St. Johann to Wiener Neustadt

With pressure falling across the Alps, thunderstorms are expected today and a general collapse in soaring prospects with one small window left today to return to Wiener Neustadt. We refuelled just in case.

Dark cunim approaching St. Johann, time to leave.

 

Climb out from St. Johann, conditions don't look too bad in the direction we're going.

 

The clouds ahead are altocu, no good to us, but there are the first signs of real cu over the foothills of the main divide.

 

Gliding now and just high enough to try the higher peaks to our left, fits and starts only, so we head for the lower hills in the centre of the main valley.

 

Rewarded with a nice 4 kt climb off the lower hills.

 

A couple of climbs later, we are at 10000' and in a position to run along the Dachstein and Grimming into an improving sky.

 

Niederoblarn below, just starting their launches.

 

Conditions much better as we make progress Eastwards.

 

Just South of Eissenerz we discover a smooth thermal, yes wave, in the lightest of winds which takes us to 13500'

 

As we approach the Semmering Pass, the Schneeburg and Rax are generating enormous cunims with very low bases.

 

After checking a route in from the North, we look again at running across the Semmering. A workable route (above) allows into the lower ground West of Wiener Neustadt.

 

The newly renamed "Paj" roundabout, just a few kilometres from Wiener Neustadt.

(Our Pajero support vehicle blew up on this roundabout on the first day of our trip!)

 

The massive grass airfield of Wiener Neustadt.

 

Into it's box with the skies blackening from the West.