Thursday, August 30, 2012

SURVIVAL & FIRST AID kit - my way

Following events at the recent PWC in Sun Valley, Idaho, and read several peoples blogs/articles/discussion forums, it seems odd that the majority of paragliding pilots don't carry any form of first aid, safety or survival kits on them. Sure some of you do not fly remote sites, but nevertheless, the basics should not be disregarded.

In Meduno, Italy in May 2012 at the first leg of the British Nationals, a few female pilots were discussing this, having a bit of a laugh and a comparison of the various things each of us would not fly without. Other pilots joined in the discussion and it soon became apparent that three of us were the only pilots in the competition to have any kind of safety kit whatsoever. On numerous occasions I have had the pleasure of being able to help fellow pilots either at a comp., on launch or after landing using some of the things I carry. But as I may not be there on the day you fly ;-) , best you start thinking about it yourself.

In one of my previous BLOGS entitled "My Competition Equipment", in the photograph showing all my gear, you can see in the middle some of my first aid kit. Over my 5 years of paragliding, where the majority of that time has and is spent fly mountain terrain and mostly alone, I think I've just about got this little First Aid kit "nailed". 
And since Guy Anderson's recent ordeal, I've even added a few additional items: a foldable rubber recipient (to collect water if I run out), a clothes peg (not sure why but thought it may be a useful item), and a teaspoon (in case I need to dig!).  

At this point, I think it is important for me to detail exactly what my kit contains; it could help you or other pilots decide on what you want to put in yours.

1 x first aid zip bag (purchased from local pharmacy including basic first aid essentials inside)
1 x foil blanket
1 x foldable rubber tupperware type recipient
1 x sachet of 2 self-activated handwarmers (lasts up to 7hrs)
1 x sachet Lemsip for colds
1 x self-adhesive elasticated bandage
1 x regular bandage
1 x sachet disinfectant handtowel
1 x roll tape
3 x plasters
2 x sterilised swabs
Chewing gum
(2 carabiners (I've taken these out as you can use the ones on your glider. I carried these spare following a tandem pilot on take-off who couldn't launch for lack of them!)
1 x wooden clothes peg
1 x teaspoon
4 x small metal links
Caffein tablets
Indigestion tablets
Paracetamol
Imodium
Pain killers
1 x sewing kit
1 x multi-tool
1 x pair scissors
1 x wind-up LED flashlight
Length of cord
Scissors
1 x gas lighter
1 x battery (for the SPOT)
Lip-salve
Hand-cream
Food (as bare minimum I always at least have a high protein fruit strip)
SPOT device and smoke flare

The only item I would also add but one which I havent yet got, is a plexi reflective mirror.

SO, all the above items (apart from the Flare and SPOT) fit into this little blue nylon bag (the pen is for scale purposes but I always have one in my flight deck anyway) and once packed away, it looks like this: Amazing!

It measures 16x11x4cm.
It weighs 665grams.
It could save your life.

REMEMBER: ballast up with a First Aid and Emergency Kit, first. PLEASE!

Wednesday, August 29, 2012

29 August - Message this morning from Guy

Whilst driving towards the Aravis this morning in the sunshine, I received this lovely message from Guy. He must have sent it in the early hours of the morning US time. It was such a lovely surprise and I  was not anticipating a reply to mine sent when he was on his way to hospital, at least, not until he had at least got back to the UK. And I am sure that he will need a PR by the time everyone has finished the inquisitions!

His message reads:
"Hi, I think I may become a spot salesman! Thanks for the message and support all very much appreciated. I may not have wind the PWC but at least I won the world Hide and Seek competition! Put me down for a place on the next comp safety panel. ATB. Guy".

It's great to know that Guy is on the mend and has obviously not lost his sense of humour!
We all wish him a speedy recovery and to have him back home soon with his family.
I'll keep posting on this blog with further news if,as and when.

29 August - Update from Russ Ogden on Guy Anderson (Français/English)

Hello,
I received the email below from Russ Ogden this morning at 08h41french time. The news is a fantastic relief to everyone and it cannot be stressed enough what a phenomenal job the S&R did over there. Thanks to Russ for all his efforts and for relaying this happy ending account of the current situation:
Je viens de recevoir cet email de Russ Ogden ce matin at 08h41 heure française. Les nouvelles sont fabuleux et un soulagement pour tous et il n'y a pas de mot pour expliquer le travail phénoménal que l'équipe de Secouristes ont fait. Version française ce-dessous: 

"Im just back from seeing Guy in hospital, he is doing just fine and is in great spirits, his usual jovial self. 
He has a stable fracture of the pelvis, 6 broken ribs, a broken humur (at the top near shoulder), a lacerated kidney and cuts and bruises around his face. They have not operated on his shoulder yet as they have to wait for the swelling to go down, they expect Thursday. Everything else will heal in its own time and is not serious. In the meantime he is enjoying some great pharmaceuticals! :-)
He had an epic experience, to put it mildly. 2 nights out in freezing conditions enduring thunderstorms, rain, severe pain, hallucinations and moments of delusion. He was not at his wing when we found him, after the first night he decided to get himself out and managed to walk with all the above injuries about 2 miles in 2 days through pretty difficult terrain. He was in a bit of a state when we finally found him from the helicopter, walking with the aid of a big stick making 3inch steps with clothing draped over his head and his arm in a makeshift sling. He had water and i am confident he would have kept going for another few days and saved himself without the massive SAR operation.

The guys here did an amazing job. I really dont think anyone else could have pulled it off they way they did. There were 100+ volunteers searching the (huge) search area on foot, 4x4s, motorcross bikes, horses, small aircrafts, big aircrafts and a Black Hawk helicopter (yeah baby!). Obviously we were all super relieved to finally find him, as we all thought he would be dead. I have never cried out of sheer relief before in my life and I was not the only one. We celebrated with a big party last night and lots of people got very, very drunk. We really owe a massive debt to our colonial friends who made a heroic effort to find our friend.

Thank you guys for what you did, you raised a load of cash in a very short amount of time and even though it wasn’t used it was inspiring for us on the ground to know we had the support if needed. Guy also says a MASSIVE thank you to you all. Nick will reject/repay all the payments, but give him a few days to make that happen.

Sorry for the delay of news but we are all completely exhausted, having just a few hours sleep since Saturday. Great vibe amongst the flying community here with everyone very upbeat. I am coming home tomorrow a happy man."

Je traduis pour mes amis français:
Je viens de rentrée de visiter Guy a l’hôpital, il vas bien est s’est retrouver son bon esprit habituel.

Il a eu une fracture stable du bassin, 6 côtes cassées, un humour cassé (en haut près de l'épaule), un rein lacéré et coupures et des ecchymoses autour de son visage. Les medecins n'ont pas encore fait une operation de son épaule car ils doivent attendre qu’il se dégonfle et vont revoir cela ce jeudi. Le reste de son corps va se guérir ainsi que ses autres blessures superficielles. En attendant, il profite de certains produits pharmaceutiques géniaux! :-)

Il a vecu une expérience épique, et c'est un euphémisme. 2 nuits dans des conditions de gel, orages durables, la pluie, une douleur sévère, des hallucinations et des moments de délire. Il n'était pas à son aile quand on l'a trouvé. Après la première nuit il décide d’essayer de se sortir de là et a réussi à marcher malgé ses blessures d’environ 2 miles en 2 jours sur un terrain très difficile. Il était dans un était faibrile quand on l'a retrouvé, marchant à l'aide d'un gros bâton aux petits pas de quelques centimetres, il avait des vêtements drapés par dessus de sa tête et son bras en écharpe improvisée. Il avait de l'eau et je suis convaincu qu'il aurait pu continuer pendant encore quelques jours pour se sauver sans le vaste opération de Recherche.

Les équipes ici ont fait un travail incroyable. Je ne pense vraiment pas que n'importe qui d'autre aurait pu s’arracher et donné tant d’effort la façon dont ils l’ont fait. Il y avait 100 volontaires + hommes a pièds dans l’énorme zone de recherche, il y’en avait en 4x4, motos de motocross, chevaux, petits avions, grands avions et un hélicoptère Black Hawk (yeah baby!).
Évidemment, nous étions tous très soulagé de l'avoir enfin trouvé, car nous l'avons tous pensé qu'il serait mort. Je n'ai jamais pleuré de pure soulagement de toute ma vie et je n'étais pas le seul. Nous avons célébré avec une grande fête hier soir et beaucoup de personnes se sont trouvés très, très ivre!. Nous avons vraiment une dette énorme envers nos amis américains, qui ont fait des efforts héroïque pour retrouver notre ami.

Merci les amis pour ce que vous avez fait, vous avez réussi a recolter une somme d'argent important dans un très court laps de temps et même si elle n'a pas été utilisé c'était inspirant pour nous, sur le terrain, à savoir que nous avions le soutien si nécessaire. Guy dit aussi un grand merci à vous tous.
Nick procéde soit au rejet/remboursement de tous les versements, simplement donnez lui quelques jours pour y arriver.

Désolé pour le retard de nouvelles, mais nous sommes tous complètement épuisés après quelques heures de sommeil depuis samedi. Super ambiance au sein de la communauté de vol ici avec tout le monde très optimiste. Je rentre demain un homme heureux. "

Tuesday, August 28, 2012

27th August - Guy Anderson - Search & Rescue at HQ

Here is a short film by Philippe Broers of the Search & Rescue Programme put in place by the local team in Sun Valley to Find Guy.
https://vimeo.com/48343229
And news posted by Nicole McLaren last night:
QUOTE:
27th August 9am local time. At this point we got the call that Guy’s paraglider had been found, and to return to HQ. Further information when we returned to debrief was that he had crashed his paraglider on the side of a hill, no reserve deployed, and had crawled/walked downhill (leaving his gear behind) for 1-2 miles. When found he was still mobile but had multiple broken bones. Good news though was that he still had at least a liter of water left on him so had possibly found a stream over the past 48 hours.
Guy is currently undergoing surgery and is expected to be OK! Personally I’m so happy right now I could burst! I’ve been involved in too many other searches and fatalities in the past few months and I wasn’t sure if I could handle #3 in such a short period of time. A big thanks to all the other searchers (maybe 50 in total) and the administrative personnel such as Zak who made things happen until the sheriff’s office took over. It’s incidents such as this that makes me realize how awesome and tight-knit our community is…what we do is dangerous and it’s important that we all look out for each other! I’m so proud of my fellow searchers!
UNQUOTE


SPOT GPS


I purchased a SPOT device earlier on this month after returning from a long summer of comping. On returning home I went straight onto the internet and after little searching, found one almost instantly (www.amazon.co.uk). 4 days later, my SPOT in hand, I logged on to the SPOT website http://www.findmespot.eu/en/index.php?cid=102 , purchased the annual subscription plus the"crumb-trail" option, punched in my payment details for automatic annual renewal, and within 10 minutes, my SPOT was activated and working. I did several tests at home making sure to receive both SMS and email messages on both OK and HELP buttons.
I now fly with a clear conscience that if I am in trouble, injured or need help, I will be found by either mountain rescue, my friends or family.
This is an essential piece of equipment that we should all carry, competitors or not, flying across friendly countryside or in the boonies. I use it when I am out horse-riding or walking in the mountains and it's fun to involve others in your adventures. 
I believe that for competitors, the SPOT device should be MANDATORY for all competitions.

SHORT STORY:
At the Nordic Open in Ager, Spain, my good friend who already had a SPOT device asked me if I could be his pilot "buddy" during the comp. I agreed and he proceeded with entering my mobile telephone number and details onto his personal SPOT account on their website. We both did a test that the service was working correctly, and from then on until the end of the comp, every day once he had landed, I received an SMS message saying "OK" with the GPS coordinates of exactly where he had landed.
The majority of pilots, particularly at a comp, turn their mobile phones as soon as they've landed. If I hadn't received that small message, I knew my friend was still flying, and I would wait until I did receive it and give him a call to say "hi", or even better wait for him at HQ with a beer!  As the days went on, I'd wait to receive the message and it was incredible how receiving a short SMS text can make you feel; happy, relieved, reassured. Because on the 4th day -  no message. I waited. The goal bus returned and several other retrieve buses too. My friend was not on any of them. HQ was not open until later that afternoon. I tried to telephone him, phone was off. OK, stay calm.I collected my gear from the back of the truck and returned to my accommodation wondering if HQ would be open early, when who should I see asleep on the grass in front of the chalet!?The story was his distraction following a last-minute landing in a peach orchard. Glider all to hell over the trees, 3hrs in searing heat to get it down, and a strained finger from falling off a branch. The site of his balled-up glider uniquely decorated with twigs and leaves and lines skillfully tied in knots was witness to his afternoon of events and sheer exhaustion. He had forgotten to press the "OK button having been preoccupied with his little scurry. (It is incredible how receiving that short SMS message can make you feel; happy, relieved, reassured.However, no beer for him that day, but I got plenty! 
Moral: SPOT is a small price to pay for a life worth so much more.
I thought up that one! :-)

Monday, August 27, 2012

28 August - Guy has been found !

NEWS!
Guy has been found!
We have just ended phone communication with Sun Valley.
Guy is stable. He was next to his glider when found, and is as I write on his way by helicopter to Boise Hospital. Of course his family have been notified. The Embassy in San Francisco is also aware.
We do not have any more information for now but please do not send any more funds for the time being.

Thank you so much for all your support. This is fantastic news!

27th August - Find Guy Anderson - PWC frontpage update

There has this evening been an official report posted by the PWC on their website:
http://www.pwca.org/




27 August - Find Guy Anderson - Your help is needed, please


Fellow GB pilot and friend, Guy Anderson, has been missing from the end of the last task of the PWC Sun Valley on Saturday afternoon.

For the past 48hrs, I, together with other members of the Comps Panel have been in regular touch with local sources to find out as much information as possible about the search and rescue operation  in process.

Now that know that Guy's family are aware of the situation, we posted a news bulletin on the frontpage of our website: http://www.paraglidingcomps.org.uk/
and after unanimous agreement by the British Competitions Panel members, Steve Senior acting as Chairman and on behalf of the Panel, sent out an email this afternoon which I subsequently forwarded to everyone I could think of in the paragliding community. Thank you for having received it and my apologies for those who do not know Guy personally, but I thought as we are all pilots, it was relevant enough to send.

The email is here below:


QUOTE:
Dear Fellow Pilots
News: Guy Anderson was reported missing on Saturday evening, following the last task at the World Cup in Sun Valley.  The Organisation there plus Russ Ogden and others have been on an intensive search since then, involving the police and military, plus loads of troops and planes/helicopters etc.

Steve Senior has just had a call from Russ Ogden and Nick Greece in Sun Valley, who are desperate for some cash to support the Guy Anderson (UK pilot missing from the last task of the PWC in Sun Valley, Idaho last week) rescue mission.  Before the police and army got properly involved, the guys on-site have been spending out of their own pockets to use local planes and pilots to search for Guy, and continue to do so in parallel, renting small aircraft.
They have asked me to let everyone know who could possibly help, and give some funds to help the rescue.  They DO NOT want this publicised or mentioned on PGForum, but feel free to pass this on urgently to all your (and Guy’s friends).
Please log onto PayPal
then send as much as you can manage to nicogotz@hotmail.com which is Nick Greece’s account.  The money will be well-used and anything recovered from Guy’s insurance or otherwise will be redistributed back to those that gave.
Russ and Nick among others have been flat out searching, and are going straight back out now. 
Please email or call me if you have any questions or want further information.  I will brief you all on progress in the search but please do not ‘broadcast’ information on this – the guys there are working very hard. UNQUOTE
 Since we have had an overwhelming response and donations have been incredibly generous, so thank you.


The XC Magazine link where you can read the official statement can be found here:


Please help by forwarding the email to anyone who may know Guy, or fellow pilots who can help even by the smallest of donations would be much appreciated. We have the assurance that on-site operations will not cease until he is indeed found.
Thank you so much.

Saturday, August 25, 2012

20th August - Mont Blanc, Chamonix, FR


After having licked my wounds and joined in with my friends' celebrations of fulfilling their life time dream of top landing on Mont Blanc, I thought, right, today, Monday, is my turn.
I'd checked out the forecast the night before which admittedly did not look epic but still light enough winds and conditions looked forgiving.

There had been a storm last night which brought some precipitation and thought that would add some instability and give us faster ascension to the summit.
I'd spent the night, subconsciously visualising this flight. I had prepared in my mind what to expect. I had prepared my gear, winter gloves, food and drink, checked my survival kit that everything I may need (just in case) was there. I was ready.
The meeting point was 10h30 at Annecy North. Several of us went in convoy, others car shared, to Chamonix, Brevent. Free parking today - that was a good omen, surely.

Brevent bubble lift up to take off where there must have been over 80 pilots up there! I took off in the second wave of people around 12h30pm after graciously waiting for a friend in our group to borrow a spare helmet from someone (he had left his behind, poor sod!). I took note, that no one else waited, which I thought was quite rude considering this wan't a competition and the more we helped each other relay the conditions as a group the better chance we had).
So my friend took off and I got stuck on launch due to a struggling pilot was having problems launching and continued to dump his wing over mine a few times.  Never mind, we've all been there...
I felt very clam, the thermic conditions looked great and getting up was not going to be a problem.

The only glitch I could determine was, looking across the valley to the Aiguille and indeed further south, that cloud base was as low as the forecast had predicted.

The lift was very strong at Brevent ridge height, taking the hoofing thermal above the top of the cable car summit and feeling a slight NWesterly kick in.
Topping up to 3100m I decided to have a nice high transition to avoid any scratching around the other side of  Les Houches and also to avoid the airspace in the valley.

My friend together with a few of the others had traversed via Mont Joly for unknown reasons, perhaps they were low, so I found myself high enough to cross the valley and connect with the south side above Les Houches where a large gaggle of pilots just to the west of the pic de Miage were thermalling.

Cloudbase was indeed between 3800 and 3900m and after passing over the Col into Italy and connecting with the Col de Miage, my decision not to go any further was strengthened by growing congests and a looming black sky on the Italian side.
Not knowing the way and looking down at the committing glacier just ahead of us and and below a hostile scenery, I remember hearing stories of previous efforts to not get flushed down by the cold air in this part, that remaining at least 100m above was the key.

The couple of other pilots who were with me at the time did not seem to know the route either and were also not committing to the crossing of the glacier.
Through the inversion on the Italian side, I could barely see the ground and through the clouds above me, could not make out the summit or try to pick the route through the wispy clouds to continue.

After only an hour but flying at around 3800m altitude, air sickness started to set in and my decision had already been made to turn back as it was quite clear that landing on the White Lady today would be a "no-go".
Instead I topped up at cloud again over Les Houches, and went on a loooong glide down the valley making sure to keep out of airspace, taking some pictures of the Aiguille du Midi which was now also under cloud, and a towering Cunim forming over Mont Joly. I was happy with my decision making.
If it had not been so rough towards the north of the Cham valley by Les Grand Montets, I would have ventured further into the Mer de Glace, but I wa getting tossed around by thermals being blown over the Brevent ridge and convergence in the valley. Strong lift of +5 and roughly the same in sink, it was time to call it quits.
Between the helicopter pad and the main landing field I managed to shed 2710m of height (that's roughly in about 5km's!), returning to the big sink holes time and time again in order to get down. Eventually big ears and speed bar through the chop was the final glide, and riding the crest of the wind-wave as I came into land was captured fairly successfully on my GoPro.
Pleased to be down on the ground and just so elated at having flown to close to my goal - I am absolute ready for next year, and will not miss the opportunity to also fulfil my dream.

No doubt you have all seen the footage - it was a huge party up there.
I missed the "Big Day Sunday" because I had sold my harness on Saturday and only been able to collect received my new one on Sunday morning, did not have enough time to get it rigged up and drive to Cham, so I flew the Aravis as a warm up.


I thought that by sacrificing the Sunday for the Monday, the weather would hold.
However I am glad that I didn't try to fly in my new harness up to the summit, as it is taking some getting used to. Flying the Aravis was somewhere I had never flown until yesterday.
So no regrets.....bring on August 2013 for another try. I'm ready!

Friday, August 24, 2012

17th August - Verbier->Mont Blanc->return

With an extended period of grab flying weather approaching, trail of emails on google groups were hitting the inbox in a steady stream.
Some were up for a "Vol Visa" over the weekend, which for those who don't know, is where you take a sleeping bag, toothbrush and a bar of soap amongst your flying kit and sleep wherever you happened to land at the end of the day.
Loving the idea but not being the camping type, I decided against this plan, but instead joined the group on the first day by driving to take-off.
Plan A was to head over into Switzerland, take off from Verbier and fly a 140km out and return taking in an extended tour of the Mont Blanc with the furthest turn point being in France near Bourg St Maurice.
Plan "A"
¨Plan "B", an out and return to Belledonne



With these in mind, and obviously with the meteo predictions, a top landing on the summit of MB in either case was also at the forefront of everyone's mind.
Looking towards the Col - our route!
Our rendez-vous was at 10h00am at La Châble and then the Savolyères lift to the 2400m take-off. (I'm liking it! This should be way above any inversions). Ha...
Once at the top of the chair life, a short 10min walk to the grassy west-facing slope above Verbier village. (I'm still liking it).
We saw that others had arrived en mass which was always a good sign that "you had got the predictions right".

Steve Senior in the cable car ride up
It was about 1145am and you could feel the excitement in the air. We were ready. Layers of thermal clothes were put on - it was going to be cold at the Mont Blanc summit, lots of water, food, hand warmers, balaclavas etc etc. And then we waited, and waited.....and waited until about 13h!

The valley was very stable with not a breath on take off.
Why does that often happen when you have such a clear idea in your mind and have been visualising this day all week?

The Meteo had not predicted this. I imagined that the valley was howling under the inversion we were sitting in, we were so high up it was not possible to tell. A couple of school gliders had taken off on top-to-bottoms earlier on without any visual signs of distress.
A short while later, a couple of swiss pilots took off and made their way on the long glide towards Martigny after not finding any lift on the end of the take-off ridge. They glided for a long way before we eventually caught sight of them about 10k's away, mincing around in what looked like .5's.  After that I don't know which direction they headed.

More discussions amongst us. Possibilties, probabilities, strategies, pondering..... Jon Chambers decided that enough was enough and forward launched his X-alps glider in search of adventure. Later we were to discover that his efforts were highly rewarded (read his blog).

Tom Payne, Steve Senior and I finally decided that it was time to give it a go. Martin Dockerill, Rupert Hone and Quentin followed.
I got a bleep on the end of the ridge and radio'd to the others to come over and give me a hand to core. Seeing Steve and Tom in Martigny ahead of me turning in gentle lift, seeing no one else take off, I eventually left to join them. The long glide was smooth and velvety air£. Not a rustle! Time to take in the views, and set up the camera.
Connecting with the tree-lined valley, "V" shape leading all the way up to the Col, the valley breeze started to kick in within a few minutes. Arriving slightly lower than the other two, I had to work hard to find any lift which was not blown cross-ways up the valley. Battling in choppy, broken lift above the pines, almost kicking the tops to scrape in shot-to-shit .7's and drifting with the lift, meant that I was were not able to get high enough to connect with the granite surfaces above me. Surely these would produce some better lift. I was joined by Martin. At last, some help.
After about 1hr of searching in the heated valley temperatures, with the wind increasing, seeing 4 gliders up high trying to scrape over the Col, down below, Martin and I called it a day and easily hitched a ride back to Verbier after having flown about 30k! Steve had already decided on attempting a return to take off to retrieve the car (brave decision, but the experienced pilot never ceases to set himself a challenge and rightly so).
Tom and Rupert had managed to connect with that slab of rock-cake above us and got a sniff of something half decent. Tom succeeded in gaining some altitude in what looked like a strong climb off one of the peaks. He continued by pushing south towards Italy, the Col and the gateway to Cham. Poor Rupert on the other hand got tossed out of the side and, taking all odds into consideration, decided to push on nevertheless, below Tom.
Where the valley rose in a steep inclination and without a glimmer of lift, they both eventually ran out of any solid thermal sources, and landed.

Jon Chambers on the other hand, was the only one to get away that day, and did indeed top land on the MB (check out his blog to read his perilous story!). We caught up with him on radio on the way home thermalling above the Grands Montets, just before our pit-stop at the micro-brewery in Cham for a smooth malt "blanche". Well, someone had to celebrate!

For me, I always find it exciting to go on XC with a group of pilots rather than fly on my own.
I really love the generosity and enthusiasm with which fellow pilots eagerly share all their acquired knowledge and information. It is the only sport I have found (and I do many sports!) where this happens in such a generous manner.
So grab a group of friends, study a map, plan a route and even if it doesn't work out how you anticipated, you will enjoy exchanging stories at the end of it, regardless of any expectations. :-)



Saturday, August 4, 2012

4 August - Accro Twins at Planfait

The internationally renowned "Accro Twins", Ant and Tim Green were here today to enjoy the great flying conditions we have been experiencing. It was great to catch up with them again, before they took off for a long flight into the Bauges.  Nice to see you again, Boys!

Timothy (left), Self (centre), Anthony (Right)
Classic conditions in Annecy



Ant having recently achieved a fantastic 180km+ cross-country flight in the South of France, I wonder how they both got on today.
Tim preparing his wing










3 August - Annecy - Tandem at Planfait


Take-Off at Planfait
As we had some guests to stay at home, we thought a little Tandem Flight would be fun for them as the conditions these past few days have been perfect.
Airborne heading towards Veyrier

The slight cross-wind on the take-off at Planfait together with strong thermic conditions made for a fairly technical launch.








But everyone got away without any problems and had a lovely "Tour du Petit Lac", small circuit of Lake Annecy (Dents de Lanfon, Roc de Boeuf, Forclaz, Perroix).
Getting comfortably seated 
Coming in to land at Perroix

Wednesday, August 1, 2012

Competition Flying Equipment

Above is a photo of the key items that I pack each time I travel to a competition. I pack them all in a clear Tupperware travel box, so that I ALWAYS know where to find them. My packing is meticulous and systematic.
Aside from the bottom lefthand corner of "stuff", (chargers, flight log book, competitions file, download cables, laptop and my orange notebook), all the items you can see are taken with me on each and every actual paragliding flight.

Note, the indispensable items are :
My Compass C-Pilot
Grabber hand warmers
Rab goosedown jacket
Tena daipers
Kenwood radio
Lazer helmet
FAI License and Insurance documents

You can zoom in and have a closer look at everything too. Amongst the other stuff which are permanently in my Kortel Karmasutra pod harness  is my First Aid kit which contains everything from medication, bandages, a Multi-tool, zippo lighter and extra line etc..

I like to take an electronic book to read too. Its easy to pack and you never know how long you are going to be waiting on take off or whether you will need a retrieve. I'm trying to learn Portuguese and Spanish at the moment, so audio books offer great possibilities for that.

NB. Items marked in RED are trademarks.


This season's Trophies to date 2012

From left to right:

1st Place Women's - Nordic Open, Ager 2012
1st Place Team - British Open, Meduno, 2012
1st Place, British Ladies Champion - British Championship 2012 (and Gold Medal)
2nd Place Women's - Portuguese Open, Serra da Estrella 2012
2nd Place Women's - Belgian Open, Annecy 2012
1st Place Team - PWC Montalegre, Portugal 2012
2nd Place Team - British Open, Pedro Bernardo 2012
3rd Place Team - Belgian Open, Annecy 2012

1 August - Annecy

After having slept 9hrs am now fully recovered and time to unload, unpack and prepare for the next comp. A big clean of everything is a "must" after 4 weeks of dusty launches and farmland goal fields. Time to check over all the kit, particularly the wing, and make sure there is no damage to either.
Unload my flying box, clear that out, and reload it so as to be ready for my next comp which is in a few weeks' time.
TLC for my equipment. Nettoyage de mon matos.
Trophies so far this season

My flying kit (I'll detail this in another Blog for those who are interested)

In the meantime, I'm enjoying being back home in Annecy, watching all the seasonal paraglider pilots enjoying the fine weather we are having.

The skies are littered with colour. Beautiful.... :-)

Je rattrape enfin le sommeil perdu. Une nuit de 9hrs m'a bien reposé, maintenant l'heure du nettoyage et rangement après 4 semaines et 4 compétitions non-stop sur les décollages et conditions poussiéreux. Eponge et sceau d'eau tiède a la main, étalage de la voile et équipement dans le jardin.
Le ciel est rempli de voiles de vacanciers sur Planfait et Forclaz et le bassin Annecien.


Entretemps, si contente d'etre rentrée a la maison, c'était une tournée longue mais avec avec pleins d'émotions et des résultats positives. Je récolte des trophées... :-)