The results appear here:
http://www.flysunvalley.com/USNPC/results.html.


The light winds returned to Sun Valley, although the forecast called for 30
knots west northwest winds at 15,000'. The winds at launch elevation were
forecasted to be 6 knots out of the west, but they proved to be lighter and out
of the south when we got there and through the afternoon.


The task committee called a task to the northeast up Trail Creek and to the
Mackey reservoir in the valley in front of King Mountain. The TFR's for the
fires are off to the northwest west of Stanley, so while the air is full of
smoke, we are not going any where near where we would interfere with air traffic
working the fires.


The launch conditions were very gentle and no one was holding back unlike on the
second day. The forecast showed that pilots would be launching into a light
inversion that would hold all the way up to top of the lift (there would be no
cu's to mark lift) at 15,000' where the temperature would be 19 degrees. The
ground temperature at 6,000' was forecasted to be 68 degrees.


The pilots found light lift at launch and slowly climbed out giving the New York
Times photographer plenty of good shots. Check out the Saturday NY Times. We
might have half a page of paragliding photos there.


Pilots did not get that high, a little over 10,000' (1,000' over launch, 4,000'
AGL) before they headed to the other side of the valley to get up on the west
facing ridges on their way to the turnpoint at Wildcat, high in the mountains.


Twenty three pilots made goal. Tom McCune won the day with Josh Cohn twenty
seconds behind him. Tom got in the convergence (northwest wind meeting a
northeast wind where two valleys meet) at the turnpoint and climbed out to
17,500' in the northwest flow, turned and took fifteen minutes to get to goal.
Another pilot entered the convergence with him but 900 meters east of the
turnpoint not having got the high turnpoint coming from the west. Aimed straight
west at the turnpoint he pulled out (and used big ears) at 17,500' 4.5
kilometers to its east. It took him thirty five minutes to get the turnpoint.


Abe, who was leading the meet, impacted the slope a bit hard after getting low
over a high flat area and running to get over the lip at the edge over lower
ground. He walked out and was walking around at the GPS check in, so injuries
must have been minor.


Red Bull is here. Chuck Smith the organizer and Red Bull set up a cookout at
goal for the pilots who made goal. The task committee set up the cylinder around
goal so that if you just made it into the cylinder you might land in a muddy
area. They wanted to see if there would be any interesting stories come out of
that choice.


Looks like the winds will be light enough for the next two days.