23 Jun 06

23 Jun 06


The playground has re-opened
Launch point on 36	A much better day today - the forecast was for good conditions as far as the Maurienne, but with lower cloudbases to the north. And so it proved (at least for me). I made rapid progress to Mt Thabor and the cols to the north of Bardonnecchia, but a careful study of the lower cloudbases further north persuaded me to turn back. More fool me - it probably was ok-ish to the col de Carro, and at least one glider got as far as the Matterhorn, although it was pointed out that the cloudbase there was very low.


After spending too much time dithering at the col d'Etache, I decided to head back south again. I routed back to the glacier Blanc, to the west of Pelvoux, along the spine of the Ecrins, onto the parcours and as far as the Pont d'Aiguine, with only one set of thermalling turns for the entire leg. The day was still young(-ish) so I headed back north again, to les Trois Eveches, into the Barcelonnette valley and through the col de Vars and into the Queyras, where I decided to call it a day and set off for home.	Glacier Blanc
I will admit to a slight crisis as I headed back low from Prachaval to Guillaume (which simply had to work in order to fit in with our catering arrangements), but after some harsh words the mountain co-operated and I managed to get home after 500km of fabulous flying. As Jerome said at briefing - "this will be the best day of the week".

French mountains, Italian clouds