2024-08-29 - How to Fly A 100Km Task in Laragne - Nordic2024 - Task4

Superb flying conditions in Laragne!
Best debrief tool for this competition task: https://xcstats.app/6111-2024-08-29
https://www.xcontest.org/world/en/fli...


Nordic Open - Chabre - Task 4
I thought yesterday’a conditions were ideal for paragliding only to be contradicted today: a whole new standard of fantastic conditions with nearly no meteo wind present.
That also meant that the takeoff area became a bit more exciting with some dust and concertina devils but I think all was ok with people and equipment safe.
A bit lower cloudbase today, around 2700, but it’s not needed to have more than that to have a good flight in the area.
A 105 km task was skillfully crafted by the task committee with good and easy area but also some trick points within blue areas that gave us some work to do.
In the places that were really working we got climbs over 4 m/s, peaking at 7 and, I can tell you, the cows become small very quickly!
I tried to compensate my sub-optimal glide by being a bit more aggressive and pushing more and that worked somehow given that the conditions were so good.
A bit over conservative at the end, arriving with some 500m over goal but happy to have another very good flying day in Laragne.
I started to understand why people like this area and actually realize that this is how free flying should be like: PERFECT conditions!


Timestamps:
0:00:00 - 2024-08-29 - Paragliding Nordic Open 2024 - Task4 - 105Km Goal - SLOW TV
0:00:03 - Takeoff and positioning for start
1:00:00 - Gaggle flying
1:05:30 - Start time
1:05:51 - Cross of the start line
1:19:17 - Turnpoint 1 - on the ridge just before airspace limit
1:16:41 - Turnpoint 2 - couple of kilometers south of the Laragne ridge line
1:27:20 - Turnpoint 3 - very strong thermal right at the TP
1:32:20 - heading towards the convergence cloud on the way to TP4, north west
1:48:00 - Turnpoint 4 - I am 300-400m above everyone else at this point so life is good...
1:53:30 - Slow thermals on the way towards TP5. We are going against the southerly wind and we are on the wrong side of the higher terrain in the middle of the valley...
2:07:00 - Turnpoint 5: the westernmost turn. We would have a tail wind going back
2:19:00 - Pushed a bit forward towards the TP6 looking for the "bomb". One of the strongest thermal of the day!
2:26:00 - Turnpoint 6. Over the "antenna" mountain area. Time to head north!
2:32:00 - Happy go lucky: the leaders are pushing forward but we stop into a very nice climb
2:38:00 - Turnpoint 7: a safety turnpoint placed to keep us out of un-landable territory.
2:45:30 - Turnpoint 8: The northernmost TP. Time to head south, time to go home!
2:47:00 - On the way south, over the ridge: heavy sink: where is the next climb?
2:49:00 - Slowed down, observing if the climb is from east or west side of the ridge...
2:55:00 - Cloudbase but task finish is still uncertain. Lots of shade ahead...
3:06:00 - Getting low, crossing towards the "antenna" ridge. Again... which side will work?
3:09:30 - Diving on the left side, on the east side of the antenna ridge... bit lee-ish also...
3:22:30 - Turnpoint 9. Already on final glide but careful gliding still required...
3:28:00 - Optimizing the glide as much as possible...
3:33:00 - Turnpoint 10. Tagging the last TP in strong lift. Time to go full blast towards ESS.
3:38:25 - End of Speed Section. Celebration!
3:40:00 - Still full bar towards goal. Task could still be stopped...
3:40:30 - Goal
3:45:30 - Landing