Valle

[andy]

Well the one thing that was constant in Valle was change. It seemed like every day was different. The first day there it was on, base was high strong lift a bunch of students had long flights and I'm thinking this place is awsome. Day two-still before the comp-and it is high pressure/windy, and it was like fliying through a car wash, wings everywhere people landing early and everybody looking pretty sketch. Then it rained.
The comp started with a good day, for me though the gaggle flying seemed too stressful and kind of boring, not to mention a 1.5 hour wait for the start, so I was leaving the gaggle and going out to do tricks and this worked for a few reconnects then just before the start I was loww and couldn't reconnect. Lesson=don't leave the gaggle before the start.
The next couple of days were ok and I had a couple of high(27,44th) places for me, and then the last couple of days I was trying too hard to keep up and dirted early. I think I had at least 2 hours in the air every day and one day 4:47. It is beautiful flying there and amazing convergence and cloud-base flying.
It was fun flying with all the people from around the world, and it really gives me an appreciation for how good the US pilots are in basic skills. The launching skills of the scandinavians is scary and funny at the same time.
Rob, Dean and Marty did a fine job of representin'! It was fun flying with guys I knew and watching the posse. The house Rob had was insanely big and incredible views of the valley. The food was good and the town was quaint and very active on the weekends.
There were reserve tosses every day and near misses and unintended helis and stalls and all kinds of craziness, but the worst injury I heard of was a guy that broke his collarbone during launch-crash. And it was always fun to sit in the LZ in the afternoon and watch people land/crash next to the lake.
I would totally recommend flying there it was fun, big, easy retrieves, lots of other pilots, a paragliding retail store in town, and just about anything you could ask for.

Andy

[Jeffy]

Good to hear that all the SB locals did good and are coming home unscaved.