Craig Morgan reports from the final test day at the Paragliding World Cup in Sun Valley, Idaho, where wildfires have filled the air with smoke, adding an interesting element to the flying day…
Hazy ... Craig Morgan holds the camera.
Saturday – Final practise day.
Yesterday the fire service got the local fire under control and allowed us a corridor in which to fly. The bearing of 0 to 100 degrees pointed us toward the Sawtooth Valley where allegedly the smoke was not penetrating.
So we ascended Baldy, our ski resort take off, via the slick Dopplemayr gondola and strolled downhill to the launch. Nate had put together a 70k task through the mountains to where we flew the first day and merrily people lobbed off into the haze.
Weak conditions prevailed and ominously only a few made it high enough to jump over Ketchum town and connect with the mountains on the other side. Most of us slipped down and eased into the LZ but the lesson had been learned for the forthcoming week of tasks.
The local boys were shocked at the docile conditions and clearly the smoke is blocking out the sun’s energy and damping down the thermals.
A party atmosphere ensued at registration where the Euro dudes, African, American and assorted others caught up with each other again and chilled out at the HQ.
Let battle commence…
Live Tracking throughout the comp: www.livetrack24.com
Info: PWC Sun Valley
Craig Morgan: Craig Morgan’s blog posts
Results and info: www.paraglidingworldcup.org
Discussion: PGforum thread
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