天草新記録、69km XC。初めて富岡まで！

天草新記録、69km XC。初めて富岡まで！

苓北富岡半島

富岡の曲崎

富岡ビーチに降りました。

魚野●韓国●造次郎

Spring XC

魚野の風が裏に成りつつのまま慌てて出ました。やっぱり渋くてLZ上空+150m前後でおよそ15分粘ってギリギリの上げ直し。(里杏降っちゃって、ハイクアップと矢岳からのリーフライト。

普通どおり霧島周辺でサーマル雲が詰まって、リフトが弱く当たりにくかった。地獄から時々恐ろしい音が鳴りでた。

一房山上空2400mゲット、東側普通と違って綺麗に晴れていたので勇気を出し前行。

造次郎を越えて宇納間でランディング。韓国岳を含む112キロでした。やっぱり春の九州は最高！ 

Windloveの皆、造次郎の中島さん有難う。

Classic XC- Yatake to Ichifusa

Crazy crosswind takeoff to begin this flight. X-Alps conditions! See for yourself if it was dodgy or not. Not filmed are 10 minutes of failed takeoff attempts immediately before. Take note, there are tall trees to the right of the launch which block the wind, creating a nasty eddy train. Taking off in the gusts seemed safer but proved impossible, so I waited for a lull, then ran like hell and dealt with the wind shear while airborne. Good technique??

 

A couple of hours earlier, a takeoff in similarly dodgy conditions (this time, a following wind), which would have added an extra 10 km to the flight, resulted in an unceremonious bomb-out followed by a quick hike-up (with pack on) to retrieve the car.  So I got my aerobic workout in too!

This is really a classic line hopping the ridges which extend into the south-east side of the Hitoyoshi Basin.  In the afternoon, west winds usually make for a reasonably straightforward flight to Mt. Ichifusa, a tall mountain located on the main spine of Kyushu.  Continuing from here is possible, but it involves crossing tens of kilometers of pure tiger country.

Today, having reached Ichifusa late in the afternoon, with the inversion under 2000m and therefore much too low for committing to going downrange, I was quite happy to boat around Ichifusa's famous 'knife edge' ridge, enjoying the evening wind and views for a couple of hours.

Looking from Kyushu's spine back at the rich farmland of the Hitoyoshi Basin. The rays of the setting sun reflect from flooded rice fields, while  approaching frontal clouds add to the drama.  Although headwinds intensified to over 20 km/h, by picking my line carefully I was still able to creep out over 10km to the plains, landing there in the gathering dusk.

New Red Bull X-Alps Video

Red Bull X-Alps has created an exciting video documenting the 2017 race.  Watch it at your own leisure at their official website: http://www.redbullxalps.com/.

Here is a link to the preview for your enjoyment:

X Alps 2017 Teaser

Enjoy it to the fullest! -- a talk about Amakusa's beautiful natural environment

Next Friday (Nov. 3rd) at 1 pm, at the Amakusa City Civic Center, I will give a free talk (in Japanese) about Amakusa's beautiful natural environment and how it is an amazing and yet almost unused resource, and about our efforts to develop and protect it.  Please attend if interested!

Fun in Kuratake

It is so nice to be able to share Kuratake with friends from near and far. This weekend several groups of foreigners found their way to the takeoff, camping, flying, and having fun.

music video filming in the best location EVER!

camping and together time

tandem with Blane (fellow Canuck)!

tandem with Jamie (fellow U of W alumni)

Leah from England

circle of friends

the early morning crew

Thanks for all coming out and supporting Rick! It was an awesome weekend.

Farewell and Good Luck Party 壮行会

Last Saturday night we enjoyed a roaring party at Nabeshima with a large group of students, friends, and supporters.

A long time student and friend Dr. Yamashita gave the opening kanpai speech.

The party was held at one of our favorite restaurants in Amakusa- Yakiniku Nabeshima. 

We received lots of encouragement and best wishes.

At the end of the party, our good friend Mr. Urakawa gave the closing speech followed by everyone clapping once to finish the party.
Thank you everyone for coming to the party and believing in Rick!
Also, thanks for the shots Carl.
GO RICK GO!