30 July - Barcelona

A quick stop off in Barcelona to drop off my pilot friend, Tico.
Cafe, restaurants and warm climate.  A city with a soul, nearing perfection in my mind and well worth returning for a proper visit another time. I settled for a delicious lunch in a shaded pedestrian street instead and soaked in the Spanish culture, before heading for my destination: Annecy, Home.

Pedestrian main streets

FREE bicycles in this city, unlike London or Paris

Avenida de Catalunya

Cafes everywhere

10hrs later, and I arrive over the Bellachat and down into the Chambery valley. My destination is in sight, and a welcome one

9h30pm arriving in Annecy. Le Revard.

29 July - Nordic Open - TASK7 final day

Again today the forecast was for over development and thunderstorms at the end of the afternoon - these did not come, but instead we were blessed with conditions which went from better to fantastic.
7 turn points in all, 4 in the valley and three over the back in the Tremp valley.
Graced with cumulus again this afternoon we had a 75km race to goal. We had a difficult turn point just before heading for goal which involved an into wind leg up the valley from Tremp, before heading over East into the flats for the final leg and ESS.
My C-Pilot threw a wobbly 30 mins before the window open I thought I was doomed. Keeping a cool head, I remembered how it was when I only had a GPS XC Trainer. Through sheer desperation and feeling I had nothing to lose, I pressed the "reset" button, and Bingo!, the thing fires up. The only thing missing was the task I had just programmed and that was easy to do.
About 35 pilots made it to goal (me included). It has been a great comp for me this week with 4 goals out of 5, so I am very chuffed.
The results aren't yet out so the prize giving at 21h this evening will be a surprise for everyone, and I haven't got any photos today because I was concentrating on my flying and didn't take any!
Tomorrow I travel the 10hrs by car back home - I've been away for exactly 1 month and I can't wait to be home.
It has been a fantastic journey and my flying has improved no end.
this Nordic competition has been fantastic in every way possible: fabulous weather, a great organisation, and the task setting and meet director, Miguel, who has been second to none, organising a range of aerial journeys ranging from 50km to 110km!
Ager, thanks you - I hope to be back soon.
Over and out for now.......

28 July - Nordic Open - TASK6 - the day's task commentary

Well, the over development did not come, not in our valley anyway. Lucky for us. Blue skies and cunims were brought to us on a platter. Naaice...
It was interesting to have an elapsed time for a change which was exciting and meant that we did not know our results until just now - they have just been posted on the website.

Beautiful scenery today

The beginning was a little slow after the start gate, but not wanting to go back and have another go for fear of falling too far behind the lead gaggle, I battled on and once again, caught up by blatting full bar along the ridge. By this time small cunims were forming along the ridge and out in the valley making it easy enough to find strong climbs and generous lift.
TP2 was the tricky one, far over the river and tucked on the side of a mountainous plateau, it meant commitment or a very long walk out.
Full concentration as a grey IP6 and I found the climb, clipped the cylinder and with a tail wind headed towards the ESS and GOAL some 25Km's or so away.
Finding a great climb just before deciding to "go for it" over a few-options zone with power lines, trees and a large flat wilderness expanse (the one which had forced me to land on the only other day I didn't get to goal this week), I made sure I was not going to let this one get the better of me again today.
Cunims forming from time to time but blown from  the South East sidewind meant "drifting with the lift". (words from Jocky Sanderson). Thoughts of the previous weeks'  task when I hadn't managed to do this successfully were "filed in a drawer" as Mads Syndergaard would say, and I concentrated so hard with the ESS in sight. The goal was almost mine.
Eventually my C-Pilot told me that with the altitude that I had, I could go for goal, so swinging my glider out of a windy climb, between 1/2 and 3/4bar to maximise the speed to fly, I headed for my moment of glory.
A lovely cool beer and congratulations at being first woman in goal welcomed me.
My flying mentality has changed this week - something has happened, I feel more confident in my ability to: climb, make my own decisions, fly faster, get a low save.
I'm very very happy today :-)

28 July - Nordic Open - TASK 6

We have a task today. Over development is forecast and 50-70% precipitation from 15h onwards, a 64km elapsed time to goal, which for those of you who don't know what that means, I shall explain.
An elapsed time means that your own race-clock starts ticking the moment you leave the start cylinder anytime you chose, but between the time of 12noon and 13h00. If you think you have not had a very good start, you can always go back into the start cylinder again, and again, and as many times as you wish to have another bash, BUT, there comes a point where you must get your own race underway, and venture to the further turn points as fast as possible. Your score and time is taken from the LAST time you exited the start cylinder to the time you arrive in GOAL.

Today's task

27 July - Nordic Open - TASK5

Sadly the task was cancelled very soon after the start.

Thermalling near the start cylinder

Waiting for the start gate

The stormy weather predicted from the South West actually came in more from the south east bringing in a wave of thick cloud and a gust front.
As soon as pilots had taken the start cylinder, once again in a similar scenario to yesterday, the air became buoyant and it suddenly became very easy for everyone to find lift, everywhere!

Leaving for the stargate

Within the space of 20 minutes all competitors had landed safely in the Ager valley just as the gust front  started.  Some had to throw their G-Bag to get down.

On arriving at HQ, the rain started. Light at first then a downpour.

Now the sun is shining, but the air is heavy and still.

We hit the campsite bar to pass the time until deciding what to do with the afternoon.

I had to negotiate an arm wrestle with the IT man to open the HQ room to get my laptop, no joke! The challenge was set.

We moved to another table, the crowd gathered. My left arm at the ready. The BBB guy (big, burly, and bald!), thought he was in with a chance. Ha!

As beads of sweat formed on his brow, everyone gathered round our table - the bar was in silence. BBB was struggling. There were roars as I held him for just over 5 minutes, until he couldn't take it anymore and I pushed my arm flat to the table! 

I got my laptop and a victory dance on the table to cheers from the crowd!!

.....Don't mess with me...!!!!Grrrrrrrr........

27 July - Nordic Open - TASK5

We have a task. A cats cradle in Ager then we go over the back to the Castello TP, then towards Tremp and on to Noguera. A 75km task and the conditions are forecast to be very weak, south/south westerly winds strengthening later in the afternoon.  Gotto go and get ready so more later.....

Today's task

26 July - Nordic Open - TASK4

Today's task

Although the weather didn't look all that good, a 90km task was set to land in a village past Organya.

Scratching along the ridge before take-off

 Conditions were very weak at the start, and many of the pilots went down either before the start or just before TP1. Scratching around in weak lift before the start gate opening, I got so low I thought my race was over before it began. Clawing my way back up from a very low save on a tiny rock jutting out from a ridge 200m above the ground, I made it back up to ridge height, by this time the conditions had kicked in.

Back from TP1

Late for the start, the story of Robbie Whittal at Le Grand Bornand World cup task I recently read in Mads Syndergaard's book went through my mind. "Don't give up just because you get a late start. Get into the right mind set". And this was to be my mantra until I caught up.

In fact, I caught up rather well after that, blatting down the ridge on bar like I am used to doing at home, my head space was completely different today.

Over taking pilots thermalling up on the ridge, I reached the final point before crossing and caught a strong climb, not taking it to the top but just enough to cross and connect at the highest point the other side.
Pushing forward into wind, easing on and off the bar and on brake to slow the glider in lift, I continued in a straight line, again to reach the final point before taking a climb which would get me over the back and onto the flats
Taking a strong one which tracked way backwards, I was safe, over the flats.
But the air went quiet, then, blips, then many blips as I looked over my shoulder at the growing cunims behind me and a wall of rain approaching from the East and South.
Talk on the radio of conditions deteriorating, I was going up at more than 4.5m/s and the valley was lifting everywhere.
Spots of rain on my pod and vario started at about 1850m and still going tup. Pushing full bar to fly out into the blue, I heard that the task was cancelled. Damn!
And I felt that today I was flying so much better - something had changed in my flying today and although the task would not score, I had won!

25 July - Nordic Open - TASK3

Believe it or not, it was so stable today, window open had to be postponed 3 times! Incredible for Ager. When it finally kicked off, the conditions were stable until above 2200m. Stay high!
Got a fast start and managed to stay with the front gaggle reasonably well. There was an incident and a reserve deployment on a plateau. I flew over making sure that a pilot was landing to assist and remained dazed for a while.

Ager ridge

Pilots on preparing on take off

Heading to TP4

TP3

Finally concentration returned and I flew on making all the TP's and onto the ESS. Having misjudged the strength of the wind in that valley, I drifted with weak thermals, trying to find a core (practice from Portugal!), and managed to hold in there for a while. Opting not to fly over the forest low, I filled a ridge in the lee for a few k's before heading out into the flats for the joker card. No luck. I and ' other gliders landed in a soft straw field. 20metres from the main road and the retrieve bus happened to be driving past 15 mins later! Lucky.

About 37 pilots got to goal I think. That will hurt on my overall results but hope that I manage to hold on to 2nd place in the women's. Anne-Sophie did not have any luck in the same place either.
This evening we have a BBQ organised by the event. Grilled meat and beer.
The weather is looking dodgy for the end of the week so I need some good shut-eye to focus on the next few days.
Photos of the day will follow later this evening or I'll upload them tomorrow. I've left my camera in my glider bag.
You can check out updates and results here : http://nordic-open.eu/2012/

25 July - Nordic Open - TASK 3 bis

The meet director changed the start time to 13h30 and all thebother times by 30 mins as there is no wind on launch at the moment. This will no doubt be a tell tale sign that once it starts, it may blow out. Time to get ready.

25 July - Nordic Open - TASK 3

Hi, i managed to get the task uploaded for you today, so here it is.
Another long task but less complex than yesterday I think. More ridge and less flats :-). More later.

24 July - Nordic Open - Felix Rodriguez

And a special guest popped in from the PWC last week in Portugal. The famous Felix Rodriguez.
He didn't fly the task with us today, but instead was at "goal" mountain watching us all come in as he was flinging his glider around in the sky :-)

Nice one Felix, and I especially appreciated this photo!!

24 July - Nordic Open - TASK2

We left for take off at 10am this morning. A 111km race to goal which was at Organya.
The start was windy and I was thinking of landing. The air was choppy, bitty thermals in the valley and strong not he ridge.
Start was better today but I chose to follow the valley today instead of heading back to the ridge to climb, which was a mistake and cost me time.
Going over the back into the valley the conditions were better, strong but more consistent. I did get stuck after TP2 which involved a big valley crossing and lost about 30 mins. Trying to find the strong climb on the hill before heading out, I hunted but unsuccessfully. Pushing forward into the flats, a strong headwind which pushed me back to the hill. Again I tried and finally said "sod it, I'll go and tough if I land". Eventually a climb which pinged me to over 2000m and enabled me to get the TP3 before returning to the very same hill to again climb out before heading for a climb above the "crater"(see photo), and then a lovely piece of "mountain flying" ( :-) ) to reach the ESS and goal.

Flying over the crater

Heading for ESS 

Last leg before Goal

The goal" reward: Mountain flying

Cloudbase over the "crater"

SceneryTrip home 

Village on return from

Mads uploading tracklogs on the return bus home

Goal bus! Yeaaaaah.... 

The results are out and only  or so pilots made it to goal today, so I'm pleased that I made it.  A fantastic last leg over the mountains and a for my troubles a 37th place today.
A punctual retrieve and downloading by Mads all the way home on his laptop to save time.  Good man!Currently nursing my left bicep from strong thermals today. It's strapped and ready to go again tomorrow - we are thermalling "left" tomorrow. Uhoh!.

23 July - Nordic Open - TASK 1

Heading across the river East

Ager main ridge

Today's Task

The river

A 86km trace to goal.

Interesting task set to spread the field from the window open, The Task Director, Miguel, sent us to get a cylinder at the end of the ridge to our East, before returning to take off for the start cylinder. This was done to spread the field and allow the beginner pilots more time.

Thermalling at cloudbase in the flats

After the start gate, the majority of pilots chose the direct route in the middle of the valley, crossing the river at cloud base to catch the furtherest turn point east and then over the back into the flats for a zig-zag into Goal by the river.
The race was fast and many pilots made it to goal.

Goal field by the lake

Tracklogs are still uploading but I've heard that the fastest at the front made it in about 1hr24mins with an average speed of 44km/hr!
Mine was slower but I wanted to make sure that I had "a number" on that board for tomorrow.

22 July, Sunday - Nordic Open, Ager, Spain

So, it was about 10h30 am by the time we arrived in Ager. Leaving just before midnight last night, two cans of red bull each and two coffees later, we just kept driving with one thing in mind - to be in Ager for the majority of the day Sunday. Tico  helped with the drive through the night, which was much the better plan than to wait til the next day.

Tico

Tired, we eventually pulled in to a gas station at about 5am and slept for an hour and a half before downing strong fresh coffee, orange juice and a croissant for breakfast and hit the road again to a beautiful sunrise.
I'm staying at the campsite next to HQ which is perfect. There is green grass (a luxury I haven't seen or felt for almost a month!), a small pool and peace and quiet.


Uploaded the GPS instruments this afternoon and unpacked. This week I'm determined not to live out of a suitcase!!

Briefing at 9pm in the village of Ager by Mads Syndergaarden, who is our Meet Director for the week. 110 pilots registered and the ambience is friendly with laughter and smiles everywhere.

Mads at Pre-Comp Briefing

Pre-Comp Briefing for the pilots

Setting sun over Ager

An opportunity to catch up with some pilot friends I had not seen in several years, and a quick dinner in town - steak 'n chips. Sleep doesn't need any encouragement tonight - I'm absolutely shattered!  Ready for tomorrow and another comp. Over and out .....