We had a bit of a dilemma this morning… to go for a rest at the beach or to go flying. The forecast is good all week, but our mind was changed for us by the fact that a load of hang gliders were going to El Mont and it’s nice for Geoff to have the company when he’s flying the stiffy. We had the choice of meeting up with the PGs (11.30am) or the HGs (12.30pm). We chose the latter, with the hope that they would have a driver and because generally, El Mont is a late site.

I was feeling a little under the weather today and my enthusiasm level was low, which isn’t good for the site, which needs to be flown with a degree of confidence and a positive attitude. This is due to a number of factors – firstly, it is a tricky and committing launch. You take off from a hang gliding ramp, so you snatch and run. No hanging about to check if the wing is ok and flying. You run three paces, jump and hope to God the wing is flying. Going off to the side or fluffing it has you falling a few meters or has you in the trees. Secondly, it’s a tricky ridge where thermals can be booming off the rock face. They’re fairly predictable, but can be strong and turbulent. It was always my favourite hang gliding site in Europe and I loved flying it. Since starting to fly paragliders, I have developed a very different attitude to the site and I fly it a lot more cautiously – admittedly, maybe sometimes too cautiously.

We met up with the lads (Jordi, Rolf, Pedro) in the landing field and Patri and Marti came along to drive. When we got to the top the PGs (Joan, Jesus, Nani, Angel and Sergi) had nearly all launched and Joan and Jesus were cruising around cloudbase. I decided to not be a wimp as I wasn’t feeling that bad, and we did have a driver. I did a good launch and got straight up, lost it closing my harness and had to fly along to the guaranteed (but always rough) trigger at the cliffs. I got there low and knew if I hit a thermal coming off it it would be rough. I got the climb and got to 800’ATO, but drifted to the edge of the thermal and bang! Big asymetric. It wouldn’t come out on its own so I had to pump it whilst trying to maintain straight flight. No big drama, but I just wasn’t in the mood for it. I know the site well enough to know that there are much more gentle thermals out in the valley and I know pretty well where they trigger, so I headed to the ridge in the valley and headed into the gully. It worked and I slowly climbed back up but I eventually lost it, so decided to take some photos. As I was flying hands off, just bimbling around, I accidentally blundered back into the core; heard the vario squeal, let the camera drop, pulled the right brake and climbed 1200′. Just goes to show the glider does just fine without the idiot hanging under it.

I got back up to near launch height, but decided I didn’t want to take the thermal back onto the rough ridge, so flew out to the HG landing field (only the second time I have made it there on the PG). I topped up with another thermal and made it easily, landing right next to Geoff.

Geoff writes: The PGs were right, it was, for once, better earlier. Great clouds when we arrived, blued out by the time I launched. It’s been a few months since flying the HG, the wind in the landing field before we drove up was very switchy, and I was a little nervous about the landing. In the end, I had an excellent launch, and a good nil wind landing. Shame the flight was just a top to bottom. There were bubbles all the way, but I think a combination of unlucky timing in the air, and not being quite as current on the HG as usual, meant I didn’t make the most of them. But I was very pleased with the landing in tricky conditions.

See photos of today.