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3 days road trip
Photos link: https://www.facebook.com/pdxrick.lai/posts/10156921754504285
Youtube: https://youtu.be/FtrsScs-Q9g
Photos link: https://www.facebook.com/pdxrick.lai/posts/10156921754504285
Youtube: https://youtu.be/FtrsScs-Q9g
Day 1
7 hangs (Travis, WaiChak, Neil Clark, Chelsea, Tim Bugge, Robin Briejer, Rick L) flew Dog Mt today between 2:30 to 6:30pm. Conditions was overcast light west wind. All were up for hours playing with the consistent light lifts from Dog to Back Bowl and Elk..... 600 ft above launch for me. Neil, Robin, WaiChak , Tim B and myself made it to Elk. Neil got higher than all of us over Elk. I flew for over 3 hrs from 2:50 to 6:15pm. I'll be heading to Baldy Fly-In tomorrow (Friday).
Day 2
Baldy (near Ellensburg, WA) was awesome today. I flew for 2.5 hrs with two hangs (Jimmy C and Tim B). I was first to punch off and last to land. Conditions weren't strong as predicted by Windfinder. We were worried that it wouldn't be soarable when we arrived launch around 2pm. Nearly no wind but it did pick up around 3 pm. A couple PGs showed us it was soarable as we were setting up. I was ready to launch around 3:30 pm when all the PGs landed. The wind speed at launch was about 10-12 mph when I launched. I got above launch immediately with plenty of good 700 -900 FPM punchy thermals. Only 3 hangs have the whole sky to ourselves. Our max altitude was 5,700 ft (3,500 ft above launch). Basically, it was effortless soarable conditions until sunset. I'll share GoPro video and pics after Rampart. I'll be at Rampart tomorrow (Saturday).
Baldy (between Yakima and Ellensburg,WA). Landing zone altitude 1,300ft.
Highest North facing launch altitude 3,150ft. A bit more information from yesterday . It was blowing strong west or NW in Yakima in the morning but no winds at the Baldy LZ when I arrived around noon. Baldy only 15 miles north of Yakima. There were very light breezy at launch until 3:30pm. It was more like strong thermal cycles punching through not the actual wind speed. We got high and just a slow draft to the back so windspeed between 3,000 to 5,000ft probably less than 20mph wind out of NW. LZ was a rotors zone (100ft above ground) due to the NW winds. It was a rollercoaster ride during the landing approach.
Day 3
Great turnout (12 hangs) at Rampart yesterday (Saturday). I can't remember the last time seeing so many hangs over the cliff wall at Rampart. It was a spectacular day and the flying was amazing once again. Thermals were up at 6,400ft over the 2nd wall. Stas and Robin Briejer made it to Alta Mt. Everyone experienced beautiful cloud surfing session over the 1st and 2nd wall. My flight lasted 2 hrs and 20 minutes.
Congratulations to two lucky east coast pilots, WaiChak and Chelsea Clark who received their first epic Rampart flight. They certainly picked an ideal day to fly Rampart. Well done!
Thanks again to Robin Briejer,Tim Bugge and Ron Barbera (3 Tacoma trucks) for the ride up, and to Chelsea who later provided retrieval of vehicles.
The pilots in attendance:
Stas, Tim Bugge , Luis Ramos, Rick Lai, Robin Briejer, Travis, Chris Dominy (from Texas), Kurt Hartzog, Shawn Lucke, Ron Barbera & two east coast pilots: Chelsea and WaiChak.
7 hangs (Travis, WaiChak, Neil Clark, Chelsea, Tim Bugge, Robin Briejer, Rick L) flew Dog Mt today between 2:30 to 6:30pm. Conditions was overcast light west wind. All were up for hours playing with the consistent light lifts from Dog to Back Bowl and Elk..... 600 ft above launch for me. Neil, Robin, WaiChak , Tim B and myself made it to Elk. Neil got higher than all of us over Elk. I flew for over 3 hrs from 2:50 to 6:15pm. I'll be heading to Baldy Fly-In tomorrow (Friday).
Day 2
Baldy (near Ellensburg, WA) was awesome today. I flew for 2.5 hrs with two hangs (Jimmy C and Tim B). I was first to punch off and last to land. Conditions weren't strong as predicted by Windfinder. We were worried that it wouldn't be soarable when we arrived launch around 2pm. Nearly no wind but it did pick up around 3 pm. A couple PGs showed us it was soarable as we were setting up. I was ready to launch around 3:30 pm when all the PGs landed. The wind speed at launch was about 10-12 mph when I launched. I got above launch immediately with plenty of good 700 -900 FPM punchy thermals. Only 3 hangs have the whole sky to ourselves. Our max altitude was 5,700 ft (3,500 ft above launch). Basically, it was effortless soarable conditions until sunset. I'll share GoPro video and pics after Rampart. I'll be at Rampart tomorrow (Saturday).
Baldy (between Yakima and Ellensburg,WA). Landing zone altitude 1,300ft.
Highest North facing launch altitude 3,150ft. A bit more information from yesterday . It was blowing strong west or NW in Yakima in the morning but no winds at the Baldy LZ when I arrived around noon. Baldy only 15 miles north of Yakima. There were very light breezy at launch until 3:30pm. It was more like strong thermal cycles punching through not the actual wind speed. We got high and just a slow draft to the back so windspeed between 3,000 to 5,000ft probably less than 20mph wind out of NW. LZ was a rotors zone (100ft above ground) due to the NW winds. It was a rollercoaster ride during the landing approach.
Day 3
Great turnout (12 hangs) at Rampart yesterday (Saturday). I can't remember the last time seeing so many hangs over the cliff wall at Rampart. It was a spectacular day and the flying was amazing once again. Thermals were up at 6,400ft over the 2nd wall. Stas and Robin Briejer made it to Alta Mt. Everyone experienced beautiful cloud surfing session over the 1st and 2nd wall. My flight lasted 2 hrs and 20 minutes.
Congratulations to two lucky east coast pilots, WaiChak and Chelsea Clark who received their first epic Rampart flight. They certainly picked an ideal day to fly Rampart. Well done!
Thanks again to Robin Briejer,Tim Bugge and Ron Barbera (3 Tacoma trucks) for the ride up, and to Chelsea who later provided retrieval of vehicles.
The pilots in attendance:
Stas, Tim Bugge , Luis Ramos, Rick Lai, Robin Briejer, Travis, Chris Dominy (from Texas), Kurt Hartzog, Shawn Lucke, Ron Barbera & two east coast pilots: Chelsea and WaiChak.
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