HG NATIONALS WANAKA DAY FOUR

Long Gully - Task 3

High cloud with patches of lower cloud and light SSE winds.

After tracking down the owner we got up the hill and set up on all three sides of the ridge.

Clint got away off the hill first under overcast skies and found a nice thermal to take him drifting down the ridge towards the first turn point at Mt Maude.

Others soon followed but we could see that they were not getting the luck that Clint had.

The sun was on the ground over towards Wanaka and slowly moving our way, so when it hit the hill Grant got off and climbed out on the lee side getting good height.

Others followed as the shut off time of 5pm was not far off.


Tight lee side thermals made it hard to get enough height but some persisted and they were paid off and made their way down the Hawea range.

John and Bill got to goal at Pembroke Park in Wanaka to show that it could be done.

Adriel Kind in sport class made it out to the D.O.C camp ground and showed the more skilled pilots how it was done.

All the novices got off the hill, picking up the thermals on the lee side of the hill to land out on the flats below the range.

Wednesday is looking like its going to be a boomer day.

Task 3 Results

Mark Alton
Reporter

HG NATIONALS WANAKA DAY THREE

No task today, high winds.

Provisional Results After 2 Tasks

Mark Alton
Reporter

HG NATIONALS WANAKA DAY TWO

Treble Cone. Wind light northerly and cycling up the bowl in front of the car park at the top of the road.

The novices were keen to get off before the task started and we could see that there were light thermals down at Pub Corner.

The course was up around the corner to Crash Peak and then out to Cromwell.

John Smith, Hagen and Shane Mackay took off to find it was very light and scratchy. Other pilots followed and those on the hill could see that it was hard work to get up. 

After a while pilots could be seen getting high further down the ridge so the rest of us piled off and found lift to the south of the waterfall at the Pyramid. 

Those who got high headed up to turnpoint 1 but did not find any lift to get us above the wpt and reach the turnpoint.  Lots of gliders in the bomb out but to our surprise we found out that John Smith and Bill Degan were on their way to goal.

John and Bill made goal, but due to no other pilots getting to wpt 1 it was a low scoring day.

One of the free flyers,  Niall Mueller texted in to tell us he had made it down 60km past Alexandra and had flown 130km, a personal best. It goes to show that an average day on the hill can lead on to a great cross country. 

Task Two Results

Mark Alton

Reporter