After much work, Paul Russell our Web Guru has opened the registration website for this years Pre-World Championships ( www.piedrahita2011.com ).  Over the last 3 days over 100 pilots have registered.

Our booking calendar is also beginning to fill up.  Just like everywhere else it has been a hard winter.  This is great news for the spring and summer flying season, since hard winters tend to result in good reliable flying from April onwards.   The almost flyable winter of 2007/8 resulted in a poor early season for 2008, but last winter being very cold and wet gave and great season over 2009. This winter has been apalling so far, with many days staying below zero ºC and with plenty of rain and snow.  I should know since I have been toiling on our new house  7 days a week since October, trying, but not succeding yet, to get it weather tight.

I did manage a few tandems last Sunday, my first flights of 2010,  which it seems cooincided with one of the first flyable days in the UK as well.

Our booking calendar for 2010 is now open.  Our price remains the same as the last 7 years (450€).  There are 2 competition events that we are running and for those weeks we do not offer our normal service but are still offering accomodation (and retrieve in the XC Open) for competitors.

Last year was an excellent year for us with a very high number of flyable days throughout the season.  We were fully booked for the majority of weeks and many of the high season weeks from mid June to mid September were booked up very early in the year.  So, if you are booking as a largish group, then try to book early to ensure there is space for the week you prefer.

The bad weather has finally arrived in Piedrhaita.  We now have a dusting of snow on the top of the mountain.  October remained remarkably flyable and warm and I have been reasonably busy doing tandem flights up untill last weekend.

I am off to La Palma at the beginning of December for a week and am looking forward to a bit of flying in warm weather once again.  At the moment there are 8 of us going out, but there is room for quite a few more if anyone is interested.

This last week we have just had Rob Couper from Australia with us.  On this the very last week I did much of the driving so that Peter, our driver for the year could get some flying.

We had some good flying for most of the week, and Peter (Pedro) managed a few PBs which he thouroughly deserved after all the retrieve Kms he has put in over the year for our guests and myself.

Rob has been with us for 3 weeks, and I think there were only 2 days in that whole period when he did not get to fly.  This September has been the best I can remember for reliability and good XC conditions.  Even now, going into October the thermal climbs we are getting are excellent.

Puri is taking Pete back to his home in Madrid and Rob to the airport this morning.  A quiet 6 or 7 months ahead now with no clients untill spring.  Thanks to you all who made it out to Piedrahita this year.  See you again next year I hope.

This last week finished up with 7 days out of 7 flyable and pretty much the end of our season with clients here in Piedrahita.  Today, Sunday, we are moving back to our old house from the tent.  Our new home never did get finished and it is getting a bit cold at night now to be under canvass, so after nearly 5 months under canvass we will have a solid roof to sleep under tonight. Flyingwise, the 2009 season has been a bit of an epic.  In Febuary we were awarded the World Championships for 2011, we ran 3 successfull CAT 2 events during July and September, and most weeks came up with the goods for good XCs for our clients. It is along winter ahead, and there are still reasonable conditions through till the end of October here, yet the reliablility starts to drop of quickly now. We shall be running some trips to La Palma over the winter and perhaps a trip to Andalucia in March if there is demand. Since we have already confirmed our competition dates for next year (Pre Worlds and XC Open) we will soon have our Booking calendar open for 2010. For those of you who came out this year a big thank you to you all.  We hope to see you all again next year.

Our last day of the season gave once again excellent conditions.

An epic looking sky but the shadow blocking the thermals at launch made us take a long glide to the valley for the first climb.  Myself and Clair (on the tandem), Edward and Rob pulled out a low save form the landing field entabling us to have a fantastic 2 hours flying round the valley (Long bar to east, St Maria to NW then back).

James had a good day flying my Niviuk Peak.  Off now for the evening flight and last flypiedrahita flight of the season in Piedrahita.

Another good day with strong climbs though an increasing wind after around 4pm.

The first flight was a nice float about with climbs only to around 2300m.  On the second almost everyone flew straight into the abundant lift and got near base and went towards Barco.  I went a little north and had a mega climb and took a nice line back towards Piedrahita, but less than half way back hit the wind.  Most chose to land at Barco due to the wind, with Pavel going up to Puerto Castilla.

A nice evening flight but too E to make it really interesting.

Wednesday we had quite strong thermic conditions at Chia, but also quite a bit of wind and off to the east.

Today, (Thursday), event stronger climbs and a base near 3000m, though due to the gusts at launch many of the group decided not to fly till later in the day.  James and Ian got the best of it, with James reaching Barco then making it a good way back to Piedrahita.

Another superb day, though the wind took its time to go up Peña Negra so we went to Chia. From Chia 6 of us climbed out to around 2500 and went over the back to the Piedrahita valley, following the river in gentle lift and then out past the Red roofs.   On the north side of the valley the N wind was comming in, so we ran back, though Pavel landing at the Red roof and James, Clair and Rob landing at the Hoyoredondo junction.  I managed to scrape back up, then went back to Piedrahita via Aldeanueva, and the take off, in what was now becomming very good condtions with good Cu, meeting Ian who had gone direct to Piedrahita, rather than following the river.  Ian carried on flying whilst those who bombed at Chia now got another go at Peña Negra.  Nice conditions till around 7.30pm.

This weekend gave some excellent conditions, with Rob making a nice circuit of the valley on Sunday, and the rest of the new group getting an evening flight on arriving from the Airport run.

Monday gave us another excellent Cu filled sky with a light NE wind and climbs to around 2600m.

Paul Feltham, still with his red ribbon, made an excellent flight to Barco on his Mojo for a PB (22km) and some stunning thermalling.  Edward also made a PB on his new Arcus to  around 26km.

James Budd and myself reached the Tornavacas pass at base and decided to continue as a good cloud street had set up along south faces of the mountain range.  Unfortunately the thermal condition were very light and low down the valley breeze was a light Westerly.  We landed around 60km in some of the small available fields.  Ian also committed to the Cherry Valley, landing a little further back.  The rest of the group were mainly in Barco, with Clair up towards the pass.

A very lifty afternoon flight after the low cloud clearing.  Almost too lifty, so we did a modest out and return to the West.

The evening flight gave classic restitution allowing an easy ridge run and some going to the small hills to the north on the return.  A great flight to end the week.