Weather

It is real - This past weekend we all faced weather and depending on "guts" and "smarts" we had various experiences with big air.

One pilot at the rock said - "See Ya" and drove off.

I had a great flight on Friday but was chased in the end by a slow moving front.

Three of us made our directional decision on Saturday bassed on working to stay wide or away from one of the biggest dumps/t-storms and rain drop the roads up baldy has had in several years.

Returning to the possiblility of glass at the end of the day we were kicked in the stomach as Doug got plucked and sent over the back. - He made some mistakes which he lists on his blog but we did as well as we were planning to launch at the same time.

While we waited for him to hike back up the North wind went to 25/30.

Lessons learned - Big weather is Big. - Margins are ??? enough.

Sunday more than one pilot was very wet after landing prior to a dumper. I got to the hill late and was going to fly until the wisdom side of my brain kicked in. We did fly a sledder when it was all shut down but I came to the hill ready to fly mid-day.

Monday I flew in the needle and had a nice flight but didn't push it and, due to nerves, missed out, on a great street running to the south east from Bill's. Big lift and great streets can run hand in hand with big risk.

When the weather is big expect big changes. - Calm to 30mph in less than 15 minutes.

Wait till it is stable and expect it to change anyway.

Maybe - just get in your car and say "See Ya, I don't fly when T-Storms are in the forecast."

Video of Doug's over the back:

First Day of Baldy Comp

Couple of post - see below. - ARUN had a great flight on Thur.
Pic of Thursday's Clouds

Friday was an early day - Great Call Gordon.
I got off just before a big cu shut down the hill - No where to go but Selah Butte at that point - After 35 or 40 min Baldy started to work again and the flock was off -

I returned to join them and Doc and I were first off for Manastash.
Doc took the low road and I the high - He was faster and beat the development to well past Ryegrass and I went a bit higher and slower and had to turn back west, not making it in time to duck under the developing cu at Ryegrass.

Took the same route that Steve P. took a month ago - up past the windmills then turned back along the foot hills of North Eburg on a westerly track . - Didn't quite make 97 but had a great flight.

A cloud street sat over the foothills while a slow moving/growing cu built over Ryegrass after I left there. If I thermaled the cu would catch me and the suck/speed bar battle was on. -

This happened three times - none of which were fun. - Topped at 9,400 ft on the first fight. - Lots of weather/cloud work/learning. - Not a flight for the faint of heart. Check out the video:

Why SPOT

On Thur - We needed to Spot the big flier ARUN - BUT NOOO! he didn't have a spot on his great flight up 410. - Mer and I looked and looked but no ARUN.

GET A SPOT

Rules of Fronts and Flight to Wenas

The first flyable day after a cold front is the lowest cloud base. - Good conditions but not high sky cu. Tue should be the best XC but today was fine. Had a hard time as the Uptanum ridge and cloud base converged but it was a fine flight nonetheless.

Lots of walking - a good 1hr 45 min hike up Baldy at the end of the day. - Lost my hat in the UPS truck.

Fly again Wed.

Raw Video of Thursday's Squal

Gust Front

WOW! - After 1 hr in the air - Rick got 2 - we were both down for better than 40 minutes and then:
Kiona Over the Back

Twitter SPOT

Finaly figured out how to link my SPOT account to Twitter.

Why you might ask?

Twitter is a tool used to "follow" peoples actions and locations via web and or cell phone.

Paragliding retrieve involves "following" peoples actions and locations via CAR.

Linking SPOT TO TWITTER works like this:

1. Get a twitter account: http://www.twitter.com/
2. Link you twitter account to twittermail: http://www.twittermail.com/
3. On your SPOT "Messenger Profile" add your new twittermail address to the notificaiton list.

I added mailto:prepreacherw@twittermail.com

This caused my SPOT account to email twitter with a tweet of my location when I press OK. (NB: you have to shorten your SPOT text message - tweetmail truncatess and you loose the lat/lon if you use more than 35 charitures for your name and phone number.)

My SPOT now TWEETS.

The advantage of this is that a stranger or potential retrieve driver met on the hill can now get your SPOT Ok messages w/location on their phone. To do this they:

- text: follow preacherw to 40404

Thats it. - Now your friend is following you and will get your GPS location when you SPOT

They can later turn off there following with a similar command:

To turn off notificatoin - text: leave preacherw to 40404

Good luck and let me know if I can follow you.

Oh a side note: If you have not tweeted or followed then twitter will set up your account when you send your first message to 40404, they ask your name - this will become your twitter userid. If you have not twittered yet 40404 is twitters SMS-phone number in the US.

Amazing