First decent spring day to fall on a weekend. The forecast looked OK except base was likely to be a bit low, as air was humid.
Got to the club at 1pm to find the navetta loaded already with 9 hg's... and I didn't have the right boots for the mud on top of Nudo so back to the house and then the 2pm minibus up. Finally took off at 3.25 into the bad part of a cycle, worked around to Nudo but it was quite broken and didn't get anything good until I got over Nudo TO and then a slow 1.5 - 2 m to 1600m. Decided to head forward as it was quite bumpy, by this time it was already clear I was underdressed for the cold.
Over to Sasso quite high, leave at 1350m for Picutz, and get there to find Erik coming back from Cardana, slowly, quite low. I continue but turn back and follow him to Sasso, but I get the lee thermal from Picutz and climb up to 1100m again in +1. Decide to return to Nudo, but I get a good climb on the east spur of Sasso out to 1650m, so go south again, this time cruise through Picutz at 1350m, and the clouds over Cardana look good. Indeed, I get +2 to over 1500m there a couple of times, head out over Bogno, Besozzo Sup and generally float around for over 20mins before deciding I'm getting real cold now and head for home.
Almost screwed up the landing since I figured it was switching, but when I came in for a west wind, there wasn't much and it even seemed to have swung NW... my eyes were streaming from the cold wind, I was a bit fast, missed an upright... but got it 3rd or 4th attempt. In the end just had to time the flare right, push real hard - and every came good. Next time I think I'll just come in for a South landing unless it is consistently West. 1h25m, remember another layer next time.
9:09:37 PM
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