Nuthouse Friday

[andy dainsberg]

Nuthouse looks good today, lets hit it! imo, blipmap data shows decent tops with ok up v's. probable NE aloft that should last thru the am. a caviar-grade ojai spread at 34 which i think trumps the "ok" blips. Prob West after noon; getting past the power lines early will make the xc more fun. 945 nhs.

[Faoro_Ron]

Sometimes the lapse rate can be a little too strong. At least my thrill-o-meter went into the red zone a few times in Ojai today. Maybe it was the 36 degree spread in Ojai and maybe it was the Ice Peak 2 that SA loaned me to try out - maybe a little of both - not sure.

Andy Dainsberg texted me at 8 AM just as I was getting wound up for work (but after checking the weather). I told him today was the day, but I was confined indoors. Lamenting about my poor fortune to staff, my hospital manager said: "You don't have anything until later, why don't you go?" Now, that's why she's manager! I quickly treated the two wounded warriors in the hospital that I had been up in the middle of the night checking on and drove my tired carcass to Ojai to meet Andy for the Nuthouse Tango.

88 degrees in Ojai for the ascent? No problem. For the first twenty steps or so. Drained a large Gator-Ade while Andy strolled like a walk in the park. Got to launch and waited for the noon freight to roll through. Andy launched first and we weren't disappointed. He disappeared quickly as I struggled to get off. My joy quickly turned to trepidation as I took a couple of whacks right out of the gate. If I could have reached an LZ in the east wind, I may have opted for it. As it was, the lift and the ride went from House of Horrors to a sloppy sci-fi flick above 4K and when I hit 6,200 I followed Andy across the 33. I never saw him again until two hours later; he smoked me.

We both took the back route and had trouble communicating. But I heard "7,000" and thought, "Piece of cake." Well, I spent the next hour creeping along at ridge line from Bump One to Three, trying not to look at the two day walk-out if I failed any point in the exam. Hung out below 5K at a few places, waiting for the next lift - below the ridge and 20 slim feet over the brush. It had only been working deep and I didn't test my luck out front. The thermals had strong draw over the back, but the 10 mph tailwind made point-hopping OK. Allah was with me and I hit timely lift after timely lift, especially behind the imposing face of White Ledge. I couldn't score Andy's magic 7 over that beautiful white face, but I found a little breathing room once more at East Divide and coasted over to Noon Peak. Boomer there and I was back to 6,300. Easy glide now? Nope, west wind. Cleared the power lines with a couple hundred and met a hangie at Castle Ridge. Now it was a fight for every westerly ridge with rotor making it dicey and with more disorganized lift. Both of us had trouble getting up. Crossed Romero with less than three thousand, more rotor, more religious commitment.

Finally got above Montecito Peak and left with 3,800, only to see my glide toward East Beach dwindle to 3:1 in the strong SW wind. But, one last miracle: Way out front by the powerlines at the foot of Montecito Peak, I hit a big, beautiful, soft thermal that took me up to 4,800 feet and I got on speed bar and reached East Beach with just under a thousand and landed by Andy. He took the Vista bus back to Ventura and on to Ojai on another. Benson kindly picked me up at the beach and we headed straight to Yogurtland. John Kloer rescued my car in Ojai and Tom Pipkin offered to return it tomorrow.

Pretty stellar day with good lift, gracious deities and good friends for retrieve. Two hours and forty minutes.

[Chris G]

I can't recall a year where so many have gone West from the Nuthouse so regularly. Strong work guys! I have to admit that my reluctance to head up there today was 75% feeling under the weather and 25% fear of a 36º spread. Yeowza!

[DeVietti_Marty]

Nice Job Ron and Andy...love the write up, Ron...maybe you should quit the day job and be a pro blogger? Flexible hours???

[Bo Criss]

"Crossed Romero with less than three thousand, more rotor, more religious commitment."

Loved that line! Great flights guys, wish work hadn't hammered me today, looked like fun out there.

[andy dainsberg]

One great thing about Team Topa is if one wants to fly the Nuthouse, he just needs to cast his net and he’ll usually catch at least one flying fish to school with! Ron was on board today and I was stoked to fly with him in conditions that set up a lot like last Friday’s.

Launched at 1115 after watching a few lulls. I pushed over to the Pyramid, climbed to 5750 and was Westbound. Crossed the river higher than last week but with less tailwind. Big alt gains in one thermal I hooked off bump 2 and drifted with over bump 3* gaining more to 64.

Flew up to @7050 at Whiteledge in moderate lift. From there, I surfed the high ground with diminishing happiness as the West kicked up. I had to thermal up at the power lines to cross. Ron described Romero well~ Ill say I used “agnostic ambivalence” to get past, just keeping options open. Finally got to Montecito Peak, found solid lift and took an easy glide to East Beach. 2:12 time airborne, max alt at Whiteledge.

Nothing interesting to relate about my bus journey home- I just put on my headphones… Another great day to be a Nuthouse Flyer!

[BobA]

Killer!