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Irina Ferrater reports from Sierra Nevada on the first official training
day: 
The meteorological conditions were good yesterday (17 June), with
moderate west wind. Pilots took off from the middle launch: Las Sabinas,
from where the public and other pilots could follow most of the task.
After the first two training days, the pilots have flown today (18th June) their first task for the Championships.
With a forecast of strong east wind everywhere outside the Sierra Nevada mountains, a task was set from the bottom take-off site, Las Rosas, instead of using the top one as previously planned. The start point was in Cenes, and then a salad of turn points was used, beginning with Hervidero (19), Draco house (57), Albergue General Oñate at the ski station (16), Viznar (21) and Hervidero (19) again. Goal in Cenes de la Vega. The total distance was 64Km and it took longer than expected to go around the course because of the low ceiling (2.500m) and the stable and weak conditions. The majority of pilots landed near turn point 21, a few made half way to the last turn point and only three landed in goal. Matthew Taggart from the UK was the fastest and reached the goal in 3 hours 16min. Second was Kaspar Henny from Switzerland and third Christian Tamegger from Austria. The first woman was Sandie Cochepain (France). One Chinese pilot used his reserve parachute with no consequences. The provisional intermediate individual rankings after two tasks are :
The strong south-southeast wind during the night and early morning led the organisers to cancel the task and give a rest day to the pilots. Many of them drove to the beach with their fly-surf kites, only to find that there was no wind. It had dropped along the day, providing a very good flying day for the ones that remained at Sierra Nevada, with up to 3.300m cloudbase, strong good thermals and no wind. After the two tasks flown so far, the overall results remain unchanged as follows: After the two tasks flown so far, the overall results remain unchanged as follows:
Third task with promising conditions, high cloudbases (4.500m), light winds and already a few clouds over the peaks. A 123Km course was set, with a first part around the mountains trying to do a speed record over a 50Km triangular course, and after that a straight line towards the south to a goal in the beach. The first thermal was promising, with people getting good altitudes, but conditions in the lower valleys were not as good and coming back up to the station was real struggle for many, with scratchy thermals or none. Many pilots hardly made half of the task, including some important names, whereas the ones that got back to the station after completing the triangule had a glide to the beach. Not all of them made goal though, due to strong wind in some parts of the south side of the mountains and poor conditions at the final glide. Some pilots tried to fly across the venturi over the head of the reservoir in Güejar Sierra after turn point 20. The course was: Take off Cauchiles (top take off at 2.085m), Las Rosas take off, and back to the start point in Cauchiles. From there the first turn point was an extra one with no number (called turn point Z) near Dilar; the second was Beas de Granada (20) and the third one Cauchiles, closing the triangular course. Goal in Playa de Carchuna (Carchuna beach). There were 16 pilots in goal, and the first one completed the task in 3 hours :
Fourth task: Race to goal in Baza (70.1Km) The strong south wind in the morning made everybody think that maybe the task for the day could be cancelled, but after what happened two days before, and expecting the day to improve, the organisers sent the pilots to the take off in Las Sabinas (middle one) and they waited there for the wind to drop and the valley breeze to be stabilised. It happened at around three o'clock in the afternoon and the window opened at 15:30, with start point at 16:30 on the edge of a cylinder with center in goal and 68Km ratio. Cloudbase was near 5.000m (forecasted 4.500m) and the wind was South-East, 25Km/h. Pilots who did climb really high over the mountains and got the convergence line towards goal, finished the task in two hours and no much more than two thermals. The rest of competitors who didn´t find convergence found wind instead, and most of them landed in the Guadix valley and between Guadix (turn point 32) and goal, some even going backwards in the howling wind from the southeast. There were 20 pilots in goal. The first three were Nevil Hulett (South Africa) followed by Tsuyoshi Tsuji (Japan) second and Oliver Rösell (Germany) in third place. It was a good day for the girls, with three of them in goal in the following order: first Gabi Beihammer (Austria), second Louise Crandal (Denmark) and third Miyuki Tanaka (Japan). There were no incidents today. A belgium pilot injured yesterday is in hospital waiting for an operation on his broken leg. After four tasks, the overall results are as follows :
With meteo conditions of light south-southwest wind, and convergence over the Cazorla mountains, the 5th task was going to be open distance. However, after some discussion, they changed it and set a race to goal in Peal de Becerro, towards the north in the Jaen province, 90,1Km away from take off. Launch was again in Las Sabinas (Ahí de cara), window opened at 13:45, and the start point at 14:45 at the edge of a 90Km ratio cilinder with center in goal. Conditions proved to be very good and 87 pilots landed in goal. Numerous groups of gliders were arriving slowly from 18:00 to approximately 20:30. After the previous tasks, even the aggresive pilots began to relax. After the mountains everybody slowed down over the flatlands, but most people climbed really high (4.700m) some 30Km before goal, and from there it was a long fast glide. It was different flying to the previous days, and so was the landscape, more open and relaxing. The first three pilots in goal were first Kaspar Henny (Switzerland), second Christian Tamegger (Austria) , and third Chris Muller (Canada). The first woman in goal was Louise Crandal (Denmark).
Todays´s task has been cancelled because of the strong wind. Official results stay like this:
Overall results:
Women results:
A 50Km triangular speed record was achieved on the 21st by Alex Hofer (Switzerland). The performance will be soon known, but the current record is : 23.6 km/h.
The task today has been cancelled again because of the strong winds at high levels. Some pilots went to the coast and they flew there. Official results stay like this:
Overall results:
Women results:
6Th task. Meteo forecast of very strong N-W wind again, but in this case decreasing in the afternoon, so pilots were sent up to Cauchiles take off, where they spent a few hours before a task was finally set. 47.5 Km race to goal around the mountains, with individual times, that started when the pilot flew into a cylinder with centre in Las Rozas take off, and turn points in Hervidero (19), Sabinas take off, Hervidero (19) and goal in Cenes de la Vega (5). Conditions were marginal, with many people reporting very rough air. There were 65 pilots in goal, arriving in big gaggles. The fastest made it in aproximately 2 hours. The first five of the day were:
Petra Krausova (Czeck Republic
The 7th task saw a weather forecast of NW winds, although with strong gusts from 3.000m to 5.000m. With these conditions, the set task was a race to goal over the peaks from one end of the chain to the other and back. Take off was in Cauchiles (D1), start point in Monte Caballo (33) on the edge of a cylinder with 10Km radius, turn points in Jerez del Marquesado Church (41) and then Monte Ahí de Cara (middle take off) with goal in Cauchiles take off, at 2.805m. Total distance was 82,1Km, and the window opened at 14:00h. Even if conditions were evaluated as suitable for that task, it soon became clear that it was too dangerous because of the strong east winds and the low cloudbase, which forced the pilots to fly in a big lee side and wild landscape with no access. The task was cancelled in the air and pilots came back to the Cauchiles take-off to top land there. Pilots handed their GPS for the scoring, which would be done counting the distance flown by each pilot when the race was officially cancelled, but after some complaints, it has been decided that the task must not score after all. Overall results up to today remain the same, with the following pilots in the lead :
Women results:
Today´s task was the 8th and the last for the championships, and it was a variety of turn points around the valleys of Sierra Nevada. After going up to Cauchiles take off to find out that the wind was too strong, everybody moved down to the lowest take off (Las Rosas) where a 49Km task was set. Start point in Albergue General Oñate (16) with a 6Km radius, first turn point Las Rosas take off (D3), second Fuente del Hervidero (19), third New Draco house (57), fourth Albergue General Oñate again (16) and goal in Cenes(5). The window opened at 16:30 and the start gate at 17:15. Conditions were good: blue sky, N-W wind, ceiling at more than 3.000m and strong thermals, so it was a fast run.
The first pilot in goal finished the course in 1 hour and 20 minutes. Soon after him another 88 pilots arrived, all very tight together. In the lead gaggle came Oliver Rösell, who plummeted to the ground before goal, fortunately without other consequences but losing his first place in the world championships. The first three pilots in goal were:
First woman: The overall results for the championships are:
Women results:
Countries results:
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OTHER ARTICLES OF ASI JULY 2001 ISSUE
| From The Secretary General's Desk | Air Waves | | News In Brief | Letters To The Editor | World Records | | Glider Aerobatics | Gliding | Paragliding | | Powered Aerobatics | Ballooning | Parachuting | | Microlight | Hang Gliding | Powered Paragliders | | Symposium on Air Sports Medicine | 
More articles on Paragliding |
