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Gman
Since 11 Feb 2006
4907 Posts
Portland
Unstrapped
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 Sun Oct 29, 06 6:58 pm I love the gorge |
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Even when it can't make up its mind
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swell.gif |
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pkh
Since 27 Feb 2005
6548 Posts
Couve / Hood
Site Lackey
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| Sun Oct 29, 06 7:47 pm |
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seems about right... 
oh well still fun..
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Yardsale
Since 29 Mar 2005
387 Posts
Portlanastan
Obsessed
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| Sun Oct 29, 06 7:54 pm |
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| That graph doesn't reflect the true joy we experienced today, 3 to 38 can be misunderstood.......people might think it was gusty and cold......... and gusty.........and cold. What is wrong with us, there are dogs that learn faster from experience than kiters. Hey let's do it again tomorrow! (see what I mean)
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jdk
Since 21 Dec 2005
333 Posts
Obsessed
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| Mon Oct 30, 06 9:41 am |
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Ya sandbar was interesting. started out cloudy, wind was barely 20. take a couple passes with my 13. oh look the sun is finally coming out. huh, it was just blowing 20 a few seconds ago and now its blowing 40. guess its time to go in, hope i don't die first 
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boardrider
Since 05 Apr 2006
1034 Posts
Ventura, CA
XTreme Poster
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| Mon Oct 30, 06 11:39 am |
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| There were huge bands of wind spray coming down the river near viento on my way home - They were 10 -15 ft off the water, and massive in width. At least we didn't have to deal w/ those. - C
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chanson
Since 31 Jan 2006
1873 Posts
WISCONSIN
Chimey
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| Mon Oct 30, 06 12:28 pm big swell at rooster |
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I was at rooster on Sunday with my girlfriend around 11:30. Started on the 7m waroo to find the swell to be chest-high near the channel marker where it gets real-shallow real fast..Super fun. Never ridden at Rooster on West-wind, b/c its usually too up and down...but Sun. was rad...till about 3 or so, then it dumped-off.
Even had another kiter join me half-way through the session.!!  
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bambam
Since 15 Mar 2005
760 Posts
Hood River
Photographer
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| Mon Oct 30, 06 12:44 pm |
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I was driving home from paragliding on Saturday in Chelan. Hit Maryhill at about 2:30pm to 50mph sustained wind... I knew it would be windy when by 8:00am the Chelan launch was fully blown out at 35mph...
Pretty impressive stuff at the Wall/Maryhill/Rufus, and I have not seen the river that angry/white/swell in the last ten years... So windy infact that it blew the front of my Thule box off and ripped it too shreds...
Jon
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jonchelan_halloweenflyin_post.JPG |
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| The lock/back stayed down, unfortunately the front did not! |
Thulepost01.JPG |
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| Ripped all the way around the back and halfway up the other side. |
thulepost02.JPG |
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NateDogg
Since 05 Mar 2005
627 Posts
I caught your mom on
cineaptic.com
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colby
Since 23 Apr 2005
613 Posts
Celebrity
Photographer
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| Mon Oct 30, 06 1:29 pm |
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that's just knarly!! I still have a Thule on order from awhile back....adding a box to a box car...yikes! 
great hangliding pic
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bambam
Since 15 Mar 2005
760 Posts
Hood River
Photographer
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| Mon Oct 30, 06 1:33 pm |
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Nate,
I now know the perfect spot out in Dallesport to huck you down a very very mellow hill for your first shot of paragliding addiction... Next spring on a nice no wind day lets go for it... This is how I learned, although after about ten small sledder flights I spend a week in Utah getting proper P2 Certification and training from Dale Covington (Obi Wan Convington, as he is near idol status in the paragliding community).
Down in Utah at Point of the Mountain the ridge and thermal soaring are out of sight, and I was able to get 2 hour plus flights and could have gone easily over 5000ft. Unfortunately that week was my first real flights, and at about 3500ft I chickened out and ran off the ridge towards less lifty air, and pulled big ears...
Right now I am fully a beginner and have lots and lots to learn, but hopefully next summer I can get in on some tow up over water clinics and start to learn some acrobatics... They are now doing front fips over the wing, and full sideways loops where the wing fully passes underneath them. Freaking insane, but for right now a medium spiral is enough adrenaline kick for me.
Jon
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chanson
Since 31 Jan 2006
1873 Posts
WISCONSIN
Chimey
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| Mon Oct 30, 06 1:44 pm oh yeah....looks |
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Yeah, looks pretty sweet..
I went paragliding in the Swiss Alps(tandem) for the first time and the guy I jumped with let me steer pretty much the whole way down..It seems very similiar and basic as far as the steering goes(like kiting, left to go left, right ot go right), but I'm sure there is way more to it..
I know when we jumped, we went down maybe 800 ft., then started circling around and went up way higher than where we started. Then, after floating all the way down, close to the ground, he grabbed the reins and started doing like these slighshot-ish moves where we would get whipped above the actual chute. Really fun.
Hey Bam, how much to get into it..(equipment-wise)?[/quote]
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bambam
Since 15 Mar 2005
760 Posts
Hood River
Photographer
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| Mon Oct 30, 06 2:13 pm |
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Yeah, being a kiter will REALLY help the learning process. One of the most important launch aspects is being able to reverse launch and kite your wing into control and proper position before turning and launching. My instructor hammered me on this down in Utah and made me go out and just kite the wing in super windy/gusty stuff. Okay, so unflyable windy for a paraglider is right about at 17-20mph...
I was amazed at Chelan this weekend at the general lack of kiting skills in long time paragliding pilots. Kind of funny to watch people who have paraglided over ten years blow launches when the wind kicked up into the 10-12mph range... Felt good as the beginner to step up and nail a highwind launch in front of a ton of experienced pilots...
Gear is NOT cheap... My rig (Gin Zulu DHV 1-2 wing, Genie III harness, and Reserve Chute) was $4250.00... Albeit it was brand new, and you can find good used gear out there and get fully in at around 3000k... At least you don't need more than one wing, although the flight window in terms of conditions is pretty narrow...
Lots of good fly sites in the Northwest and all up and down the California/Oregon/Washington coast.
Adios, Jon
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Gman
Since 11 Feb 2006
4907 Posts
Portland
Unstrapped
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| Mon Oct 30, 06 2:16 pm |
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| bambam wrote: |
Right now I am fully a beginner and have lots and lots to learn, but hopefully next summer I can get in on some tow up over water clinics
Jon |
I knew you were a crazy man.
This summer we were at shipwreck and there is no wind - so we hookup a line to the bumper and bust out the groundboard - loads of fun- until I look behind me an the Man has his blue flashers rolling and shuts us down.
But before we got shut down - I cruised by this guy getting into a sleeping bag with his helmut on.
So the cop is explaining to us how it is illegal to skate behing the car - and an inconspicous white truck rolls on by - his tow line 1000'? straight up.
The cop never even notices... A small parachute floats back to earth at the end of the tow line - and sleeping bag man is smiling away a million miles up.
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bambam
Since 15 Mar 2005
760 Posts
Hood River
Photographer
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| Mon Oct 30, 06 2:28 pm |
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Yup, tow operations are totally legal and the winches are very complex. Most are hydraulic and have a slip clutch to keep the line tension the same no matter what speed the vehicle is doing or what the pilot is doing on the other end. When the pilot releases, the winch runs full speed in reverse and with a parachute at the end of the rope, it never hits the ground or water in the case of a tow boat.
I believe some of the larger winches are capable of towing up to 4000 plus feet and run almost 7000ft of line...
Crazy is as crazy does... Jon
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Yardsale
Since 29 Mar 2005
387 Posts
Portlanastan
Obsessed
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| Mon Oct 30, 06 8:21 pm |
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| Bammer....There is a couple at the North Coast that run a school (full tow operation). Was talking to the woman one day and she said the kit runs about $5000 new, do you own a rig?. They were doing beach training just flying the foils overhead in 10-15mph. Whats the max wind those things go up in safely? Was in HR today, It was kiteable easterly from just west of Mosier through Bingen Marina.....crazy!
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Teague
Since 10 Jul 2005
114 Posts
Really Windy Places
Stoked
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| Mon Oct 30, 06 10:24 pm |
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Bam Bam -
How long have you been at it? Just getting started myself, picked up a tandem ride a month or so ago and loved it and will be starting my P2 in the spring. Would be great to hook up with you for some flying on some of those non-windy days. Gota dig the view from up there!
Teague
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bambam
Since 15 Mar 2005
760 Posts
Hood River
Photographer
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| Tue Oct 31, 06 8:31 am |
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Teague and Steve,
Yeah, I scored a bit of a deal on my Gin Zulu and Genie III harness... Good gear is imperative in this sport... My max airspeed is around 27-29mph on full speed bar, but you really don't wanna be in the air when the windspeed gets up past 18-19mph. Without the abilty to penetrate and maintain some ground speed, your gonna eventually get blown into something hard, or into bad rotor that will effectively turn your wing into a whad of useless material and turn you into a grease spot.
Nice Teague, yeah... I would recommend heading down to Utah and getting training at POTM. I can hook you in with some of the best instructors in the business and a place to stay. In fact, I'll come down and fly with you. You will get more flying in during that week than you could in months up here in the NW. Over five days, I scored 55 flights and experienced a great variation in conditions that I thought imaginable. So far I have been at this about seven weeks and am at almost 70 flights, which makes me a full on rank begginer. So much to learn about weather, flight, and wind effects to even start to be fully comfortable in the air.
Winter flying down here in the Gorge and in Central Oregon is supposed to be very good, but I am more of a warm weather creature and will most likely be waiting until spring or going someplace warm to fly. Guys, we gotta head down to Florence and fly the dunes in the morning and kite the jetty in the afternoon... This sport so fits in perfect with kiteboarding... Anyone wanna buy a bunch of kayak gear???
Adios, Jon
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