After opening the competition with a good couple of tasks
and record breaking high temperatures in the region, the weather packed in. Two
days of gale force wind, rain and even a bit of snow for the mountain tops, all
kept us out of the sky for a couple of days.
Mountain bikes and climbing equipment came out, as well as
a reserve re-pack session with Itai and Instructor seminar lead by Russell to
keep pilots occupied.
We were getting ready for a third day of being grounded on
Friday, but the organisation wasn’t going to give up so soon. We were called
for a late morning re-brief and ended up racing up to TC.
The 38.2km task sent us to Wanaka, with a bit of a cat's
cradle along the way. Visiting pilot Anthony Shepherd was the first of nine
pilots in goal. This may have been Anthony's first visit to NZ, but I daresay it won't be his last.
The final task on Saturday started with another cat's cradle
near TC, then over Roy and finally to Jeff’s Folly at Lake Hawea.
Louis was the task winner, coming second in to End of Speed but making it up with lead-out points.
As an aside, if anyone knows
the story of how Jeff’s Folly got its name, please share.
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| Jakub Leder's stunning photo of Kirsten Seeto on Task 2 won the photo competition |
The fun continued after the flying was done - Freedom of Flight Film Festival came to Wanaka on Saturday
night, getting rave reviews. It was open to the public, and what a way to
showcase our sport. See more here: FOFF
Then Johnny Hopper stole the show at the prize-giving dinner, providing lots of laughs and entertainment, as usual.
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| You've outdone yourself, Johnny Photo: Dominique Le Sellin Washer |
Congratulations to our big winners:
- Overall winner: Anthony Shepherd
- Sport class: Abe Laguna
- Fun class: Lukas Walton-Keim
- Women: Eva Keim
- NZ National Champion: Louis Tapper
- Jill Borst: Johnny Hopper
A tremendous amount of effort goes into pulling together an event like this, and it wouldn't be possible without those who are willing to put their hands up to make it happen.
Thanks to the event sponsors, task and safety committees, launch marshals, drivers, wing fluffers and other support crew who helped to make this a successful event.
It’s not all been rosy though. We’ve seen more incidents recently, in and outside of the comp, than any of us ought to accept as ‘normal’. It
should serve as a good reminder to all of us to respect the conditions and constantly keep safety
as our number one priority.
Fly safe everyone, and see you next year!
PG Open 2018 was organised by Mark Hardman (Paraventures), and included 100 competitors from 32 different countries. It ran in Wanaka from 27 Jan to 4 Feb.
Find the scores here: PG Open 2018 Wanaka results
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