Links to past Rat Race reports
- Nicole McLearn's blog
- Rat Race Day 1
- Rat Race Day 2
- Rat Race Day 3 mentions >1600ft/min lift =-0 ; and CANYON SUCK!!!
- Rat Race Day 4
- Rat Race Day 5
- Rat Race Day 1
- All Dowsett Rat Race entries
- Jeff Huey et al. 2005
- 2004 by Circling Hawk
- 2004 summary by Josh Cohn (scroll down)
- lots of people pics 2005
- many photos 2005
- nice pictures 2005
- some face pictures
- 2004 pix by Richi
- 2004 Starthistle
- AirPlay article of 2003
- Luis Rosenkjar's translated article a bit roughed up from translator
posted by sandy @ 10:33 PM
8 comments
8 Comments:
there are quite a few trees on those mountains; also, one of the reports mentioned ?Will Gadd? landing in a tree (unharmed)
some great photos from 2005 from Santa Barbaras Dean Stratton:
Dean's Photos
Notes from Nicole's report:
Rabies Peak turnpoint is in boony country with little road access (but apparently not a difficult TP)
Purcell turnpoint difficult since you had to cross a valley to get it, and get back to the sunny side; canyon-suck with wind
Burnt Ridge is a little upwind of the race start ; better lift; can have reliable clouds and the convergence
Launch rough air
Poormans
Applegate School two ways to get there;
most of us chose to follow the mountains and stay out of the valleys, which looked windy
(Will got low and treed himself on top of the mountain)
Dark Hollow LZ between Jacksonville and Medford
Donato goal field LZ
Forest TP upwind, across the valley from Burnt
Squires
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If windy at the end, those who are slower can have a harder time getting all the turnpoints and reaching goal
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If the valley winds are very north, most of the race start is in the lee (more difficult)
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relaunches are allowed (with speed points penalty if you subsequently make goal) ; after relaunching, you'll get all the distance points, but no speed points
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DON'T get low in the canyons and the wind!!!!!!!
-- launch early before the winds pick up!!
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d1: fishbowl-type flying
d2: cat's cradle
d3: upwind/crosswind/downwind
d4: upwind/downwind
down Applegate V. and back to Dark Hollow
d5: triangle around the Woodrat Valley, and downwind to Dark Hollow and then the Donato goal field
Review of a day by Paul Murdoch in Feb 2006:
Gentle thermals, a little disorganized over the mountain, but out in the Bishop Crk valley, much more generalized lift.
Launched at 1:30, just as it was starting to warm. Worked several small thermals. Very subtle lift, [snip]
Hayden, Nick and Bruce missed the first North cycle and had to wait another 20-30 minutes on launch.
Usable lift went to just shy of 5,000. One could not get too greedy looking for better lift. 200-400 was as good as it got.
Headed to Rabies but bombed out
...
Review of a parawaiting day by Don Comstock in Jan. 2006:
"Was at woodrat today, the winds were all wrong. first from the NNE and then at about 2:30 switched to the SSE. The birds were having a good time in the nice thermals though."
Paul Murdoch's article of USHGA mag
Bo Criss article 2004
Bill Gordon short article
longest flight from WoodRat by Peter Warren
Other Woodrat reports' notes:
From: "nickvolando"
Bruce C and Nick took off west in 6-8 mph west wind at about 4pm, with more NW flow just over launch. Sky was mostly cloud covered with a short bit of diffused sun hitting the valley.
> Lift was light just off launch, stonger over the top. Both had 35-40 minute flights that became very bouyant, with some darker cloud developing just south east of launch that slightly spooked the cummi-phobic duo. At one point Bruce flew out well past mid, then
> turned back towards launch, followed the ridge and ended up gaining 1200' without a turn.
> Very nice glide ratio. The LZ was almost flat calm, but the air was so thick and bouyant the no wind landings were unusually soft. Seemed like a fairly low pressure and fairly unstable day, with upper level clouds preventing the sun from making it get out of
hand and really overdeveloping.
From: "Hayden Glatte"
It is wise to be phobic on a day like this on a go slow paraglider. As you know conditions can change fast on these kinds of days with low pressure (29.64 in. and dropping at 4:00pm) and any heating at all. Big areas of lift can be difficult to get out of and may require descent techinques that tickle the tummy.
Photo
On final glide to the Donato LZ, just over the second ridge on the left. You don't want to go over any of those ridges too low, or you'll get rotored!
Report from Nick late April:
"Winds at the top had increased to 10-12 gusts to 16-18. Lift was prolific. Mostly dynamic
with some thermals, not all smooth. LZ was quite poppy landing at 7pm or so, seemed to be
rotor off Rabes Ridge as wind was more west than from Ruch until close to the LZ"
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