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Rhine
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Epinal

 

Although it was only 110Km or so in a straight line, the flight went about as far as was possible in the conditions and provided interesting soaring and some great views of the Vosges. After meeting up with the trailer and putting the glider to bed, we did our (soon to become) customary search for accommodation, beer and Wiener Schnitzel!
The morning started clear but hazy with some high cloud to the North and a noticeable easterly. The local pilots got hold of a forecast which suggested a fairly late start, with the best conditions over the higher parts of the Vosges but a fairly quick build up of storms thereafter.
Robin & Roger took off at quarter past one, just after a few wisps of cu had appeared locally. Conditions were not great but workable, and they set off SSE along a valley with known landing fields.
13 at Epinal
About half an hour later they were down to 800'AGL with a field picked but after a valiant struggle managed to get back up and press into the higher ground. This proved to be a better tactic as the cloudbase and thermal strengths were rising with the terrain (for once). The flight continued up to the top of the Vosges, with cloudbase around 6800' and then began a glide towards the Freiburg area.
The Rhine Valley was mostly clear of cloud but there was some weak lift to about 4000'. By this time (1500) the Black Forest and the Vosges had exploded into thunderstorms and blocked any further progress. Some local soaring took place on the edge of the mountains near the town but it was obvious Freiburg was now the destination, which it became at just after five o'clock.