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Hey all ,

A few of us Berkeley pilots (Justine, Lionel, Ronald, Johanna ) flew Walts, Monday Tuesday and Wed after a weekend at Slide. The weekend at Slide was pretty good with myself and Daniel (Doughboy) getting as far as Gardnerville on Sat.

On our way down to the Owens we stopped off at Pam's and met up with Scott H. and KM. Scott reports he flew 100 off of Wolf on Sat north of Reno (Ferneley I believe)

Monday was as phat as Sunday sounded from the above story, but much different in terms of flight path. Cus started to form at 8am, we scrambled to launch fearing overdevelopment. Launched around 10:15 and barely got any lift over the saddle. Justine launches a few minutes later and demonstrates lift north of the switchbacks. She fell out of a few thermals and started to scope the Postage stamp. On her way there she finally found smooth lift on the north east face of Wynoga and climbed to 13k. On her journey north Justine bailed to Manzanar after getting low but then found nice valley boat conditions. Myself and Ronald tried to work the Sierras up towards Williamson but found no lift . We too bailed and headed out to Manzanar and experience the magic of valley thermals. We toped out at around 13k with a nice south push and started to cruise towards independence. Justine landed at the rest stop for a new personal Owens best (25miles) and Ronald puts it down just a few miles south.

I gambled on a long glide out to the mazourka foothills and scratch low (7k) sniffing for lift. Kept my hopes up based on the cauliflouwer shaped clouds that were towering and streeting from the Inyos across the Westgaurd pass and up the whites. Had many similar days where the clouds begged me to get higher but crapped out at the base of Mazourka, so this time I practiced patience and used the prevailing south winds on south facing ridges as temporary lift to keep myself in the game. I kept thinking that a day that looks this phat HAD to huck a thermal at some point and 20minutes later I found one. First I got back to 10k then to 12k then to 15k, then to 17k, while floating me over the westgaurd. Ultimately I never hit any sink over the pass and got higer than I care to admit. Leave it to say Black Mountain started looking like a training hill.

Once on the whites I bareley stopped for a thermal unless I got below 12k. Got to Janies high and decided to give the Montgomery pass a shot, where I hit mostly sink and landed at the juntion to Mina. Next time I think I'll try to get stinking high over Montgomery Peak and aim for the the next major peak in nevada along the 360.. I have never hit lift over the flats in Nevada after crossing the pass.

Tuesday it rained at 6am, too phat.

Wednesday we eeked out flights to Independance and the poverties, not getting very high past lone pine peak.

Still feels like spring to me.. strange weather.


-Lionel