or so -  It is a nice wing, well made and easy to manage.  I'm really looking forward to flying it soon.  Seeya at the PWC.

Monday Afternoon update -
By getting creative, and typing in 'task 2' into the task one URL, I have found a scoresheet for the Sunday second task.  Apparently it was quite windy on launch, and in the air - many pilots chose not to launch, and many others ended their flights at the soccer field. For those who made it out, on course, it sounds like it was scary-fun as the winds kicked in.

As a matter of fact, only 24 pilots covered more than 20 kilometers of the 77k task.  The scores  for task 2 can be seen HERE.   

Cumulative scores are:

• HERE for Open Class
• HERE for Serial Class
• and HERE for Women's Class.

 Jack Brown, one of the three pilots in goal, has a blog entry HERE

Tim

Monday Morning Update -
The Chelan winds are forecast to blow today.  I doubt a task will be called, but stranger things have happened.  

Sunday Evening Update-
It looks (from the SPOT page) like the task was canceled today.  Jack Brown & Josh Cohn took a tour and flew East, to Sims Corner then up to Leahy, ending at Sims.  The rest of the field (using SPOTS) ended in the soccer field, which leads me to think the task was called off.

The 2010 Chelan XC Open has started and I'm a spectator for this one -
It sounds like classic Chelan flying.  I can't wait to get in the air there, next week.

You can join me in living vicariously by visiting these blogs:

• Jack Brown - http://alaskaparajack.blogspot.com/
• David Norwood's Blog - http://thepreacherswing.blogspot.com/
• Dave Hanning - http://www.xc-action.com/
• More when I find them - 

Results are on the Chelan XC Open website now - http://www.chelanxcopen.com/
I have a page with the Open results, updated daily, HERE.

Enjoy!

Getting ready to Rumble!

July 10th-15th 2010

We are only two weeks away from the heart of the U.S. Paragliding competition circuit.  2010 is a special year since the schedule includes a PWC event and a Pre-PWC event.  It all starts July 10th with the Chelan XC Open.  I flew this event 2 years ago, when it was a Pre-PWC event and had a great time.  I flew a great 75 mile triangle to make goal and really had a ball.  Unfortunately I won't be able to get the time-off necessary to fly this event. . .  I will keep track of the results here though.  Good luck to all and FLY SAFE.  Info about the comp can be found at http://www.chelanxcopen.com
What's great about the site, in Chelan, is that it has a great mountain launch with a dramatic exposure of the Columbia River Gorge and XC possibilities to the South, East and North.  To the East is a high plain of some of the best XC flats I've ever flown.  Unlimited landing spots, epic climbs to above 10,000', and dusties that you can see for 20 miles make this a place to remember.

July 18th-24th 2010

Following the Chelan XC Open, Chelan will host the first PWC (Paragliding World Cup) event to be held in the USA in 12 years.  PWC events attract the best pilots from all over the world and are the highest level of Paragliding XC competition.  I am really looking forward to flying with the best and brightest.  This will also be my first opportunity to see the newest, exotic 2-liner wings from Ozone, Niviuk, and SOL.

Chelan looking South, with launch on the right and the flats to the left.

I will be flying my new Gradient Avax XC3 which is a new Serial Class wing, and lower performance than the majority of the wings entered in the PWC.  My goals and expectations involve getting to goal every day and making good decisions while learning all I can about tactics and strategies from the great pilots I'll be surrounded by.   I will be posting regularly, while flying in this great competition.

In August we will travel to Sun Valley, Idaho for the US Nat's. I've never flown Sun Valley, but the site looks great.  This event will also be a Pre-PWC event.

My Gradient Avax XC3 should be here soon and I hope to get familiar with it before flying it in anger at the PWC ;-)

Tim

Like a kid on Christmas Eve -

That's me.  I'm waiting for my new Gradient Avax XC-3 to arrive.  The early reports are very positive and the performance is being touted as 'much better' than the XC-2, which I was very impressed with.  When I ordered the XC-2 (3 years ago) I was concerned that it would be too hot for me.  I was very happy with the handling and benign flight characteristics and it was perfect for my stage of development, as a paraglider pilot.

Now, I'm ready for anything that Gradient can get by the EN-D testing.  And I'm ready to enjoy the great handling I've come to expect from the Gradient team.  I won't be worried about competing against the ultra-specialized, exotic, 2-liner comp wings rolling off the factory floors - I'm a serial guy, and happy to be flying a little less performance with much better handling.

I didn't want to complicate my order, so I went with the stock blue colors.  It should be here within a couple weeks.  I plan to fly it in the US Nat'ls in Sun Valley in August, and the PWC in Chelan, WA in July.

The XC3 is advertised as having a better-than 10:1 glide ratio with a nice wide speed range that exceeds 60Kph accelerated.  The 6.8 aspect ratio is right between that of the XC2 and the Boomerang 5 I flew this year.   The 3-line configuration eliminated almost 25% of the line length (read drag) and it looks like the line diameters haven't been increased substantially, like they have been on the 2-line designs.

More info to come when I get a chance to wring it out -

Here's a nice video of the XC-3 in flight.

YouTube Link

2010 U.S. Paragliding Competition Schedule

I just received a dispatch from Rob Sporrer, who has just returned from the USHPA BOD mtg.

Dates	Competition	Location	Organizer
May 2-10	Florida Ridge	Florida Ridge	David Prentice
June 13-19	Rat Race	Ruch, OR	Mike Haley
July 10-15	Chelan XC Open	Chelan, WA	Doug Stroop
Aug28-Sept5	Sun Valley Nats	Sun Valley, ID	Mike Pfau
There will be a PWC event directly after the Chelan XC Open.
July 18-24	PWC	Chelan, WA	Doug Stroop

The Chelan XC Open and Sun Valley Comp scores will determine the U.S. Nat'l Champ.

I'll list the websites as they become functional.

Let the fun begin!
Tim

Recap of the '08 season

This year I chose to put some time & effort into attending as many paragliding competitions as I could work into my otherwise, fairly full life. My wife, Mary, has been very supportive & patient with my single-mindedness. I spent a lot of time flying to familiarize myself with my new wing, the Gradient AVAX XC2, a very nice wing with increased performance and a dream to fly. Rated EN-C, it is able to hold its own with most DHV 2/3 gliders. I also spent a lot of time reading everything I could get my hands on. My reading list included "Secrets of Champions", "Psyched to Win", "Deep Survival", and "Thermal Flying for PG & HG Pilots."

In addition, I compiled some Tips from Competition Pilots off the PG Forum that have given me much to think about. I also found a great resource online at John Cochrane's Glider page.


The results tell a tale -

In Jan '08 I went to Australia to fly the Killarney Classic where I flew my Aspen 2 to 39th place. The flying was primarily flatland flying which was very unfamiliar to me. I learned a lot & even though my results were dismal, I set a personal best of 71 miles when I made goal on the last task. This flying helped to prepare me for Chelan, later in the year.

In June I went to Ruch, Oregon to fly the West Coast Paragliding Championships where I made goal only once. I placed 29th overall and 11th in the Serial class. This was my first comp flying the Avax XC2 and had only 15 hours on it at that time.

In July I went to Chelan, WA for the Chelan XC Open - A pre-PWC event and the Canadian Nat's. There I flew three tasks and made goal on two of them. I placed 35th overall, and 7th in the Serial class.

In September I went to Bishop, CA to fly the 2008 U.S. Nationals. I love flying in the Owens Valley & had a good competition, although we only flew two tasks. One task, of over 100k. had me on final glide with the lead gaggle - placing 15th & only a couple minutes out of the leaders. I placed 22nd overall and 7th in the Serial Class. I also had one of my all-time best flights, on the practice day, from Walt's launch on the Sierra side of the valley. I flew, mostly alone, for 64 miles along the high Sierra to Bishop with wonderful views along the way.

I've had good results in the Northern CA XC League. My Avax XC2 is an EN-C rated wing which put me in the "Cat 2" group. This year I placed 5th overall (behind very good pilots on competition wings) and 1st in my category, ahead of all other DHV2/3 and DHV2 wings. Most of all, I had a great time flying with the BAPA pilots that regularly make these events. I have learned a lot from Josh, Eric & Eric, as well as many other pilots who have flown these events. I've also made an effort to help other pilots who are getting familiar with their equipment and the rigors of XC competition.

The tale, that I think is indicated by the results, is that the more I fly, the more proficient and consistent my flying becomes. I flew my Avax XC2 over 1,500km. (930 miles) in 33 flights - My comfort with the whole comp preparation and planning has also increased during this season.

I'm really looking forward to next year. The US schedule isn't out yet but I will, again, try to fly many comps to improve my flying skills and achieve consistent results..

Fly a lot - fly safe.

Tim

Chelan Day 6 - Task 3

Overall winners:

1st - Santiago
2nd Matt Dadam
3rd Eric Reed

Today' forecast was for climbs to 10,500' and light winds from the W and NW. When the throng of eager pilots got to launch around 10am Cu's were just starting to pop to the West and within an hour they were also forming on the flats to the East. We were going to go big and a triangle was in the plan.

The task committee huddles for a long time and then announced (what was to be) the perfect task for the day. A 120k triangle East to Farmer, then a North East leg to Leahy (the goal on Task 1) then return to the LZ in Chelan.

I launched as soon as the window opened - about 65 min. before the start. This wasn't my best decision of the day since the 120k task would take a while.

By the time I landed in goal, it had been 6:09 since launch. The lift was abundant and high in most places but there were still some cruxes along the route that dirted many good pilots who didn't realize they had to change to a slower pace for a bit. The air at the top of lift was very cold. Even with my balaclava, winter gloves, & hot hands, I was very chilly at altitude. We were topping out around 9500' over launch and I had plenty of time to practice runs at the 1.5k entry cylinder for the start. The gaggles formed above launch and, with 5 minutes to the start, I found myself in pretty good shape for the start. I entered the 1500 meter cylinder about 3 seconds after the start time in the perfect quadrant to tag the 400 meter cylinder & head out on course.

We all got low for a bit but were able to get up well as we moved East. I was doing well into the first turnpoint, but felt slow & low until I hit the best thermal of the day over Farmer. It solidified into a solid 1100'/min. thermal for 5 minutes and took me to 10,400'. I then caught many of the guys ahead of me as I headed down the second leg. Going into the second turnpoint, it looked like many of the leaders were very low & grovelling at the turnpoint so I tanked up as much altitude as I could before going in to tag Leahy. This paid off & I caught many of the lead gaggle (which was beginning to break up). Soon I found myself getting low & alone & had to wait for scattered lift to solidify into solid 5-600'/min. I was looking at 15 miles to goal & it seemed like forever until I was on my final glide.

The final glide was also very tricky since the rim of the Columbia River Gorge is 2000' above the landing field at the bottom of the gorge. In order to clear the rim of the gorge you must not rely on the final glide on the instruments. . .The problem was, nobody knew when a safe final glide would be sufficient - 5:1? 6:1? I decided 5.5:1 would be enough & was fortunate that it was, but it looked bad for a bit as the rim was coming up to meet me as I was gliding into the goal. Many pilots had to land on the top of the rim or find lift at the last minute to make it into goal.

I made it to goal today & set a personal best of 74 miles (120k)& 6:09 flight time (of which 5 hours were for the task). This put me at 4th in the Serial class & 27th in the open for the day. I placed 7th in the serial class overall.

The mood at the soccer field at goal was very *up* since we knew that the task was very well suited to the day and we had worked hard to make it into goal.

I felt that something was different than any other time in goal. I realized, as I sat sipping one of Steve Forslund's signature margaritas, that I was watching others - many others - arrive in goal after me. It felt good!

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Obviously I wish we'd been able to fly all 6 days but the three we had were great. Including my flight on the practice day, I flew 202 miles in 4 flights.

I made goal 2 out of three days and had great starts every day. I used my condom catheter on two flights and am happy with the ability to hydrate at will and yet fly comfortably for six hours.

A thanks to Doug & Denise for putting on such a friendly comp and to Kevin for running the show. The task committee and volunteers did a great job.

A good week.

My flight is HERE

Results are HERE

Tim

Chelan Day 4 – Task 2

Today the forecast was for lower climbs and 10-15 kts of wind at the top of lift. We went to launch & had light winds on the Northeast launch. A task was called from The Butte Launch to Okanagan, 42 miles. This flight took us due North and was very critical when it came to decision making. We had the option of shooting East, across the gorge, to hit the flats upwind of the course line and then fly the flats all the way to the goal; or to head North, over some hilly territory near the Chelan Airport, and then cross the river near Brewster and continue directly to goal.

I launched early again. I had little problem staying up, but many other pilots got caught in some substantial down cycles & had to land before the start. With only a few minutes to go to the start, I had gotten high but was North of the start cylinder, so I headed back South to hit the edge of the cylinder just as the 1300 start time elapsed. I turned North on course and was gratified to see about half the field, heading to the airport along with me. I don’t like being in the lead, from a strategic standpoint, so I was loafing along at trim speed to let some of the comp gliders get ahead. We soon were getting low but found a good core that gave us enough altitude to continue searching.

We pressed on Northward, until we hit Brewster. There I got distracted and all my thermal buddies got higher than I. I tried to find the lift they had climbed away from me with, but all I found was unorganized lift and sink. I continued on course until I finally, about 12 miles from goal, had to land.
I hiked out a few miles to get to a sign the tell retrieve folks what road I was on & soon a ride appeared.

The other option was explored by a gaggle who took the first crossing to the flats right after the start. They had good success and rejoined the other gaggle North of where I went down.

Mike Steed is leading the pack and Kieth McCullough is the top Canadian.

Today was very exciting, because I really felt I was flying well & staying with the good pilots on the best comp wings. I was also making good decisions that kept me in the race for 20 miles – Until I didn’t. Once I lost close contact with my thermal buddies, and allowed them to get away from me with 11 miles to go, that was the beginning of the end. I made a ‘Hail Mary’ dive into a likely spot for a thermal but had no love this day & made an uneventful landing.
There were 41 in goal today and I only got 320 points for the day, which moves me from 29th to 39th overall. Tomorrow will be a better day & I’ll have figured out what the heck I was thinking when I let it get away from me.

Cherie Silvera won the day, with Mike Steed not far behind.
I've dropped from 29th to 39th overall & from 4th to 8th in the Serial class, so I hope we get to fly again on Sat.

Results are HERE.
My flight is HERE

It's Friday morning and the winds are howling, so I doubt we'll fly today.
Tim

Chelan Day 3 - NO TASK

Too much wind on launch again today. Too bad, it was a beautiful day. We all enjoyed the local charms.

Hope to fly tomorrow.

Tim

Chelan Day 2 - NO TASK

Called at 12:00 due to high winds associated with a small system passage.

Amir Izadi took some photos of the start and I seem to be placed well in the frame ;-) I'm on the grey/blue XC2

Thanks Amir -

It is 8 am on Day 3 (Wednesday) and winds are already very brisk. The forecast isn't encouraging for today so I doubt we'll fly. I saw Batman last night - Great movie.

Tailwinds,
Tim

Chelan XC Open - Day 1 - Task 1

Chelan Day One - Task 1

Today's forecast looked very good so anticipation was high at launch. We assembled a bit early to ensure that the rides to the top were adequate for the entire group. That meant that we spent two and a half hours killing time, socializing, checking out set-up, then checking it again. The lift forecast called for lower top-of-climbs than Saturday, but the winds aloft were forecast to be light until the Souterlies kicked in later. I took some time to review my goal for the day & this contest in particular. The flats can be tricky when the winds kick in and cloud bands can also require a gear change until the lift increases. My goals for the day were to get to goal & not make mistakes that put me in a "hole" that delays or dirts me. . .

The task was a short one - 63 kilometers (38 miles) that took us East to Simms Junction then North to Leahy. I launched early and got up easily, about 50 minutes before the start time. The thermals got rather crowded and tense prior to the start but sense prevailed. My start was spot on, I wasn't high guy but I was in the front and plenty high when I made it to the rim on the other side of the Columbia. None of the gliders ahead were turning in lift so I headed North a bit to reach a few gliders turning in weak lift. This turn took me to a sunny area and cut the corner so I made up some time on all the guys ahead of me who, eventually, came over also. Things went well for the next 20 miles & I wasn't far behind the lead gaggle until I got within 5 miles of Simms.

There was quite a shuffle in the lead gaggle as Marty, Dean, and many others got low & eventually landed near the turn-point. A few caught a ripper while many gliders were dirting in the shadow over Simms so I changed gears and took any & all climbing opportunities so that I could stay in the air until the sun-band came along. The low climb rate allowed the wind to take me NW (downwind) of the course line, which was very frustrating to watch, but I needed to stay in the air to make goal, so I took the slow climbs. Eventually my patience paid off & I caught a ripper that allowed me to get high enough to penetrate to the Simms turnpoint and turn back to the lift.

The wind that had been my nemesis for 35 minutes then became my friend. I climbed to 7000' and saw 7:1 glide required to goal, so I headed to goal. I pushed full speed-bar and kept it in until the end of the speed section 11 kilometers later. At times I saw 75 kM (46 mph) groundspeed.

The goal had many pilots already in the field but it was nice to start the comp with a flight to goal. I don't know the standings yet, but the scores will be HERE. It sounds like Jeff Wishney won the day and there were 25-30 in goal. I'm currently in 4th in the Serial class & 26th overall.

My flight is HERE.

The Tuesday forecast looks marginal due to winds, but I'll be ready if we fly.

Tim

First flight in Chelan

Saturday was my first day of flying at Chelan and the morning forecast looked doubtful that we would have a good flight, due to gusty winds. We drove up to launch at 1130am to look things over & see how the winds looked. My first thoughts were that the topography of the area is beautiful with the juxtaposition of the calm blue water of the Columbia at the bottom of a 2000' gorge that features amazing vertical rock walls. Once across the Columbia River gorge, in front East of launch, the land is FLAT agricultural land similar to the topography in Killarney AUS.

I was resigned to a local scenic flight. Today & tomorrow are just practice so I wanted a low impact flight to get the lay of the land. The sky was 50% or more covered in high cirro-stratus so the thermal action was dampened. A couple of students launched early & encountered some lift, so I decided to suit up & get off the hill before the mad rush began. I decided to only wear my shorts & a thin summer top & summer gloves, since I was not planning a long-high day.

The launch went well & I soon cored a thermal & got to 6000' (about 2300' over) I didn't want to cross the gorge without 6500' or so, and I didn't want to go alone, so I just boated around at the top of lift for 85 minutes while the launch queue filed into the air. Many were struggling down low so I tried to stay at the top of lift with some success. Finally a bunch of us got up to 6800' and headed across to the East side of the Columbia river gorge. I was looking at the clouds overhead & decided to let the guys on the UP Edges & IcePeaks to fight it out while I just took my time & stayed in the blue band of clouds. This plan worked for quite awhile - I'd stay in the sunny area until the clouds were approaching the sun, then fly on 1/2 to full bar until I approached the edge of the shadows again. Soon I was overflying many pilots who had raced into the shadows & dirted. I didn't have any waypoints loaded in my GPS and no map so I just kept heading East with a few other guys. I was freezing my butt off at 10000' in my shorts, but it was great to have the altitude.

Soon it was just me, Nick G. and Amir (on an XC2 also) heading for the Grand Culee Dam. I got a bit ahead & contacted Babush for a while as we headed Northeast. After 4 hours I was cold, hungry, sunburned & had a bladder stretched to its limits, so I decided to join Babush, Nick, and soon, Eric R. in a nice field. 10 minutes after getting to the road, Nick negotiated a ride back to within 15 miles of Chelan with a gun-toten, Wild Turkey drinkin' local guy for three of us. Tom picked us up in Brewster and we got back to camp around 7pm. It was a full day ;-)

Total distance 84 kilometers (51 miles)- not a bad first flight in Chelan. The comp begins Monday. My flight can be viewed HERE

For grins I'll be SPOT-Casting along the routes this week - You can see my progress by going to MY SPOT PAGE (WHICH I THINK ONLY SHOWS THE LAST 24 HOURS)

The crowd is starting to grow & it looks like it will be a fun week.

Tailwinds,
Tim

Between Competitions-

I’ve had a month between the West Coast Paragliding Championships and the upcoming Chelan XC Open to reflect on my quest to improve my performance and competition results this season. I haven’t had a chance to fly (due to my work schedule and the adverse local weather/fires) so I’ve taken the opportunity to tweak my gear and work on my ‘brainage’.

The gear tweaks consisted of some fine tuning of the speed system – I replaced my speed system line with 4mm tech-cord and eliminated the exit grommet from the system. I simply put a slit in the neoprene to allow the cord to exit the harness fairing without rubbing on the abrasive edge of the grommet. This seems to eliminate the ‘skinning’ problem I encountered at the WCPC which required twice replacing the speed system cordage during the comp.

I also modified my cockpit by relocating and changing the geometry of the hang straps and redesigning the flap hold-down system. I use a strap running around the waist strap and bag to give the cockpit some stability when yankin’ & bankin’.

WRT working on my brainage. . . I can’t understate the importance of proper mental attitude & preparation for a comp. Just as the mental variable can improve the chance of survival in a “defining moment” in one’s life (read Lawrence Gonzales’ book “Deep Survival: Who Lives, Who Dies, and Why”) so can one’s outlook affect his performance.

We make many decisions each minute during a task. We are evaluating the air, position of other competitors, maximizing climbs, altering our speed in transitions, etc. Each of these variables can affect the outcome of the flight. At any one moment, we are 15 minutes and 100 or so decisions away from a landing. Gravity is our insistent and relentless constant. We have to beat (or at least delay our submission to) gravity while using it to propel us along our route to get to goal.

I’ve been rereading “The Secrets of Champions” by Dennis Pagen with a new perspective. Some gems from the best:

From Bob Baier:

"It should be made clear that if a pilot is afraid, overexcited, pushing too hard, or thinking too much – anything that prevents relaxation – he or she will not be able to learn how to get the ‘picture.’ So the first rule in becoming an excellent thermal pilot is to mentally relax.

I believe pilots should be in competition, and flying in general, for the long run. Being overly aggressive usually burns you out if it doesn’t injure you or worse.

It’s important to remember (that) we fly for fun, and pushing past the safety margins for a chance to win is not my idea of fun."

Of course I’ve also read a lot of how-to in this great book.

Next stop is Chelan, WA to fly the Chelan XC Open in late July to do some flatland flying. I hope that my experiences in Killarney back in January will help me adapt to this foreign flying venue.

Later –

Tim