The weather forecast for the second last day was looking pretty windy up high; reports from Mammoth and the White Mountain Research Station were reporting 20-30 mph in the morning, with it predicted to increase. So the call was made to cancel the day without even going up the mountain.

Back up to Gunter launch. Skies were nice looking with cu's but there was some wind in them. On launch the task committee decided on a short-ish task of 64 km, out-and-return, ending in Benton (at the California/Nevada border). The winds picked up just as the wind-techs launched and it was pretty clear it was windy, as they were pinned against the mountain and not penetrating to the valley, let alone get any thermals. One of them radioed back saying it was "sporty" and we saw lots of collapses so the day was cancelled (the wind-techs certainly earned their keep today!).

oday we went up to Gunter and things were not too bad wind-wise. South winds again but manageable, and the task was 110 km to Mina, in Nevada. Launched early and had to scratch around for a long time as the lift was a bit spotty, but I would rather do that than be stuck on launch in a big lineup while the cycles were getting stronger and stronger.

The last 2 days we've had the task cancelled shortly after the launch window opened. The first day was due to too-strong winds on launch (Flynn's) so most of the field couldn't get off (I had just launched and it was getting strong, but still manageable). After about 10 minutes the call came over the radio that the task was cancelled (a 110 km task downwind) so we all headed out to land.

The first day of the comp and the organizers decided on Flynn's for the launch site, due to the easier drive up. But we still had a vehicle get a flat tire on the shale, which slowed things down for the pilots behind that vehicle (and the road is too narrow to get around). And of course on launch it was stinking hot, with very little shade (Forestry rules forbid any structures to be staked into the ground, which means no big shade tents; also we're not allowed to pull any weeds from the area, which means laying out a glider to clear the lines often results in the lines getting more fouled).

Today was the official practice day for the comp, and conditions were pretty epic. XC Skies called for light east winds and high climbs so we opted for an out and return to the north, to the end of the range, and back to Bishop.

Launch (Gunter) was crowded with all the comp pilots and wind dummies so there was a bit of a lineup to get off. Once in the air it was very strong, but do-able, with the occasional spicy stuff. Climbed out above launch to around 4200m and then headed north.

The final day of the comp and the weather was looking epic: sunny, light winds, and cloudbase predicted around 10,000'. So the task committee came up with an ambitious route: a 121 km triangle from the Butte, to Farmer in the SE, North to Leahy, and back west to goal in the Chelan Falls Park LZ.

Sunny and light winds at the beginning of the day, with the winds predicted to strengthen quite a bit as the afternoon went on (to 15-20 mph on the ground). Task today was race to Okanagan (about 70 km) with no turnpoints in between. When we heard the task there was lots of discussion amongst pilots about which route to take: you could stay on the Chelan side of the river (the mountainous side) until closer to goal, or you could cross over to the Flats right away and fly on that side (the east side) all the way north.

Forecast for today was sunny and light winds from the south. But no cu's, and some high cirrus came though occasionally. A 62.2 km task was set: Butte to Sims Corner, then goal at Leahe.

The launch order today was decided by your FAI ranking. However, the first 20 minutes was allocated to whomever wanted to launch, without having a higher-ranked pilot butt in front of you. After the first 20 minutes a higher-ranked pilot could butt in front of you. Subsequent days will be determined by your comp ranking from the day before.

I'm in Chelan for the next week or so, for the Chelan XC Open/Pre-PWC/Canadian Nationals. Got here yesterday, mid-day, in time to see a gaggle of pilots finally get high on the Butte (apparently they had been scratching since it had been overcast until now) and make the crossing to the flats. After getting up on the flats they flew NE, aided by the SW winds. Pilots were scattered all the way from Mansfield to Grand Coulee.