General

Unlike yesterday, we anticipated thunderstorms in the vicinity in the afternoon - and they did not materialize. Conditions were very strong, making up for the still-present easterly winds. So the 83.1 km race to Stockhorn, then Dent de Broc, Schwarzsee and back to Charmey were flown incredibly fast. The winner, Markus Wicki, flew the speed section in 1:42:58, resulting in a staggering average speed of 45.1 km/h. This win was the result of a very gutsy move after Dent de Broc: While the leaders pushed on towards Charmey and the area around launch, Markus did a double-turn to the north, and once back over higher terrain, was able to tag the last turnpoint in straight flight. The main gaggle took a while to reconnect above Charmey, and in the end Markus won by almost 3 minutes. A magic move! Overall: 1. Markus Wicki 2. Roger Aeschbacher 3. René Mühlemann Women: 1. Sarah Zimmermann 2. Linda Hoch 3. Agnieszka Zaborowska (GBR) Sports Class: 1. Marco Sommerfeld 2. Sarah Zimmermann 3. Raphael Oerer Juniors: 1. Jean Morisetti 2. Thierry Stoll 3. Noël Oberle Photos by Martin Scheel. Outlook for tomorrow: The high pressure system that caused this intense heat wave is finally moving on, and tomorrow we will be behind its axis. Which means warmer and more humid air will flow in from the south, increasing instability. Thermal activity should be similar to today, but thunderstorms could build in our area as early as 14:00. We will try to run a short task early in the day, but only if there is a significant chance to do so based on tomorrow's forecasts. In order to do that, we change the program slightly: 9:00-10:00 breakfast, trackers, tickets (like before) 9:30 Task setters meet at the restaurant at the top 11:00 task briefing at the top 11:45 launch window open 13:00 race start All times subject to change, we will keep you posted on Telegram.

The weather looks great today, Friday. Thunderstorms may develop later this afternoon, so the task setters have planned an 83-kilometer task designed to avoid the thunderstorms. The positive atmosphere continues, and the participants are motivated!

Today the thermals on the west face of Vounetz were strong enough to overcome the weak easterly winds. We set a task to Gurnigel, then to a little hill called Gibloux in the flats between Fribourg and Bulle, and a leg to the south towards Montreux, with goal near Grandvillard. As expected, the first thunderstorms developed in the Gstaad area. We observed them closely, but thanks to the weak easterly winds, they did not move towards our task area. But they spread out and shaded most of the task area while pilots were still flying back from Gurnigel. The furthest made it just to Gibloux, while most of the filed landed east of lake Gruyère. Overall: 1. Benjamin Fankhauser 2. Dominik Breitinger 3. Gaël Frochaux Women: 1. Agnieszka Zaborowska (GBR) 2. Andrea Habegger 3. Corina Heldstab Sports Class: 1. Frédéric Monnet 2. Marco Sommerfeld 3. Mahdi Karimi (IRI) Junior: 1. Jean Morisetti 2. Arnaud Hirschi 3. Noël Oberle The forecasts for tomorrow are similar, with slightly better thermals than today early in the afternoon. Also, the air will be drier than today, which reduces the probability for early thunderstorms, compared to today. We expect a good day tomorrow, and therefore will follow the same schedule as today: 9:00-10:00 breakfast, trackers and cable car tickets 10:00 task setters meet at the restaurant at the top 11:30 task briefing at the north launch 12:30 launch window open 14:00 race start Photos by Martin Scheel

Great weather and light winds—that certainly makes for a good task. The plan is to cover 80 kilometers. For those wondering why the goal is set on a mountain, here’s a brief explanation. Thunderstorms are possible toward evening, so this option gives participants the chance to land safely in a secure location. If the thunderstorms aren’t a problem, they can fly to the landing site in Charmey. We’re looking forward to it!

Chrigel Maurer führt, Lars Meerstetter aktuell an Vierter, Noe Court an Fünfter und Silvan Wüthrich an neunter Stelle! Die weiteren Schweizer alles andere als abgeschlagen folgen auf den aktuellen Rängen 16 (Nicola Bourqui) und 27 (Sebastian Weber). Es bleibt spannend und noch ist nichts entschieden - ausser wohl der Sieg von Chrigel Maurer!

Due to the increase in north-easterly winds, we moved launch to Grandvillard, which is much better protected from this kind of wind. Launch was a little wild and steep, which caused a few desperate dives after ballast bags and helmets that were rolling down the hill - and also a few less-than-elegant launches. Conditions in the air were reported to be strong and at times more turbulent than expected by the task committee, especially on the ridge behind the Charmey launch. Most of the field managed those challenges and was rewarded with a beautiful flight out to the western-most hills of the Fribourg Alps before coming back to Charmey via a detour to the south. Unfortuantely, there were three incidents today: Two pilots lost control of their gliders at altitude and came down under their reserve parachutes. While one walked away unscathed, the other had to be helicoptered out due to ultimately minor injuries. And at the very end of the day, in tricky shifting wind conditions at the Charmey landing field, one pilot stalled their glider from a few meters altitude, leading to another helicopter rescue due to what turned out minor injuries. Speedy recovery to the injured pilots, and a huge thank you to everyone reporting and assisting. Overall: 1. Roger Aeschbacher 2. Stephan Morgenthaler 3. Steve Cox Women: 1. Sarah Zimmermann 2. Manuela Pfrunder 3. Agnieszka Zaborowska Sports Class: 1. Gaëtan Gerber 2. Frédéric Monnet 3. Sarah Zimmermann Junior: 1. Jean Morisetti 2. Exbrayat Jules 3. Noël Oberle Photos: Martin Scheel According to the latest models, the north-easterly winds should be weaker tomorrow than today. We see a 50% chance for a task from Vounetz, and will make the final decision tomorrow at 9:30. We will only go up for a task if the wind is considerably less than today and allows for safe launches from Vounetz. We do not consider another task from Grandvillard launch.