A Fun Way To Sled

The atmosphere looked especially stable at Mount Diablo today.

A sledder wasn't going to take away my fun, so I punched off Juniper Launch.
There are a couple of ways to sled down a mountain. A leisurely flight trying to stretch out the time, or the fun way.
I'm not one for extreme, so I played just enough to put a smile on my face. Here is a short video from a short flight, enjoy.

Burning Up a Sled Ride from Matt Epperson on Vimeo.

Wintertime at Mount Diablo

If you don't time the winter soaring windows just right and pick any given day out of a hat you never know exactly what you're going to get at Mount Diablo. However, if normal exists, I suppose today fits the high pressure bill. Launch reveals wind 90 degrees cross and blowing down at times for an exercise in patience. But after waiting only half an hour at launch it goes eerily calm. No winder launches are exciting at the Tower, but with cold, dry high pressure air on my side and a S2 I should be able to make it into the lee side sink just fine. I pull it off and don't find rotor, just a flush full of sink. I have to veer right to miss a land out atop Bald Ridge.

Bummer, it looks like it will be a fast sledder as the sink tone won't quit as I flyby below Eagle Peak.
Yes, down low the sink tone stops. North surface winds are triggering a weak mix of ridge and thermic lift off Twin Peaks and Mitchell Rock.

Scratching around like only a hang glider can sure is fun.

It's not remarkable lift, but it sure makes up for the sink as I get to play in burbles and extend that sled time.
Wind right down the chute at Mitchell LZ makes for an effortless landing on the S2.
A nice reward making the wintertime high pressure day work at Mount Diablo.

Snowy Mountains and Thermic Hills

A forecast of postfrontal conditions provokes me to take a tow from WSC today. On the way out, towards the mountains I notice a bit of a roll cloud forming over South Snow and think, just maybe ... there's enough North Wind for wave. After a turn of the tug I release to work the windward side of aforementioned cloud.

With unlimited visibility on this late November day, a blanket of white covers the landscape as far as my eyes can see.
Well I don't find the wave, but do manage to catch some nice rotor and decide to head downwind, flying over a partially frozen Letts Lake.
A cloud street marks the South Goat ridge line. I play in the weak lift and get treated to a wonderful view.

Nice Q are forming over the area and I decide to push towards Clearlake.

But with low bases I turn around and head towards Walker Ridge. I make a radio call to indicate the area is working well and soon have several friends.
"4S" working under a soft cloud.
"4S" later in the afternoon on Walker Ridge.
Fresh snow, perfect visibility, nice thermals, fun gaggles, distinct cumulous and 3 1/2 hours of airtime marks an awesome day, but for late November it's incredible.

The Moment

The moment; the streamer straightens.

The moment; wings balanced, nose down and absolute confidence you will fly.

In a moment, the world changes.
You are free.
To fly.
To Soar.
A nice day of plentiful, but short lived thermals in bitterly cold air at Mount Diablo. Until the next moment.

The Wave Window

In the Continental United States, normally all flight operations above 18,000 feet must be under Air Traffic Control, with clearance prior to entry and following Instrument Flight Rules. This sterile environment occupied by pressurized commercial jets rarely sees an engineless visitor. However, if the right conditions exist an Air Traffic Center will open a window into their realm and let soaring pilots play high above the earth. Today the forecast looks possible, so I take a ride in"Juliet Hotel" releasing downwind of Goat Mountain and try to catch that epic wave.
Climbing in wave I get a good view of Snow Mountain and Saint John in the foreground with Lake Pillsbury and a sea of white beyond.
The wind reaches 63 knots and at times I'm flying backwards. I try to find the best elevator up and get clearance into The Wave Window. Regulations no longer allow the altitude to be measured in feet because "Flight Level" sounds cooler. Climbing through Flight Level 200.
Nasal Cannulas are sexy.
Clouds are forming on Goat Ridge, my wave generator far below, with the sun reflecting off Clear Lake for a wonderful view as I'm parked stationary into the wind.
I find the true meaning of rarefied air. After an hour in The Wave Window I descend back down and attempt to regain feeling in my feet. Northbound over some nice clouds.
Lake Pillsbury peaking through a hole to my West.
With a Southerly component to the wind I play it safe and turn around early. I continue Southbound over the Rumsey Gap and catch some weak wave off the Ridge beyond. It's late November, yet a small fire breaks out in the hills West of the Capay Valley, so I have to check it out.
A nice view of clouds shrouding Mount Saint Helena to my West.
After an adventure into The Wave Window I get a personal best altitude of 20,700' (I mean Flight Level 207) and bring it home to Williams tired, cold and happy after four hours airborne.

Fashionably Late

The only front in sight just passed Northern California and being that it's late November I better get it it while I can, but what do I fly and where? Indecisiveness slows my arrival at Diablo, but I make it and jump into the bitter cold air off the Tower Launch aboard my U2 to work what's left of the season and the day.

The sky is beginning to dry as I inch up in the light but buoyant lift with North Peak in the background.
Cu in the sky, clean air and long shadows are wonderful this time of year.
Cloud base barely crests the summit, but I'll never get there, despite generally lifty air, it's rather soft and enjoyably butter smooth. So, I work the terrain and play near Eagle Peak.
I gradually make my way out to Mitchell Canyon LZ.
And bring it back to earth on this nice late season post-frontal day.

Elusive Wave

A cold front bearing down on Northern California should make epic wave conditions between 11PM and 2AM. The FAA and all their nonsense, no night gliding rules. Oh well, early South winds and a chance of elusive, weak wave is good enough for me, but I need help. I decide to shanghai the most notorious soaring pilot in this half of the state and unbeknownst to the general media strap Chris Valley into the back seat of the Duo Discus and give it a go. Off tow in the lee of South Goat I take a brief search for that elusive wave and find only sink. At 5300', 25 miles out and falling at 300 fpm with a decent cross wind Chris asks "SO ... we can make it back from here?"
"Sure ... I do this all the time." GULP
Well, I revert to me safeguard ... LUCK ... and blunder into the smallest, most fickle, weakest wave anyone has EVER caught coming off a tiny SW facing speed bump in the South Mendocino Range.
Work, work, work, in and out of wave I consider changing my vario scale to feet per hour.
Then ... BAM ... we break into the good stuff and climb to 12.5K.
A well earned climb, CRV gives the thumbs up.
We head Southbound, over Walker Ridge with Clearlake and Indian Valley Reservoir shining bright.
Across the Rumsey Gap for a nice view of the Capay Valley from up high.
And onto a big circular, sight seeing final glide, we bring it home to WSC for a well earned 3 1/2 hours on this elusive wave day.

Launching the Altar

A few years back, at a knoll known of as A-Launch atop a mount by the name of Tamalpais, I was fortunate enough to perform duties of Brides Man for a wedding of good friends. The story of becoming a Brides Man is best told another day so back to "A-Launch" ... a place noble enough to usher in marriage must make one grandiose hang gliding launch. I can think of only one other launch in Northern California which rivals it's majesty and you don't have to awake before dawn to fly here. The San Francisco Bay lies to the left and The North Tower of the Golden Gate Bridge stands tall through a saddle in the hills that seems purposely placed with The City just beyond.

To the right, a timber covered mountain, before a rocky shoreline and then of course, the Pacific Ocean.
A place where my friends find sanctity in matrimony is a place where I practice my own religion, and step into air.
Majestic views are easy to enjoy when you're not hunting for lift, that likely doesn't exist.
Over Stinson Beach, with launch lying on the distant ridge.
Pulling in, over the beach.
Glassy smooth air for the turn onto final.
I love landing on the sand.
Tamalpais tends to be somewhat unpredictable with sled rides dominate. But, an hour spent atop an altar, walking into air and ten minutes of felicity, descending onto a beach, rivals little else.