General

In short: The best day of the week, let's go big! We will be at the south side of a high-pressure system centered over Germany. This brings drier and cooler air to our area. At altitude, we still expect westerly winds, but quite weak in the afternoon, only 5-15 km/h, maybe 20 km/h at 4000 m. Thermals should be stronger than today, at a 2.5 m/s average (today was indicated with 1.5 m/s), up to 3400-3600 m, where cumulus clouds will form. The air in our area is drying, so no overdevelopment is expected, as well as no rain in the main valley and to the north of it. There is a small chance for some isolated showers to the South-East of us. The plan is as usual: Get up by 9:30/10:00, be ready for a 10:15 task briefing. We expect to set a big task, get enough rest! Next update at 8 tomorrow morning.

Task distance: 35.8 km Launch window: 11:15 Race start (SSS): 12:15 Status: Task stopped due to incoming rain in the east — but with most pilots already safely on the ground A Short Window, A Fast Task Today's weather only offered a narrow window to fly, so the task committee opted for a short but punchy task. It turned out to be exactly the right call: a compact 35.8 km course that delivered fast, tactical racing and a goal field full of smiling pilots. Conditions Before the start, cloudbase sat low at around 2300–2400 m, gradually building through the morning. By the time the start gate opened at 12:15, cloudbase had climbed to roughly 2700 m — enough to give pilots a solid position for the start. The clouds themselves developed quickly, and staying clear of cloud base in the final minutes before the start proved tricky for the field. The Route Out of the start, the task led west along the ridge to the first turnpoint, then out into the valley for the second. From there, pilots faced the day's first real tactical choice: take the longer line along the high ridge, or push the shorter, lower ridge line toward turnpoint 3. The leading gaggle chose the low route — but arrived at the crossing point undercooked, leaving the valley crossing to turnpoint 4 with only around 2300 m. That decision would go on to define the entire race. The Key Moment The chasing group played it safer, topping up to around 2800 m before committing to the same crossing — a difference of roughly 500 m that proved decisive. On the other side, the leading gaggle pushed for the ESS on the south side of the valley first, but their thin altitude margin forced them to cross back to the north side in search of lift just to reach ESS and goal. Not everyone made it — several pilots landed just a few hundred metres short of the ESS cylinder. The chasing group, by contrast, arrived with height to spare and could fly the optimised line straight to the ESS without any detours — closing, and in many cases erasing, the gap to the leaders in the process. The Finish With rain moving in from the east, the task was eventually stopped — though by that point the vast majority of the field was already on the ground. A well-timed call all around: the short window was used to full effect, producing a fast and genuinely exciting racing task. Most pilots came into goal with a smile. Results: Overall: 1. Morane Montavon 2. Lars Meerstetter 3. Martin Kubicek Sports Class: 1. Stefan Bahn 2. Raphael Oerer 3. Thierry Stoll Women: 1. Violeta Jimenez 2. Agnieszka Zaborowska 3. Martina Hauri Juniors: 1. Thierry Stoll 2. Nicola Heiniger 3. Jean Morisetti Fotos: Martin Scheel

A quick 35 km task to Piz Ner and back. Livetracking: https://lt.flymaster.net/bs.php?grp=7409

It's less humid and foggy/cloudy than expected, which is great. Wind at 3000 m will be around 10-15 km/h from WSW. Higher up it increases to 20-30 km/h at 3500 m, and 25-35 km/h at 4000 m, from SW. With a cloud base predicted at 2800-3000 m, we do not expect flying up there. Down low it's calm, with the regular valley breeze from East to West. Rain and small thunderstorms in the afternoon, to the South of us, from around 15:00. The northern side should remain dry for most of the afternoon. Thermals will be weaker than on Wednesday. Top values then were given at 2.5 m/s (that's an average, of course we always find stronger lift somewhere), and today only with 1 m/s. Let's go up with the 9:30 & 10:00 gondolas, and be prepared for a 10:15 task briefing.

Wir bedanken uns ganz herzlich für die konstruktive Zusammenarbeit! Dank der Swiss Sportclinic und dessen Team dürfen wir auf eine bald zehnjährige Testreihe von Leistungsstests im Ausdauer- und Kraftbereich zurückblicken und auch immer wieder mal medizinischen Rat holen. Die Athletinnen und Athleten hoffen, dass wir euch Hike&Fly und die Faszination Gleitschirmfliegen näher bringen konnten!

After a cloudy but mostly dry day today, we see a good chance for a task tomorrow: The pressure increases in the north, to a difference between Zurich and Lugano of up to 6 hPa before noon, and then starts to drop again, but will influence the weather here throughout the day: Accelerated valley wind, and drier, cooler and more stable air flowing in. At 3000 m, the wind starts out from West, and turns towards NW throughout the day, at around 15-20 km/h. At 4000 m it turns more towards SW and reaches up to 35-40 km/h. We will see some low, fog-like clouds in the morning, but they should dissolve between 10 and 11. Cumulus clouds above, with a cloud base at around 2800 to 3000 m. The thermals will be weaker than yesterday. There is a risk of rain to the South of us, where more humid air arrives from the South-West. The northern side of the Rhine valley should remain dry. Therefore, the plan for tomorrow: go up with the 9:30 / 10:00 cable car, be ready for a briefing at Caischavedra middle station at 10:30. The next update follows tomorrow at 8:00, to confirm the timing, or announce adjustments should the forecast change drastically. P.S. Saturday still looks fantastic!