January 2010
Monthly Archive
Sunday, 10th January 2010
Strong northerlies at the coast, but sun, sun, sun… it can only mean a good day at Santa Brigida. And so it was. A little up and down at first, but then Geoff launched and went up. I launched and went up, then got low and had a bit of a scratch until I hit a strong thermal and climbed up to 300 feet and top landed to warm up a bit.
We all impressed each other by a succession of low saves and then at 2.30pm sharp, it all kicked off big style. 2.4m/s thermals, lift everywhere, every cumulus working. I got really cold hands (despite 3 pairs of gloves), but landing wasn’t an option. Despite trying really hard, I couldn’t get down.
Saturday, 9th January 2010
Judith 09 Jan 2010 | : Skiing, Walking
The wall-to-wall sunshine forecast changed to completely overcast this morning and the pressure charts showed fairly close together isobars, so we abandoned any thoughts of flying and dusted down our cross country skis. Literally. We’ve worked out that the last time we used them was 5 years ago. We were a bit disorganised leaving the house and as we were driving through Olot I remembered that I had forgotten to take my gloves. I have bad circulation in my hands and my fingers usually get really cold, but since we needed diesel, I raided the plastic glove dispenser at the petrol station. Two pairs on each hand and I was toasty – no wind chill and when the sun came out they were like little greenhouses. I’ve kept them for future use.
We got to Croscat and the snow hadn’t melted in the slightest, so we skied round the volcano view point and then headed down to ski towards La Fageda. It took us a while to figure out the bindings again. Geoff had trouble getting his skis on and I was laughing at him until it came to taking my skis off, which I failed to do miserably. Having giggled at him, Geoff was not inclined to help!
As we walked a short way down the road to get onto the track, we could hear this weird flapping noise and on closer examination realised that the plastic sole on Geoff’s boots has degraded and come off nearly entirely. While XC skiing, you lift your foot up anyway, so it was still possible to ski, and we trudged on. By the time we were half way back the other sole had gone too and Geoff was making flip-flop noises with each step. Very amusing.
It was weird being on cross country skis again, after five years of downhill skiing. I can see why we felt really insecure then, with the speed and getting the sensation that the skis are running away with you. I had exactly the same sensation today, but for the opposite reason. I felt really insecure because the skis wouldn’t turn. Still, once we got going and I got back into the swing of it, I really enjoyed it.
Far from it being cloudy and windy, it was sunny with just a gentle breeze and we checked the conditions at Santa Brigida, but Joan told us it was N, so we went to Xenacs instead. Nice little walk, picnic and great views.
Friday, 8th January 2010
Judith 08 Jan 2010 | : Walking
What a contrast with last Friday, when I was paddling in the sea and Geoff was cursing because he didn’t bring sun cream.
The snow continued in the night and on checking the Catalan government travel advisory, we found that nearly all the way to Masella they advised using snow chains. The forecast also deteriorated, giving more snow and very strong winds. Sometimes you have to take the hint, so we stayed local. In the afternoon we went for a walk to the volcano of Croscat, which has been quarried for pumice and there’s a big cake slice of it cut out. You can see the oranges, purples, ocre and black of the lava in the centre of the volcano, but we’ve never seen them in the snow. We were the first people to walk there today, so the snow was pristine, with just occasional animal tracks. Half-way along the walk we remembered that we used to be keen cross-country skiers and it would have been perfect for it. What a pair of idiots! It was too late to go back and get our skis, but if there is more snow in the night we will give it a go tomorrow.
We drove back via Batet de la Sera, and if I ever win the lottery…
Thursday, 7th January 2010
Geoff writes: The lousy weather the rest of Europe is experiencing, we are too. We woke up to light snow which rapidly turned into rain – and is still raining. The good news about that is that there is plenty more snow in the ski resorts, which we will try and get to tomorrow if the roads are clear – though they might not be, the border into France is closed tonight because of the snow.
So yet another day of working, both for money (we have another conference starting in a few weeks), and for the LMSC; and we also released a new podcast. So a very productive day all in all. But we’d rather have been flying or skiing!
Podcast: Advanced thermalling, Kelly Farina
Geoff 07 Jan 2010 | : Podcasts
Advanced Thermalling with Kelly Farina of Austrian Arena. This podcast doesn’t explain what a thermal is or how to find one, but it explains the common mistakes people make and how to rectify them. It is aimed at people experienced in thermalling, who want to improve their technique. 15 mins.
Download the podcast: http://www.judithmole.net/podcasts/advanced_thermalling.mp3
Subscribe to future podcasts: see the links on the right.
Please note: this, and all previous podcasts, are also available from the podcast page.
Wednesday, 6th January 2010
Looked nice at the ski resort of Masella, but unfortunately, it was grey, cloudy and mucky here. The forecast was ok, but the low cloud never did clear, so we spent the day working. Our season passes are not valid over the holiday period so we couldn’t go skiing, but from tomorrow we are free to ski again. Shame the weather forecast is terrible!
Tuesday, 5th January 2010
Judith 05 Jan 2010 | : Miscellaneous activities
Terrible weather. Lots of rain, but at least it’s snowing in the mountains. Tonight is Reyes, the main event for Christmas here. Christmas Eve is just a warm up; the real presents come today. They are brought to the village by the three kings, or Magi, with a procession of pages, drummers, fire breathers, etc.
This year the streets seemed empty until the trailer with the presents arrived, followed by hundreds of kids. I didn’t know we had so many youngsters in the village! It’s a really nice atmosphere because the young people who don’t have children are part of the procession and as they remember the excitement of their own childhood they try to make it special for the next generation.