Nuthouse Sunday?

[Chris G]

Upper level temps just jumped 6º which gives us a pitiful spread of 16º. L&V @3k and 9 out of the North at 6k. Making the Nuthouse call Sunday (unless the conditions change dramatically) since SB is likely to be sledders for all. Andy and Art, the Nuthouse masters, have been having stellar flights in weak winter conditions so we'll give it a go. Nordhoff HS at 10AM should put us on launch by 11. Come git some!

[andy dainsberg]

i'm in... but if i hear ya call me "Nut-Master" i may have to crack ya shell Chris G.

[Chris G]

20º spread in Ojai, with L&V up to 6k. BL top in SB is low, but bounces to 6k in Ojai. Stellar! Keeping the 10AM meet at NHS in Ojai. Call if you don't know where that is. 805 368-3543

[Chris G]

Met up with Andy D. and Simon at the HS at 10 and arrived at the top after an easy stroll up the scenic nuthouse trail. Cycles were light but improving so we waited until noon to punch off. I was off first and hit 2700 almost immediately. There was no drift at all and after the climb I was still directly over launch. I made the mistake of not going with what I had and after Simon and Andy launched I was back scratching around at 2500. It was a tough climb back to 2750 where I finally decided to follow Andy who had hit 3k a few minutes earlier and was already at the next points. It was an exercise in patience. 100 feet up, 75 feet down but once you hooked a good one you could expect 600+ fpm. Connected to the ridge just short of the Pyramid which is where it started getting a little spanky. Just couldn't seem to keep my glider in the snot-rocket and lost the outside tip more times than I could count. Spiked to 4k and connected at the Pyramid where more of the spankage continued. Andy D was on his way to Stooges but I'd had enough so bailed for the HS. Andy managed to get established at Twin Peaks before his radio frustrations and a glass ceiling at 4k brought him back to the Windmill. BTW, the windmill field is now TWICE as big! The orange orchard that used to sit on the downwind edge is now a grassy field! Simon put in a valiant effort and despite being within a couple hundred feet of continuing on a few times he eventually got a down cycle and put in below the NH.

It was a stellar day considering the weaker conditions and Andy definitely showed us what was possible. The top was just over 4k but I think further East toward the Topas it would have been even better. I was up just over an hour and Andy must have gotten close to 2.

[andy dainsberg]

chris skyrocketed off launch. nice! my apologies simon for my tight turn in front there if it affected u. yes, frustr8ing "brand new radio follies" w/ sketch'd transmitting problems flavored my flight today... "this is andy- eastbound, pyramid, 39... eastbound bruces.... eastbound stooges..,.. radio check,?? hello????" "ah, andy, give us a status report if u get a chance." they asked. "I'M AT TWIN PEAKS!!!" i yelled at the top of my lungs... at least that nonsense gave me something to stew over while i put myself thru the paces of trying to powerscratch up to chief peak. i got 1/2 way up the spine by mucking around for about 30 minutes but could connect no further. not my preferred communing w/ nature kind of paragliding. not alot of harmony and no hawks or turks either. i flew back and landed in the propeller field dropping the wing gently onto a large gathering of tumbleweeds that immediately embedded their prickled fingers into all my thin lines. over-- and --out, koombyah.

[Simon]

My thirty minute flight was nothing to brag about, but any flight is a good flight. The Nuthouse launch and i were pretty intimate for the whole duration of my flight, seeing as i stayed within plus or minus 100 feet of the elevation of launch for 25 minutes straight before landing out. This was my first hike and fly experience, and it was spectacular. I knew it was going to be a steep hike, i just did not know how steep and was prepared for whatever. Thank you Chris G and "Nut-Guru" for taking me with you, looking forward to taking more flights from there in the very near future (preferably for longer periods of time).

[Chris G]

That was good technical flying and it was great to have you along! Hopefully more folks will start coming out to chase it with us!