Nepal Cup Task 3. March 2nd 2013

Nepal Open Paragliding Cup Task 3

March 2nd 2013

Today was another great day of flying in Pokhara, Nepal.  The set task was long and challenging.  First it sent us down the Sarangkot ridge to tag start, then back to the Russian camp (S.E. side of main bowl), then back down the ridge and out to the south-facing spine above Pame, then to East Peak of Green Wall, then Main Peak of Green Wall, then Antenna Hill, then Korchon, then Russian Camp, Then below Matradunga for speed section, then end of the lake for goal(it takes a long time just to type it).  The lift near start was plentiful and toping out at 2200m with small clouds.  I exercised patience and made a good start.  The dolphin flying upwind on Sarangkot Ridge worked great and I was with the leaders at Torrie Panni.  I noticed that Jamie Messenger and Wil Brown were fueling up, but had taken a different line and thought that I could manage the turn point and come back without a problem.  Well after tagging the turn point I was struggling with about 10 other gliders to climb above the Sarangkot Towers as Wil and Jamie glided by high and comfortable.  Lesson:  Don’t try to outsmart the good guys, if one of the worlds best pilots on one of the worlds best gliders thinks he  needs more altitude then I definitely need more altitude.  

Eventually we made it back to Torrie Panni and high again.  Surfing down the ridge, and fueling up at the Red Temple.  The turn point was a long glide from the ridge and a few gliders were deep in the turn point therrmaling, maybe 200m higher then me.  I choose to tag the cylinder and run back to the ridge.  David Hanning was gliding at the same time as me and choose to go upwind to a spine where I choose to go crosswind to a different spine.  I watched him and many other gliders climb out while I sweated, low and stuck for more than 30 minutes.  Lesson(repeat):fly with the group Mitch, use the hundred plus pilots out on course, don’t go anywhere alone.  After the sweaty, turbulent, scratch fest I was back on the ridge dolphin flying to Torrie Panni.  At this point I have flown around Pokhara a fare amount and I find it humbling that the hardest slowest section to fly for me is the main Sarangkot ridge that is SW facing and beginner XC pilots usually wet their teeth on.  I obviously need practice flying windy shallow ridges.    

Climb-Green Wall West-Green Wall East-Main Green Wall-Green Wall East- Antenna Hill-Dicki Dande- Green Wall West.  It was now 4pm, I launched at 12:25.  The lift was topping out at 2150m and I followed David Hanning, who had left 3 minuets earlier, on glide to Korchon.  The glide was boyant and I arrived at the front knob at a decent altitude.  David and a few other pilots were below me.  I looked at my wind indicator and decided it might be feasible to soar up the shady E. side with the valley wind.  I tried and failed landing right next to a retrieve jeep.  Jessica Love landed near me and we had a god 2 hour jeep ride through rivers and beautiful gorges to pick up David Hanning and Nathen Persont.  We saw monkeys and a guy who did not know how to use the brakes on a motorcycle crash it into a wall at slow speeds.  Thank you retrieve, Ill try not to use you tomorrow.  

Results for the day can be found here: http://nepalopencup.org/.  Jamie Messenger has been keeping a huge lead.  Elina and Claudio Mota have made it to goal on EN C gliders, great pilots.