Extreme flying in extreme conditions.

After a period of weather with strong winds and overcastting, not really good for any distance or altitude flying, the weather and sky finally improved a bit. Some of us were already dooms-thinking and figured the bad weather must be the Monsoon arriving 3 weeks too soon. Of course, a real paragliding pilot is always positive and ready for the perfect day, so we kept our chins up. And the good day came; at least it looked like a good day. Blue skies and clouds forming at about 4.000 meters at 11 o’clock. So John Silvester, Tony and I were ready to go to the take-off. Finally some flying again!

At about 12 o’clock we arrived at our favorite site, "The Eagles Nest". Meanwhile the cloudbase rose to approximately 5.000 meters. John was already in the air when Tony and I unpacked our gliders to fly together. After a long time searching for some lift we finally found some soft thermals to bring us up to a higher level. After crossing the beautiful Ultar glacier, we arrived on the Hun-mountain opposite of our take-off. Here, the thermals where more consistent and we found ourselves thermalling up to 4.000 meters.

Arriving almost at the top of the Hun we encountered a strong north-west wind. Hun is south facing so as long as you stay under the ridge, you won’t find strong turbulence. Tony decided to leave the scattered thermals and followed the ridge westerly, in the direction of Eddy’s crossing. I decided to stay and found some thermals that lifted me through the lee-turbulence.

Almost at cloudbase at 5.000 meters, I also decided to fly to the west. It was beautiful to see Tony’s yellow glider above the black rocks of Aliabad. Further down the same ridge I spotted John, trying to cross Eddy’s crossing. Two gliders in front of me but lower; I decided to join them.

While I was following the ridge towards the west, I was wave riding the turbulence of the ridge and staying as close to the clouds as possible. In my opinion, there isn’t a better place to fly if you’re cruising the skies. Arriving at Eddy’s crossing I went directly to the sunny and westerly faced end of the ridge and found myself in a strong northerly wind. Rodeo! Flying-mode shifted at least 2 gears upwards! The wind collided on this northwesterly faced mountain and ejected the air, including me, upwards.

Within these upwinds I tried to core some thermals to find more consistent lift. Finding usable thermals in this turbulent air proved even more difficult because of the gyro-forces from me spinning under my glider. Despite the rodeo I soon thermalled up and above cloudbase. No time for pictures (I need more hands!!!) but I’m hoping the automatic HD-video system on my helmet doesn’t let me down. I try not to shake my head too much during flying, but as you can imagine, this is almost impossible. Rocketing up in the air, the mountains appear to be falling and soon I was rewarded with a beautiful view of only snowy peaks towards the north and black glaciers below me. And then it hits me: What an amazingly beautiful place to be!

I decided to fly alongside the clouds towards the east. I must’ve been at about 400 meters above the end of the ridge, at about 5.400 meters. Due to the strong wind and the vertical venturi of Eddy’s crossing, I found lift within the clouds. Flying to the east, so back to the take-off, I got higher and higher. Everything’s getting wet, but what do you expect when flying through clouds... At about 6.000 meters, the mist around me fades, and I spot a big tunnel inside the clouds towards the north, towards the sun and towards the ridge I was following. This sudden tunnel vision appearance made me decide to fly towards the light, into the still strong northerly wind, into the next valley.

I can see the valley north of the Hunza valley. Beautiful white peaks and black glaciers, an astonishing view. I’m very carefully flying full speed into the wind just to make it to the other side of the ridge. If my calculations are wrong I could be washed-down by the strong lee-rotor, into the Hunza-valley. I’m losing altitude fast but also going forward. I manage to cross the ridge and with “Dutch Dune soaring” technique, I follow the sunny ridge, again in westerly direction. At an altitude of 5.400 meters I arrive at the north westerly side of the ridge for the second time. Still in the sun and still with wind from the North. I see an orange glider, it’s John!

John must’ve been coming back from trying to cross Eddy’s crossing. He is far beneath me and is trying to climb towards me, or at least it looks like that. I decide to wait for him. I take my time to film him while making slow turns. It took me a while to notice the wind John was flying in seemed much stronger than the wind at my altitude. With every turn he makes he drifts with the wind towards the south; towards Hunza valley. Once more I climb up as high as possible and decide to fly home towards Karimabad. Again I find myself flying above cloudbase in the clouds, I just can’t help it. All my gear is getting wet again, but this time everything immediately freezes the moment I leave the cloud. Fantastic! Look at my gloves, look at the lines! What a great flight!

Gliding towards the little landing place in the fields of Karimabad, I finally relax. No turbulence, no thermals, just gliding. As I’m gliding lower and lower, the temperature rises and a total feeling of happiness fills my body and brain. Total relaxation after all that adrenaline just really makes my day. I manage to squeeze out the last bit of concentration and land in the fields of Karimabad, of course being greeted by the children who’ve been awaiting my return.

It didn’t look perfect in the morning, with clouds at (only) 4.000 meters but I think we all made the best of it. Satisfaction!

The track-log of this flight will follow in a few days.
Leroy