On a brief trip to Annecy in France for SIV with fellow Brit comp pilots last week, I had one day spare for free flying. The SIV didn't go quite as well as hoped (yes I got wet, twice!) but after a poor sleep i got up at 7:30am to re-pack my now dry reserve at Flyeo, patch up my harness and then after a quick croissant, dashed back to meet the others.
Understandably, everyone was a bit tired after two exciting days and most opted to have a chilled morning and a valley flight later in the day. However, I knew that someone had flown 275km from Col de Bleyne to Chamonix two days previously and although I hadn't had time to check the weather properly it might still be a good airmass today even if the met wind was still from the S; not the easiest direction in the Northern Alps.
So I persuaded Robin, Andrew, Caedmon and Antonio to try Marlens where, on a good day, you can take off at between 10 and 11am and hop round a tricky corner onto the E face of the Aravis. Getting up wasn't easy but as I got established above Charvin, I was pleased to join a thermal with a green Boom 10 which I half recognised as Cedric who I had met at the British Open in Macedonia in 2015.
As we topped out the blue thermal, Cedric whistled and pointed NE up the Chaine d'Aravis and I tramped on the bar. Game on.
The pictures tell the story better than words.
What a day! Great flying with you Cedric and thank you Camile for the retrieve.
A slide show is
here. Click "i" on the photos if you want to see some captions/place names.
Flight track log is
here or download the Google Earth track
here.
Other flights done in the area on the same day including Cedric's are
here (click on "gps" to see a visualisation).
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| Looking E from Tete du Colonney to Mont Blanc on the R |
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| Bernese Alps |
