Our editors recently reviewed your blog and have given it an 8.8 score out of (10) in the Sports/Extreme Sports category of Blogged.com. This is quite an achievement! We evaluated your blog based on the following criteria: Frequency of Updates, Relevance of Content, Site Design, and Writing Style. After carefully reviewing each of these criteria, your site was given its 8.8 score.
Please accept my congratulations on a blog well-done!!
A seminar downtown had just finished and I was on my cell with Bernie.... the wind's on, let's go. We didn't have to say it, we knew what it was about. It was the eve of Chris' birthday and it might be the last fly-able day for ten days.
Bernie and I sped out to Müller hill to find light buoyant air and a spectacular sky. We flew into the dimness of the sun setting over the Canadian Rockies.
I thought a lot about Chris, about all I learned from him, about how he was a better friend to me than I to him, but mostly all the fun we had. It has been three years since his accident and now thinking of him makes me feel more happy than sad. So happy about the goodtimes I just can't feel sad about the sadtimes.
The day before: Chris Müller, Brett, Curt Warren
This is the chorus from one of the songs (Kyprios) played at Chris' celebration:
Every life, first the sun then the night falls We're all on borrowed time, I'll never say goodbye Take your time, live your life like it's last call Don't wanna see you cry, we'll never say goodbye....
There is always a road in front of us; we can choose to stand still or keep moving. The distance is just out of sight and who knows what we'll find there. Maybe danger, maybe something we've been waiting to find. We might search our whole lives, only to find nothing. But in that beautiful flux we will find ourselves, our lives and our purpose. All the unknown down the road isn't so dangerous. The most risk lies in the stand-still, the clinging, the fear of losing something, the fear of change. Go.
After completing a challenging project on time I decided to spend the weekend in the Bahamas to recharge.
I was walking along a quiet beach, taking in the blue sky, white sand and turquoise water, when I looked back and noticed my footprints in the sand.
A footprint in wet sand is the universal image for 'life was here'. It reminded me of being 12 years old and on an expedition in the jungles of Endau Rompin in Peninsular Malaysia and finding a fresh tiger track along a small river. I knew wild tigers existed but it was at this moment that I became aware, at an emotional level, that tigers were actually _real_. I went back later to look at the tigerprints but an afternoon storm had washed them away. I remember asking myself how it could be possible that the presence of an animal as beautiful and Great as the tiger could be erased by a few raindrops.
But nothing is greater than time... Great leaders are slain [Bhutto], species become extinct, countries divide, companies collapse [Microsoft, just wait], mountains erode, islands sink. Time is the Great damper, equalizer. To me, this is not a depressing thought, rather a life affirming reminder that every goal of mine to have, own, keep, influence or control is futile. The more often I can remind myself of this, the more time I can spend doing real things, towards real and lasting happiness.
Back to the Bahamanian beach... there I was, eyes closed, feeling the wind, water and sand on my skin. Nothing could change the fact that I was there, nothing. And yet nothing could possibly keep me there tomorrow. Life and all its pieces are impermanent. You hold on to life, not by stopping time but by moving with it.
There is a rhythm in everything; I can feel it. Mostly, I find myself moving awkwardly out of phase, but there are rare moments when I am able to let the rhythm of life find me, to become it. Dancing with the rhythm of life is the most beautiful thing; something that cannot be taken, owned or preserved. Reach out to hold on to it and the music stops. So keep moving.
Every Thanksgiving there's a massive banquet feast at the Müller's. It's the last big get-together for the season, a last chance to re-lie the season's stories while your friends nod, pretending to buy them.
Of course, classic soarable air is pre-ordered for the afternoon so that everyone is hungry and happy, in time for dinner. My routine is to stuff myself on Felix's strüdel but leave a little room to taste the turkey. Hey, that's how I roll.
Here's my first attempt at 'audio visual digital video' editing, or whatever it's called. Personally, I think it should be called a time sink.
Anyways, to all my family, homeboys and homegirls, wherever you are... Happy Thanksgiving!
Bernie and I flew to Dallas together with our carbon prototype gliders -not easy- and picked up our pimp'n ride.
Task 1
The first task was a 150km downwind flight in light blue conditions. It was difficult in places but flying with so many good friends, doing what we do best, made me smile many times during the flight. The long shallow final glide over bright green cotton fields was peaceful.
Many top contenders landed short of goal today.
The gaggles were congested at times; wide angle lens do not seem to convey how close we fly together.
Task 2
A 185km downwind dogleg task in difficult conditions. I landed short of goal in a soft part of the course. As I left a gaggle that was stuck in light lift I was feeling pretty confident that I would find something better further on; when I turned into a nice smooth 300fpm from 300ft above the ground, I smiled in relief but after only a few turns the entire thermal just disappeared.
It wasn't until I looked down at my feet standing in the soft soil of a cotton field that I realized I had landed. So much preparation, so much focus, so much effort... as I packed up alone in a pretty cotton field that I'll never see again, the reality of my imminent freefall on the scoresheet began to set-in.
I've had setbacks before but it still hurts every time. It hurts a lot.
Task 3
After a night to get rid of the grumpies in me, I was ready to start over. A 169km downwind flight to Levelland, via La Mesa. Slow and tough but still the best day so far. This time I was 9th into goal. An Italian beat me by one second as we dove into the airpot below treetop height at groundspeeds over 140km/h!
This hanggliding stuff is fun!
Task 4
Finally we had clouds and a decent cloudbase (10,000ft). The 150km downwind task was fun and the cool air at base was a relief. Most took the first startgate at 2:30pm but the gaggle split immediately only to join once again 30km from goal.
My playground today, or rather playsky.
Here's a short clip taken during the task. Team member Bernie appears below me midway through the clip. He has been flying really well, as have the rest of our team.
Every Canadian in goal today!
Task 5
Today we launched in Texas and landed in New Mexico, in a different time zone, having flown the largest task ever completed in hanggliding history... 285km!
45 of 109 pilots completed the task.
Happy pilots in goal
Task 6
Launching from a dolly via aerotow
A very hazy day and a 150km task with a final headwind leg that put all pilots on the ground. This video shows the low visibility.
Task 7
A 175km downwind task to the famous Hobbs, New Mexico, in epic racing conditions except for some soft areas early in the task.
Cacti at the Hobbs airport
Day 8
Dangerous Dean pummels us with rain so it looks like no flying today. Tomorrow looks bad too.
Day 9
Hurricane Dean continued to rage so the 2007 World Championship came to an end.
1st Attila Bertok (Hungary) 2nd Robert Reisinger (Austria) 3rd Gerolf Heinrichs (Austria)
Team Canada finished 12th.
Brett Hazlett: 22nd (5273 points) Scott Gravelle: 62nd (3534 points) Bernard Winkelmann: 63rd (3495 points) Ross Hunter: 81st (2888 points) Jon Orders: 91st (2185 points)
Attila's acceptance speech was emotional. He thanked ex 3-time-consecutive World Champion, Tomas Suchanek, for setting the bar so high that it took Attila 26 years to be the guy standing up there on the highest step of the podium.
During the flight back home, as I drifted in and out of sleep, images of the last couple of weeks of flying flowed through my exhausted and happy mind. It already didn't feel _real_ and, of course, it wasn't. It was only real when we were all out there in the sky, going for it.
The weather was good for flying in the Rockies this weekend so I made the 2.5h drive from Calgary and went on a short 80km out-and-return flight. With my late start and having to make it back in time for the World Team fund raiser BBQ, that was all I could do. But retrospectively, thunderstorms blew-up more to the South anyways so it was a good choice to turn around early.
This is CANADA!
So wild, so grand, so engulfing. The reflections on my helmet are the images floating seamlessly through my mind. Up here, my problems fade into irrelevancy.
Earth's teeth
Cruising in lift on the return leg to Golden. This patch of air was smooth enough for me to take out my camera but I still couldn't hold it steady.
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