The meteo said SW dynamic wind of 5 to 15kts with a good valley breeze and Matt said, 'Dude, its going to be epic' - and it was!
After a bit of a struggle we got away from La Motte du Caire and across to the Parcour (a North/South range of mountains with high point of 9800ft AMSL). The original plan had been to go north to Glacier Blanc but the way north past St Cripin was already closed by a storm so we romped along the 30km section south to Cheval Blanc and back to Domilouse by Lac Serre Poncon just because it was there!
JB on the Parcour.
But you can have too much of a good thing so we decided to venture across the dragon country to Barcelonnette and then back to the Morgon and across Lac Serre Poncon into a very gentle wave to 12000ft over Domilouse - a real contrast to the 'washing machine' like thermals down in the rocks!
Cheesy grinning in wave.
Half an hour later, 'Boring!' - so down, down, down into the gloom and back on to the Parcour for another romp and second out and return to Barcelonnette.
'What now Matt'? 'Pic de Burre dude, what else!' We went the long way round via Montnge de Feraud and crept up on Pic de Burre from the north. Creaping around the eastern face of Pic de Burre with 2000 ft of vertical rock face above you is a humbling experience for a Hobbit from the Shires, and the lift as we rounded the SW corner was 'off the clock'!
With 10000 ft wound on we set off for home and another hour of local soaring which included a few racing circuits around the little (6000ft) mountains of Authon and Auribeau which were giving a steady 4kt off their shear rock escarpments bathed in the late evening sun.
After over 7 hrs of adventure and sunset fast approaching we returned to earth with grins wider than a Cheshire cat! (jb)
