Chief's

From: Dan
Activity_Date: 1/13/02
Remote Name: 24.8.188.224

Comments

On paper the day looked like another sledder at Chiefs. We took two cars up. Eddie took Brendan, Kristi, and Tom P to Nordoff. The "B" team, Claude, Mike, Chris, Bill B., and I went directly to Chief's launch.

The cycles at launch for the "B" team were good, compared to yesterday. Bill launched first with his new Sigma 5 and I followed him about 10 min later. Bill was out by twin peaks when I arrived at the middle bump. It was weak lift but sustainable. I decided to work it and after 20 min the cycles were beginning to get better. I was able to take a cycle to 5000' and Eddie said to go west to 3 stooges. I asked if it was working at Nordoff and he said yes.

I arrived at 3 stooges with 3400'. I played around and the lift was just enough to sustain me a couple 100 feet above the peaks. One time I was able to get up to 3700' but I wanted more. As it turned out I took lift that drifted me west closer to the Nordoff spine that comes down by 3 stooges but I was only at 3300'. I said lets go.

I came in on the front of the spine with 2600' and there was enough of a cycle to ridge soar back and forth. I wasn't gaining much but I was gaining. Scratching was the operative word. At times I was close enough to have seen small animals scurring across the ground. I was having fun doing figure 8's across the ridge when I decided to go to the next part of the ridge that takes you into the bowl which is below the saddle on the ridge.

There on the east edge of the bowl the lift was really working. It was small and I had to crank small figure 8's. I was loving the Sigma as it really responds. One time I came around the edge at the east end of the bowl (I was heading east) and I caught a boomer. It felt like my wing almost stopped as I pendulumed out in front of my wing. Anticipating the wing to catch up with me in a big way I caught the surge then let up on the outside brake and used the energy to turn me back around in the lift. The wing is so precise. I must have rocketed up 200' in that maneuver. It was too much fun.

Soon I was up to 3200' on top of the saddle on my way to Nordoff peak. I went on a glide out to the front of Nordoff and it was so so. Much better cycles back from where I just came. I was at 3300' and I was almost perpendicular to NHS. I said I can make it so off I went. I did not have my gps attached to me it was in the back of my harness so it was hard to determine ground speed. I used the speed bar to get out front where I knew the conditions would present themselves with less headwind.

I was using my thumb as a site to see how my glide was doing and sometimes I was under and sometimes I was over making it to NHS. I moved a little west to get some lift over the foothills out front, but not much was there, just a couple quick beeps from the vario. Things were 50/50 on making it or falling off to plan B lz. I headed over to the big brown fields north of the HS and there I was in zero sink. I crossed over the power lines and was home free with 300 plus feet. 1.5 hrs later I was on the ground after having one of the most fun flights I have had in months.