Competition News

The task was setted with an optimistic 66 km for the day, the prognoses showed a lot of wind from N and early overdevelopment already at 13:00. We were already happy that we could fly but maybe 66km were too much optimistic. The start was again going a little bit to the nord, in the flats and then a race-to-Greece with zigzags in between the flats. The trick was again to stay high but the magic didn’t worked for long, Pascal saw some lightnings at the first turnpoint while taking the second the one, and told immediately the race direction. After few moments the task was cancelled for safety! Was a good choice because after everybody landed big showers came over the flats. 3. Mattia Vosti 55. Christian Von Essen 65. Pascal Blum 79. Lukas Gafner 82. Philipp Langenegger

Today the task was a 57km One Way Race to the south, almost reaching the border with Greece. The task setting team said that it was based on the strong nord wind coming in, and the overdevelopment forming pretty soon during the day. Luckily none of the 2 prognose were absolutely right! There was still some nord wind but not really strong and even the clouds were still pretty beautiful. In the nord some thunderstorms did arrive at the end. Before the start all the pilots were spread before the SSS line. I saw some pilots in the flats ar the nord climbing and I decided to go there. It was a good strategy! The wind helped a little bit and the climb was good enough to give me height! The others started a little bit more south in the little mountains over the take-off. Some of them made enough height but others started pretty low. Magically, even the lowest pilots could manage to climb up again qith really strong thermals! It was indeed a special day! Staying high was my strategy and that helped me to have somehow almost good and strong climbs. Let’s hope for another good day tomorrow! 4. Mattia Vosti 21. Pascal Blum 46. Christian von Essen 73. Philipp Langenegger 89. Lukas Gafner

The task setters prepared a 58km Task, going first to the nord through some little mountains and then heading towards SE on the flats. The idea was to fly where we could have more dry air as possible to avoid showers from the overdevelopment. This made us go into the flatlands where Big Fires were again disturbing the visibility. At the beginning a pretty strong inversion at 2100 blocked all the thermals and there was few people able to fly over it. After the start everyone was pretty low and needed to scratch to get the first turnpoint, then clouds began to form and from the second turnpoint on there were strong and sometimes turbolent thermals. The long glides were fine. Some pilots like Pascal Blum where on the leading gaggle far away from the followers, they pushed really hard and at the end, before goal, most of them got downwashed from the wind and sadly needed to land. Christian von Essen managed to have enough height to reach both ESS and goal securing the second place of the overall! So the Swiss Team found himself in the 3rd position Overall in the competition! Let’s keep it like that for the next days! ;) 2. Christian von Essen 17. Mattia Vosti 37. Pascal Blum 49. Philipp Langenegger 68. Lukas Gafner

Recap von Pascal Blum: Heute wurde ein 65km Task angesagt der uns im Zickzack durch das Flachland führte. Die Schwierigkeit dabei waren die 18km/h Nordwind. Um den Wind möglichst für uns nutzen zu können Starteten fast alle deutlich nördlicher der Ideal-Linie. Mattia Vosti flog in einer Dreiergruppe mit Pal Takats sogar ganz in den Norden was super schnell war. Ich blieb im Hauptpulk und genoss deren Vorteile. Beim letzten Turnpoint waren Mattia und ich sehr nahe beieinander, doch die Thermik verlangte uns Geduld ab. Ich drehte sie aus weil ich wusste dass die Spülgänge in Mazedonien gerne auch für mehrere Minuten 4-5m/s betragen können… Leider wurde genau das Mattia Vosti zum Verhängnis, während ich mit Rückenwind mit bis zu 80km/h die letzten 20km ins Ziel Flog. 7. Pascal Blum 28. Christian Von Essen 52. Mattia Vosti 64. Philipp Langenegger 74. Lukas Gafner

The task was set to a One Way of 50km due to the strong NE wind and the possibility to overdevelopment in the afternoon. The prognoses were right. The task stopped at 13:19 due to Thunderstorms on the goal. The visibility was really bad, caused from smoke coming from some big fires on the ground. The most took a direct line trying to stay above wind to take the first turnpoint (it was at the end the best and fastest way). Some more brave guys like Pal Takats and Pascal Blum tried to go to the south but the wind was too strong. Short but good and funny task! 34. Christian Von Essen 38. Mattia Vosti 54. Philipp Langenegger 87. Pascal Blum 91. Lukas Gafner