March Snow Storms!

Even sea level elevation was blanketed by several rounds of snow this March. This was unusual, as was the number of times we had to shovel snow around our house this year. Winter made an impressive appearance 2016/17.

On one of the snowfall days I happened to be in White Rock, a town south of Vancouver. With all the snow falling I thought the ocean side pier would make for a great photo object.

Coquihalla Visit - March 4

We had surprisingly few backcountry ski days this year for several reasons... the Colombia trip, poor snow conditions, nasty weather, sketchy avalanche situation (and general laziness?). But finally a day on the Coquihalla. We stayed in the trees since lots of snow had fallen and despite a 'considerable' destination from AvCanada we wanted to play it extra safe. Turns out it was a good idea as a couple of other groups in the area triggered all kind of slides on more open slopes (on Nak and the steeper west side of Needle ridge) and there were two accidents on the North shore and near Whistler.

Spring Flying in February

Mid February we lucked out again with a stretch of warm and sunny weather and 3 fly-able days in a row. The first two days were glorious with fat smooth spring thermals. Great opportunity to take some photos of my flying friends in the air. On the third day the wind came over the back which means lee side conditions and rather torn thermals. Pete still managed an almost 40km out and return flight but reported the nastiest thermals he ever had on Bear Mountain. Outflow makes bears grumpy.
 

Roldanillo, Colombia - Jan 22 - Feb 5

We did what the (snow) birds do and flew south this winter. All the way to Colombia. Roldanillo in the Cauca Valley is a flying mecca that attracts pilots from all over the world with its reliable conditions and great mix of mountain and flatland flying. Nice XC flights (100+ km) can be had most days.

There are three launches at Roldanillo: Aguapanela (nice big launch but associated with small risk of bombing out behind the power lines in north wind, used during the comp and therefore closed to free-flyers), nearby El Pico (as the name says… smaller, but with less risk of sinking out) and Los Tanques (a somewhat longer drive from town, 3,000 COP fee = CAD 1.40). In addition there are several other flying sites nearby but all require re-locating.

We enjoyed flying in Roldanillo with XC flying, flatland thermals, and a good dose of adventure. Every day of our 14 day visit (Jan 22 - Feb 5) was flyable and we accumulated quite a few air miles and 3-4 h airtime daily. Compared to Valle de Bravo I found the flying more technical (and the après flying in Valle better … in Rolda not many pilots hang out at the LZ at 35oC ;-). Low cloud base and lots of crossings can end the flying day prematurely. There is seldom a second chance for an afternoon flight due to the Pacifico wind coming in and blowing over the back in the afternoon. This wind can also make landing in town very turbulent but conveniently there is a usually save ‘airstrip’ just a couple of kilometers east of town. Other challenges include the long glide out to suitable LZs when flying the back range, many small and tight LZs (often just a trail between fields) and last but not least several high voltage power lines along the mountains where one has to take care not to get boxed in between the lines and the slopes.

Shuttles and taxis to the launches leave every morning from the market square (8,000 -10,000 COP). As long as one lands close to a road getting back to town is easy and cheap as well with one of the many local buses or hitchhiking but landing away from roads may mean a long and hot walk through the fields.

The locals are super friendly and very helpful but not many speak English. Spanish translation apps are very useful.

Accommodation can be arranged with the flying outfit Cloudbase Colombia, at one of the hotels or by word of mouth by renting a room from local residents. Closest international airports are in Cali and Pereira with 1.5-2h bus connection to Roldanillo.

Last but not least aspiring Roldanillo pilots better like heat. We had temperatures between 30-35oC and it wasn’t cooling down much at night – not a big surprise as Roldanillo is just 4 degrees north of the equator!

But its a great spot for longer cross-country flying with an interesting mix of mountains and flat-land. I flew 5 of my 10 longest flights to date!

Dodging clouds along the mountains

Aguapanela launch from Pico

Roldanillo with launches and LZs

Sweet clouds over the flats between Zarzal and Victoria

My tracks from the second week