A Short Flight at Short Divide!

Saturday's forecast called for some pre-frontal SW winds and partly cloudy skies, so I decided to head out to Short Divide in hopes for a "needed" airtime-fix. Landon came along as the official ground-to-air photographer,

and Clover came as official "launch monitor" and to keep everyone company!

At launch it was mostly sunny and about 45 degrees, with a due-West wind of 15 mph.

I set up and walked out to launch, where conditions remained the same. At Short Divide, when the wind direction comes from 270 degrees and beyond it is forced to "wrap around" the upper mountain, resulting in a much smaller lift band and reducing the chances of benching up over the higher peaks in the absence of Summer-sized thermals.

The wind angle still allowed for a safe, easy launch,

and I quickly found myself skimming above the treetops along the small launch ridge. I found an occasional tiny thermal which bumped me up to about 75' over launch, but nothing which allowed me to get much higher. So, although it was not generally relaxing, I had fun scratchin' tight, and making my 180's more like 220's to keep me over the ridge in the tiny lift band.

I buzzed Clover and Landon taking pictures from the launch slot,

and eventually got flushed out to the valley when the wind angle turned a few more degrees from the North. I set up a nice landing approach, and waited a half second too late for my flare, resulting in a less than perfect, but still respectable nose-up landing. As I was breaking down, some high clouds moved in from the NW in advance of the approaching minor front. I was grateful for the smooth, extended 36 minute sled ride. I think ANY safe late November airtime in Utah is very fortuitous! Early in my hang gliding experience, most of my flights were measured in minutes - not hours. Today, a shorter flight now and then helps me appreciate the long ones even more :-)

Airtime: 36 minutes

*Thanks for takin' some pic's, Landon!