Judith's blog

We got a phone call from Joan to let us know that Coma Negra was on today, so we met at the bar opposite the cliff. Lluis was already there, so after a quick bit of breakfast we headed up the mountain. Considering you can see it from our house, it’s a hell of a drive. We dropped the van off in Beget and took Lluis’ 4×4 up to the top. From there it is a 20 minute hike up to the very top, which is also the border with France. It’s a 4700′ high, south-facing mountain which works best in north winds. So long as the winds are not too strong there is never, apparently, rotor. The topography of the mountains, coupled with the northerly tramuntana winds, means that for a large part of this area, it is safe to fly from southerly facing sites, even though the wind above is northerly. The same thing happens at Santa Brigida, when the tramuntana blows.

The wind was wafting up the face, but Joan and Lluis assured us that it would be better to wait until the valley heated up and the thermals became established. We saw only one bird thermalling (the others were flapping), so this seemed sensible.

Clouds started to form and this would have been the time I would have chosen to go, but I didn’t want to launch too soon and then sit in the bottom landing field whilst everyone else sky’d out. The cumulus was growing straight over the valley being fed by a thermal which was coming over the back. We knew that because a gaggle of 28 vultures came over high and thermalled to cloud base. Then the wind started to blow over the back and we realised that we would probably have to go whilst we could.

Joan and Lluis launched first and went down. I waited until a breeze came up the face and launched straight into a thermal. I was too close to the ridge to circle, so tried figures of eight. I got up about 100′, but then lost it. The sink after it was horrendous. You have to cross a ridge to get to the bottom landing, but you can land by the cars. I had agreed with Geoff that I would fly down to check it out and he would top land by the car to drive it down (to save about an hour). As I was heading out it became clear that there was no way I was going to make it across the ridge. It seemed to be rising as I was sinking towards it. It was a split second decision whether to carry on and hope for the best (with a high likelihood of being in the trees) or turning and landing (more likely crashing) in a grassy gully near the cars. I chose the grass. It wasn’t anywhere you would EVER choose to land if you had an option, but it was 2.30pm and I didn’t fancy my chances of being rescued from the middle of nowhere, up an inaccessible ridge in a tree before nightfall. I got down fine, no crash, but the glider overflew me straight into a bunch of thorny bushes and bracken, so I spent ages getting my lines out and then ages untangling them.

Geoff had to wait until it was launchable and didn’t get up. He landed by the cars and we drove down together. Still, at least we flew a new site, one we’ve been meaning to go to for, literally, years.

See photos of today.

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