Cerro Arco Airgasm - January 7,8 2010

[kault]

After returning to Mendoza, Argentina from Mt. Aconcagua, the Prostate Boys were rewarded with the two evening restitution flights from the local site known as Cerro Arco.
This site is located fifteen minutes from the city and on a prominent ridge that is used for cell/radio towers. The launch is large enough for several wings and faces the leeside of the steep mountain with superb views of the desert landscape around Mendoza.
When we arrived on Thursday at about 4:30 pm, there were only tandem pilots launching and conditions were very punchy. Most of the tandem pilots used one or two assistants to stabilize themselves before taking off. Once airborne, they would fly away from the hill and most were sucked up by a powerful house thermal out from the hill.
We waited until 6 pm before solo pilots started launching and there were still strong cycles coming through. I launched first from our group and hit the hoover gaining at least 500 feet in the first 2 minutes in the air. I had no instruments and no reserve so needless to say, I was flying very conservatively and was a bit intimidated by the site. I also had a little weird issue with the rigi-foils on my Swift that shook my confidence a bit. There are lots of danger zones to be avoided between the peaks and some really ugly valleys where you would not want to sink out enroute to the main valley.
I ended up heading out pretty quickly when I couldn't find much other lift and rode some rotary north wind out over the valley to the LZ where the wind was only a little less than canopy speed. The glider performed flawlessly so it was just me who needed to dial in.
The other guys mostly had really nice flights, especially Jerry Mason who said he had never gained so much altitude and landed with a huge smile on his face. Brad also had a great flight, landing after a good forty minutes.
We went back on Friday and this time, I was on my game. There were fewer gusts this day and I attacked the thermals with some confidence, eventually getting to the top of the stack, and landing last of all the thirty pilots in the air. Conditions were superb and one could climb back up to launch height even over the valley floor. I timed my flight so that Ken Hurley could film both my launch and my landing. The pictures show the very desert-ish terrain.