Montsec ridge at sunset

Another sunny blue sky day here in Àger :)
After a short meeting about the World Cup next August I dashed up the hill for a fly after seeing a glider soaring along the entire ridge without losing any height at all - I should have been suspicious...in fact I was a little suspicious...something seemed just 'not-quite-right' and so it turned out to be!
It was a flippin' paramotor! Not surprising it could stay up in nothing with a big whorlie fan on the back!!

The meteo was slightly from the north but very light, so easily launchable but I thought, not sooooo easily stay-upable, since even the vultures were taking a nap.
As I was contemplating taking Merlin for a walk instead of a top-to-bottom flight, a British registered van with hang-danglers on the roof pulled up.
Being the shy reclusive kind of girl that I am ;) my first words to the 2 guys were " you're gonna need to run like a bastard to get those launched! "
Surprise and shock on the faces - they had obviously assumed that I was Spanish!
It turns out that Mark and Russ were from Peak Airsports in Derbyshire and making their way down to Andalucia to meet clients for a flying holiday in the sun, but stopping on the way to check out other sites with potential for guided holidays, SIV and pilot training.
Wellll Helllloooooo boys!! Welcome to Àger!
Time for the not-so-hard-sell on 'my' beautiful valley - the place sells itself without too much blabbering from me.
As Russ was fairly low airtime, Mark volunteered him to drive retrieve, so flying was back on the agenda for me. Conditions were between nil wind and nearly nil wind so unusual for here - after a spectacular (1 1/2 forward somersaults over the edge when I couldn't stop sliding!!) failed front-launch (the first front launch I have attempted since school days!) I picked myself up, dusted the stones out of my pod and executed a near perfect 'normal' launch. Note to self: Practice needed, lots of it!!
Mark hadn't been convinced by my feeling that it was going to be buoyant so thinking he was on for a sleddy he was more than chuffed to climb out in front. I managed to slide down through the empty air below the thermal and grovelled my way out of hell's gulley onto the ermita for a punchy climb to above Tablones.
Thermals were small and broken but to my mind relatively friendly and uneventful. Being the impatient madam that I am I left Mark still trying to climb from Tablones and crossed scary gulley sure that there would be a monster lurking somewhere within its guts to ping me up and out....ho hum wrong again! Not even a bip!
Once on the east side it was inevitable that the climb would be snaking up the spur where it 'always' does...how many times do I need to be humiliated today??!!
Accepting that I'd stuffed it up in royal fashion, there was no option but to try to squeak back hugging the rocks, when two Griffon's glided below me and started to turn lazily out from the ridge over a deep crevasse - that was my sign! :) I was about to be redeemed ..or not as the case may be!
After 2 or 3 circles the birds decided it wasn't worth the effort and buzzed off to find a convenient ledge to rest their weary wings.
'Fait-accompli' my only option was to try to glide as close to Camping as possible. Mark, now well above me again was trying to suss out my landing option to radio to Russ more or less where to scoop me up, but after a committed bit of speedbarring over the grotty grey gulleys I was on an easy glide for Camping...Funny that after my 'discussions' last week in Berga, today actually was the day that I readily admit that I didn't have enough height to reach the chosen destination! But someone upstairs was being kind to me, I did get there after a buoyant last couple of Km's - lucky lucky me!! :D
Mark chose to come land with me, landing with a huge grin, squealing like a girl :-D, that it had been a fab flight! He had had a few words with his wing after getting unceremoniously spat out of a couple of climbs at Tablones and seeing the Sigma in positions that no self-respecting flying machine should demonstrate. Punchy, snotty, ratty, bullety, all words that described some of the climbs but to me it just seemed like another 'relaxing' day in Àger. I love this place! :)
Russ was able to fly from la nueva in the late afternoon making it easily to Maciarol and so convincing Mark of the potential of the site for training.
After beers and tapas and lots of banter at Bar Torres and dinner with wine and more silliness at Joseps', the guys decided to delay the 10 hour drive to the south coast until tomorrow so another bottle of tinto later we planned a collaboration between FlyÀger and Marks school to give his students the opportunity to come play in the best playground in Catalunya.

A great day - sunshine, thermals, new friends just a little too much vino - and the prospect of some work! What more can a girl ask for?!