Alternator 11/25/09

[Chris G]

Met up with Chad and the rest of the crew at the T @ 10. It was good to see Faoro, Magic and Jeff again and we'd be picking up Kabir at the top. Most of us were relatively optimistic about the forecast so we headed up with the usual expectations. Arrived just after 11 to OTB action, dust-devils etc. Clearly there was a N-S fight going on but waiting for things to heat up a bit should rectify the not-so-ideal conditions. Just after noon Chad decided to have a go with his canine hood ornament, and after a few scratchy turns at the halfway, disappeared around the slide at West Bowl. Those of us who had been gearing up, expecting a speck-out, quickly discarded jackets and gloves. 20 minutes later Ron decided to re-test the waters and while it didn't look epic he was able to hold on just below the peak of WB. I followed and together we kicked bushes on the front bench. 15 minutes of patience paid off and we were rewarded with one single climb to 3700. That was enough for me, and knowing that WB was a dead end, I split for Cathedral. Now, I should preface the following events with the fact that Kabir had bet me lunch that I couldn't make the beach today. While he was right, if there's ever something worth risking an ugly hikeout for, it's a free lunch. So off I went across to Cathedral where I quickly determined that didley was happening and I'd already lost 50' figuring that out. Rather than try the upwind glide back to the T, I decided I had at least St. Mary's made and might get lucky with the same magic air I'd encountered the day before. Skipped across the same barren turf at the Holy Hills that Kabir and I had scratched at so enthusiastically yesterday but got squat again. I pushed out over the ridge just behind St. Mary's and got just enough out of a small, weak climb to justify testing the conditions over the Monastery. Again, surprisingly buoyant, like yesterday and had I been another few hundred feet higher, it may have paid off. Unfortunately I was too low to do much with it but did eek out enough to make Parma, where I squeaked in with a few hundred to spare. Ran in to Zippy who had just done a tandem from Eliminator and managed to get a few hundred over launch. Maybe that was the ticket for today? We'll never know.

Fun, challenging conditions. Not what we'd expected but it was good scratch practice. As for my decision to try Cathedral, it may not have worked out as I'd hoped but you never know if you don't go. Like yesterday, it may have been terrible on one spine but 1/4 mile down range it could have been stellar.

I'll probably stay local tomorrow so if anyone is interested in Pine or the Nuthouse, let's make it 4 for 4. Spread in Ojai tomorrow is 25º with light SE wind predicted through 18k. Pine to Ojai?..;)

[zippy]

I thought it was a pretty good day. I was able to hook one just off launch and climb a few hundred ft over. My passenger was stoked (thanks Rob, I owe you!), and I let him take over as we meandered over to the AF. We circled there for another 5+min before heading out to land at Parma.

I kept wondering where everyone was, Once we got back to launch to retrieve my car I saw Chris on glide from Cathedral past the Holy Hills.

Happy T-day everyone!

Zippy