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Les Crots strip, lac de Serre-Poncon
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A
slice of overcast covered the wrong half of the Durance valley, so
delaying today's launches. I had positioned myself some distance from the
runway but when I returned from filling out the fiche, I discovered my
glider on the runway as number two to go. Thanks, mates! I
released at Hongrie just before the thermals started, prompting a wider
search pattern for my first climb, some way towards la Motte. The ensuing
climb to 6000ft was most satisfying and I was quickly away to the parcours
via a 10,000ft thermal at Blayeul. After crossing to the Morgon ridge and
on to Guillaume, I found some wave between the tete de Lucy and Chabriere
that got me slowly to 13,000ft. |
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Tete d'Elucis Wave
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All thoughts of a distance day were
dispensed with in favour of a bit of sightseeing. I used the height from
the wave to cross the valley between multiple cumuli to the pic de Bure
and on towards Glandasse, mainly in recognition of the morning's forecast
that indicated superb conditions in the Rhone valley. Well, they didn't
look so good when I approached the Die valley and an extended section of
sink towards an uninspiring sky persuaded me to
retreat. |
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Pic de Bure
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So
back I went to the western edge of the Ecrins and on to the route royale,
where I encountered disturbing wind shear and other associated turbulence.
The wind here was now a brisk north-westerly; I topped up at Furan and
chose to fly back to the route royale and then west, rather than risk
likely heavy sink following the traditional route via Clotinaille and
Guillaume. This seemed to work well and the remainder of the flight went
well; along the parcours to Cheval Blanc and then home. |
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