Nordic open
En av verdens beste piloter og konstruktør av bl.a Moyes Litespeed serien: Gerolf Heinrichs skriver i internasjonalt forum for HG: The OZ report.
The finals
Gerolf Heinrichs writes:
On Saturday the Nordic Open finished - with a very scenic and spectacular final task. Though only about 65km in total length, this was definitely the coolest flight I did this season. After the winds finally had all settled to a gentle 10-15km/h breeze, the amazing visibility of the postfrontal days allows a surrounding view over ice-captured peaks, wild-romantic high-grounds and their embedded glacier lakes. As we all top out into the blue Nordic sky for a common race start it’s hard to keep the eyes on your competitors – too beautiful the scenery around is. If this moment wouldn’t touch you, you got no soul for free flying.
However, at 4:00 PM the bell rings and we got to go to work. We lock our arms into position and start a task that will turn into a ridge race half way into the course. Though the Norwegians know every inch of that area, the soar-ability of the slopes along the course doesn’t really play into their hands. Several seasons among the Stanwell Park Ridge Riders have taught me how to do this properly: leave one circle too low and you don’t quite make it, leave one circle too high and you wouldn’t quite win it.
After the first and second leg flown in conventional top-out and dive-off style, we finally enter the playground of the Litespeeds: Full-VG, 80-90km/h ridge racing in strong, bumpy conditions: bullriding at its best! Forgotten the nice scenery somewhere up there, forgotten the splendid overall lead, this is even cooler stuff – this is racing hang gliders!
Seppi, in leading position from the start, comes a tad low out of 3rd turn point and thus passes it on to Michi, with me some 200m behind. Still another 30km to go, Andreas is already out of the picture as he can’t hold ridge level at this speed.
Then Michi blows his best shot to win his own task in this meet. Lower there, little out in the valley they are climbing promisingly – and he can’t resist ;)
Rich Pfeifer used to say “a circle means going half time the wrong direction”, apparently young Michi never heard about Rich - he makes three of them. Beautiful circles they are, I watch them with delight – while I keep going.
But it isn’t over yet. The final turn point is long way out from the ridge, and on the way back we now all find ourselves half way down the ridge edge, hitting the valley breeze. About 25km/h it’s got to be, and 10km out there seems no way to make it straight in, at the 9.5 glide points my Brauniger tells. But the air is rough and tells there is plenty of bubbles breaking-off in this breeze. You can’t climb out in them, but you can always give your best to pump your numbers up until you do!
It’s rough, it’s hard work, it’s kind of stupid, no doubt, but if you make it to goal this way – it’ll make you feel invincible for a little while!
Until 4kms out I still don’t feel very invincible. Then I hit a long, strong gust and I know: I’m in, I’m through, I’ll win the task and the meet. Michi and Seppi will come in a few minutes behind, even lower, ever more invincible so to speak ;)
Andreas is next, then Nils and Jon. While therefore there is now doubt who is the Swedish Champion, the battle for the Norwegian title is very close. With every further pilot coming to goal Nils looks more and more and Jon less and less excited. In the end it’s 19 points in favor of Nils, who is the Norwegian Champion, once again.
Ever since the legendary European Championship in 92, Vaga has kept the reputation of a very special flying site. I hope the Nordic Open can carry on this tradition and become a steady event in the CIVL calendar. It’s sure worth to come and check out this amazing flying arena, even though it’s not just around the corner for most of us.
For more daily and overall results see: http://hp.nlf.no/vaagaaopen/
The finals
Gerolf Heinrichs
On Saturday the Nordic Open finished - with a very scenic and spectacular final task. Though only about 65km in total length, this was definitely the coolest flight I did this season. After the winds finally had all settled to a gentle 10-15km/h breeze, the amazing visibility of the postfrontal days allows a surrounding view over ice-captured peaks, wild-romantic high-grounds and their embedded glacier lakes. As we all top out into the blue Nordic sky for a common race start it’s hard to keep the eyes on your competitors – too beautiful the scenery around is. If this moment wouldn’t touch you, you got no soul for free flying.
However, at 4:00 PM the bell rings and we got to go to work. We lock our arms into position and start a task that will turn into a ridge race half way into the course. Though the Norwegians know every inch of that area, the soar-ability of the slopes along the course doesn’t really play into their hands. Several seasons among the Stanwell Park Ridge Riders have taught me how to do this properly: leave one circle too low and you don’t quite make it, leave one circle too high and you wouldn’t quite win it.
After the first and second leg flown in conventional top-out and dive-off style, we finally enter the playground of the Litespeeds: Full-VG, 80-90km/h ridge racing in strong, bumpy conditions: bullriding at its best! Forgotten the nice scenery somewhere up there, forgotten the splendid overall lead, this is even cooler stuff – this is racing hang gliders!
Seppi, in leading position from the start, comes a tad low out of 3rd turn point and thus passes it on to Michi, with me some 200m behind. Still another 30km to go, Andreas is already out of the picture as he can’t hold ridge level at this speed.
Then Michi blows his best shot to win his own task in this meet. Lower there, little out in the valley they are climbing promisingly – and he can’t resist ;)
Rich Pfeifer used to say “a circle means going half time the wrong direction”, apparently young Michi never heard about Rich - he makes three of them. Beautiful circles they are, I watch them with delight – while I keep going.
But it isn’t over yet. The final turn point is long way out from the ridge, and on the way back we now all find ourselves half way down the ridge edge, hitting the valley breeze. About 25km/h it’s got to be, and 10km out there seems no way to make it straight in, at the 9.5 glide points my Brauniger tells. But the air is rough and tells there is plenty of bubbles breaking-off in this breeze. You can’t climb out in them, but you can always give your best to pump your numbers up until you do!
It’s rough, it’s hard work, it’s kind of stupid, no doubt, but if you make it to goal this way – it’ll make you feel invincible for a little while!
Until 4kms out I still don’t feel very invincible. Then I hit a long, strong gust and I know: I’m in, I’m through, I’ll win the task and the meet. Michi and Seppi will come in a few minutes behind, even lower, ever more invincible so to speak ;)
Andreas is next, then Nils and Jon. While therefore there is now doubt who is the Swedish Champion, the battle for the Norwegian title is very close. With every further pilot coming to goal Nils looks more and more and Jon less and less excited. In the end it’s 19 points in favor of Nils, who is the Norwegian Champion, once again.
Ever since the legendary European Championship in 92, Vaga has kept the reputation of a very special flying site. I hope the Nordic Open can carry on this tradition and become a steady event in the CIVL calendar. It’s sure worth to come and check out this amazing flying arena, even though it’s not just around the corner for most of us.
For more daily and overall results see: http://hp.nlf.no/vaagaaopen/
