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Section Six: Slovenian Alps

Click here to see Section Five: Austrian Alps.

Saturday September 3rd

Idrsko, Slovenia: I have never broken a tent pole in my life...until this morning. My two main poles on my REI Base Camp Four had been "remembering" four stress points for the past couple weeks, but I figured they would be fine. No such luck. At some point after I took off the fly, and while I was washing dishes, one of the poles snapped at a joint.

The tent came with a sleeve, but I still searched around at all the sports stores for a spare just in case one of those other points blow. Will need to fix that in the morning, or the next time I camp, being as I snagged a Zimmer for tonight after a long drive in the rain from St Johann to Tolmin Slovenia.

Yesterday I was preparing to head north into the Czech Republic, but something a friend of mine, Amir, said, kept bugging me..."Tolmin is the nicest place I have ever flown in Europe!" That is a pretty large statement, but one I had to investigate, so, I headed south and east toward Slovenia instead. I figured I would never make it there if I did Prague first.

It was a nice drive, albeit long, from St Johann south on 161, east on 168, and then south on 107 that took me through the Ferleiten Wildpark.

A Wildpark in Austria is a place where the vast majority of the indigenous wildlife has been eradicated, the roads are paved, and the fences are barbed.

home, home on the range,

where the sheep and the cows are a pain, where seldom is heard,

an ecological term,

and the skies seemed cloudy all day.

Essentially, it pretty much looks like the rest of Austria...oh, except there is very little logging done in the Wildpark. Perhaps that is because most of it is rock or ice, sort of like Mt. Rainier National Pork, and I hear logging is more difficult if there are no trees. Cynicism aside, the place was beautiful, and I was very interested in seeing their idea of a park, when much of the country is so beautiful in the first place.

After the park I headed east on 106 to E66 where I enjoyed a brief experience with Italian toll roads, between Arnoldstein and Tavisio, after missing a turn off. Love Italian food, but their highway system, and the people working for it, are F#@%ed up. Pardon my French, German, Italian, or Slovenian as the case may be. Today, it should have been Czech.

Once I got back on track (54 south from Arnoldstein) I crossed the high boarder in the rain, rolled into Tolmin fairly late, found the main LZ, learned that the Czech nationals and open had been taking place here for the past week, heard about some hurricane that flooded New Orleans (flooding is something I feel neither the Dutch nor the Cajuns, should be allowed to complain about), and then headed up stream to find a nice little room at the Jazbec Zimmer for the night.

Sunday September 4th

Volarje, Slovenia: The Jazbec last night was ok, but nothing I wanted to do again for 36 euro, so after breakfast I checked out with the intention of finding a camp site for tonight. I headed to meet headquarters, where they had still not made a final decision on the day. The wind is strong, but they are hoping it will calm down. While waiting around, I dug out my tent and did a semi-permanent fix on that break using the sleeve and some of the packing tape I bought a few days earlier. I think it will last the rest of my trip. Everyone else was drying out gear, sunning themselves, or just relaxing around the soccer field being used as a pilot campground and headquarters.

Oh, they are also checking email with the free WiFi that is set up. I did as well and it looks like Eric, of CMS Studios will not be able to help me fix my space issue...so, still no photos for a while longer. This morning, I fired out an email to Denton of FireFly, in the hopes that he can move my web site over to another server with more space. I think that may take 2-3 days once Denton starts the process.

Finally, after three decision postponements, the day was canceled on account of wind. This ended two weeks, and two competitions, of numerous pilots using the area. I say using the area, and not flying, because out of the past 14 days there had been only one valid task. Rain or wind made most of the days non-flyable, and weak conditions ruled the rest. Worst summer ever for flying in the European Alps. Worst summer ever for high alpine flooding as well.

The closing ceremony, and prize giving came next. With only one valid task it was pretty easy to choose who won. Petra, a Czech-Chick, won several of the categories and grabbed quite the stash of goods, but, since the organizers had so much to give away, almost everyone got something. They even jokingly created new categories for the Asian Open, African Open, Australian Open, American Open (won by a Brazilian woman, the only American in the comp) and a Hospital open for those three pilots making trips to the local facility.

Even though it was blown out, I took the time to drive up to look at the Kobala launch. Looks great, but I sure wish I could fly it to make sure. Today, the only beasts enjoying it were the cows sunning themselves on the ridge line.

Drove down late in the afternoon and found a great camping area, next to the Soca River, and set up. No one was around Camp Vili, but I was able to find everything just fine. Roses, and other flowers, are all over the place, along with ducks, friendly people, clean bathrooms, free hot water for showers, and a large communal cooking area and great room.

The forecast for Monday is looking good.

Monday September 5th

Volarje, Slovenia: I was already up, just, but at around 08:20 I heard the music of an ice cream truck coming down the road. Vili had mentioned something last night about a bread girl showing up around this time, and sure enough, here she is. People all over camp, exclusively the men, for some reason, started popping their heads out of tents, mohos, and caravans, to hurry over to the queue.

I got a chocolate éclair sort of thing and a mini baguette that, when combined with some peanut butter and jelly, made a great breakfast. Others were loading up on strudel, heavy breads, yogurt, milk, and a variety of other goodies.

Things were still fairly sleepy in the camp so I managed to get a photo of this German guy's VW bus. I think he said it was made in the 60's and he did the modifications himself. Four engines, a bunch of tinkering, a bit of fabrication, and a lot of love provided for the best Pop-Top I have seen on my trip so far! Tallest too, when he has it fully loaded.

Around 09:30, a couple of the campers started digging out their paragliders in preparation for a a day of flying. I had planned on meeting the PG shuttle van in the LZ at ten am, but it sounded like these guys had made arrangements to the shuttle pick them up at the campground. I was not 100% sure I was understanding their German correctly, so I stuck with my plan of ten am in the LZ.

A few pilots were hanging around, but there was no shuttle yet. That made sense, if it was also supposed to be meeting pilots at Camp Vili at 10:00, but by 10:45, when there was still no shuttle, I checked with the local tandem operator, who told me the shuttle was going to wait for another hour to let conditions get better. From my perspective, it was great now! Ok, maybe not soarable, but it was flyable, and, after the past 14 days of crappy weather, I would have thought pilots would be itching to go.

After another hour, we got word that conditions were now starting to get too strong on launch, and that the shuttle was cancelled. Damn! We could have gotten a sled ride two hours ago, but such is life.

Maybe this was the best place my friend has flown in Europe, but maybe he needs to get out more? Not nearly the infrastructure seen in other great flying areas. Not to mention the weather!

Took a drive around the valley, transported a few hitchhikers to their various destinations and basically vegged for the day.

One pilot, Tomas, came walking into camp after hitching home from an LZ near Livek. He had made arrangements to meet have another group of pilots shuttle him back up to his car when they got home later that evening. I offered to drive him up since I wanted to see some new areas anyway. He mentioned that he got in two sled rides with the shuttle from the campground, and that some others were out getting their third flight right now! The shuttle that leaves from the main LZ in Tolmin only goes to Kobala, the site that only offered one task in 14 days of competition, and the site I missed out on flying yesterday. I know which shuttle I'm taking tomorrow. If you are ever in town, contact Rakuscek Jelka for info on both of the shuttles.

Tuesday September 6th

Volarje, Slovenia: Once again the bread girl showed up around 08:30 to flocking crowds. You would think she would feel just great having all these admirers scrambling to see her each morning, but she is pretty much all business, and then rushes off to her next admirers.

After the bread girl left, I slowly had breakfast, did my dishes from last night, and grabbed a shower. That left about 30 seconds for me to snag my gear and join the six other pilots for a long van ride up to the Italian boarder where we jumped a rough and tumble back road along the border, and then backtracked further into Slovenia. Made it to launch around noon and we had windy and east-cross conditions.

Looking east down the valley to Kobarid you I can see thick haze, and know there was little, or no, chance of making it the full 7-8 km back into town at this stage. Our shuttle driver agreed, but practically guaranteed me that the wind would soon come from the south and it would be easier to make the full distance.

Even without flying, I can see the beauty of the area, and the great potential for XC flights.

We have two vans, with about 15 pilots and, when a few of them gear up and start walking, I follow. They go up on a little shelf behind launch that is pretty much in a rotor, but they are convinced they are going to do some ground handling there. Does not look great to me, but Valker and Gerhardt , two German pilots also on their first time to Stol, decide it could be fun to watch for a while.

The eager inflators spent about 90 min getting tossed around in the rotor and managed two accidental flights, one with a downwind crash landing, while the rest of us ate our lunches and enjoyed the sun & straightening wind.

Around 14:00 I was about to burst! Conditions were really looking great and I wanted to fly. Finally a couple of the locals headed down to the launch so I did as well.

Most of the pilots were on a band I could not get, so the two Germans and I choose a frequency for the three of us. The blind leading the blind as the only three pilots who have never been here before!

A couple of people launched and seemed to be climbing out quite well. One, on a high aspect-ratio and  high performance glider, had his legs spread wide for the whole flight. Chicken legs...but there are sure to be a few bumps out there.

I laid out behind and between two pilots that looked pretty much ready to go. Unfortunately one was a launch potato and was really taking his time. With four pilots in the air, and a couple already heading east to Kobarid, I was itching to go. Finally Launch Potato blasts off, and I am fifth, shortly after.

All the others were off to the left/east, but I chose to head west, worked it a bit, but was not getting as high as the other two still left in the air. Headed out front to a large cliff face, and to one of their thermals, to join the flock at the lowest tier. Together, we all gained several hundred feet over launch, with me still on the bottom. Enough is enough, if I can't climb out above Chicken Legs and Launch Potato, I'm leaving! So I did, and headed west toward the Stol Summit which is about a grand over the launch area.

I find a screamer under a nice cu and quickly climb to cloudbase and 2k over launch! Yowsa! It was great to be back in the air again! :-)

Chicken Legs and Launch Potato saw how well I was doing so headed my way...the gray bottoms of the clouds must have had them thinking though, because they were not coming over the back (north) or as high I as I was. It was a great perspective up here with lots of altitude to explore. I was able to watch another pilot (Blue Boy) climbing out as the two Germans were launching. I tried them on the radio, but just got silence. Oh well.

As the highest wing, I decided to punch out to the west and explore a bit. Went past the Stol summit a few clicks to look at an incredible ridge line. Easy flying for the next 10-15 clicks I figured. As I hit a big patch of sink, I also realized the LZ's are few and far between, so headed back to Stol, where I find Blue Boy, Chicken Legs, and Launch Potato bouncing around a few hundred below cloudbase, which has dropped to about 1500 over launch.

About the same time I see two wings, low on the ridge, racing west. Must be the Germans, but I still cant raise them on the radio. I follow...from about a click behind and a thousand feet above. I chase them for several kilometers, pass by a little white marker...sort of like the trig points scattered all over New Zealand...and, after seeing no LZ's, having no radio contact, and being one of the three pilots farthest west that have never flown the site, I head back.

A bit harder going into the wind, and my speed drops to about 12mph according to my GPS. Still, I make it back over that little marker with lots of height, gain a bit more, and then head toward Stol. By now I know there are two wings behind me, and I can only see one still in the air in front of me. He is low on the ridge, and the clouds out there are thin.

I decided to top off the tank every chance I got. Never leave lift. Find lift, get in it, stay in it. Etc., etc.. This did mean that as that one other glider was landing short of town, I was still about 1k over launch, and within a glide to the lz even into the head wind.

I arrived at the main Kobarid LZ with lots to burn so I made the up-wind valley crossing and kept going east. Valker came on the radio asking, from the LZ, if that was me. I guess that wasn't the two Germans that headed west.

I kept working east, pass another red glider about a K below me, heading the other way, almost loose it over a broken ridge line with village scattered shelves, but hang in there. Catch a boomer over a recent, and very large, land slide, to take it back to cloudbase. With this, I am now able to see Camp Vili and the main LZ for Kobala in Tolmin. Make a turn point around a separated peak near the LZ, and decide to fly back to my campground for a nice landing. You can see the rows of marigolds, and other flowers, in addition to the roses, encircled by white-washed rocks.

Max height over launch was about 2k (will need to ck ASL), time was about 2.5 hours, distance was about 20-30 clicks from launch to landing, and maybe 40-50 total if you count my west push and turn point at Tolmin. Really not sure of numbers, but am now giving more credit to Amir for his choice of favorite sites in Europe.

As soon as I landed, I packed up, jumped in the car, and drove back to let the others know I was alive and well. Then enjoyed a great dinner with Tomas and Kate.

Thomas has a very interesting little business going...he has invented the Valasske Kingdom in the Czech Republic. Has set up a few tourist offices to promote it, created currency, his own wine label, has ambassadors in various countries, etc.. Pretty ingenious way to keep those tourists happy! :-)

I found out all of this over a wonderful dinner for three, prepared by Vili himself, of fresh grilled trout (eyeballs and all), polenta, and an Adriatic style salad. Oh, I also found out that the little trig marker was the Italian boarder. Good thing I had my passport.

Wednesday September 7th

Salzburg, Austria: The mushrooms Kate found while hiking, and was then cleaning all evening, sure were great in a mushroom-egg-onion fry. She had about ten varieties, and way too many for her and Tomas, so I was invited to breakfast with them and their very cute cocker spaniel...but I forgot his name.

After a good feed under a still thick cloud layer, I packed up and got ready to move on. I would still have liked to fly Kobala, the main Tolmin launch since this is the site that made Amir claim Tolmin as his favorite site to fly in Europe, but it was just not happening weather-wise. At this stage I don't care either. Had a great flight yesterday and have a long drive to Salzburg, my midpoint stop on my way to Prague, today.

Without the rain pouring down like it was on my arrival, I was better able to appreciate the steep canyon walls, textured valleys, and crazy-windy roads! Heading over the pass into Italy is really quite beautiful, and it makes one wonder what all the ugly gun emplacements are doing here? Not sure if they were left over from WWII, the cold war, or both but I hope they stay there, unused, for a long time to come.

Click here to see Section Seven: Heading East