Embark on an exhilarating paragliding adventure through the stunning Leaota Mountains of Romania. This was a hike&fly&hike adventure. Starting from the parking, I hiked with a group of friends all the way to "Priseaca" takeoff point, at 1350 meters above sea level. The taking off was a but tricky here, but once launched I managed to soar into the sky, propelled by powerful spring thermals with vertical speeds reaching up to 5.5 meters per second.
As I glided northward over the rugged ridges, I fulfilled a long-time dream, when passing over a group of hikers enjoying the breathtaking views from the summit of Leaota, at 2133 meters (6998 feet) above sea level.
Despite the challenges posed by the gusty winds and unpredictable thermals, I seized the opportunity to experience the awe-inspiring beauty of the mountain landscape from a unique perspective. Though my original, crazy, plan to continue towards Bucegi was thwarted by the forces of nature, I changed the plan, embarking on a southeastward journey that led to a memorable (but not so good) landing on a mountain ridge at 1700 meters above sea level.
Undeterred by the twists and turns of my flight, I eventually made my way to the road to Fieni, Romania, where I hitchhiked a car, reflecting on the highs and lows of this unforgettable paragliding expedition in the majestic Leaota Mountains. Many thanks to @CristiUrsu , who patiently came after me, spending 3 hours of his Saturday just to drive home a crazy guy who landed in the middle of nowhere :)
Are you ready to join me to the cloud base?
https://www.xcontest.org/romania/zbor...
0:00 - Takeoff
01:00 - already in lifting air, looking for a thermal
03:53 - Great, the Flymaster died, despite having shown battery 90% just before the takeoff. It is not the first time this is happening, I suspect the battery is gone.
05:00 - OK, now enjoying the silence, but also trying to start the vario sound on the phone. I have a shortcut button for that, but only in portrait mode, not in landscape mode. What can be more simple than rotating the phone, right?
10:00 - catching a thermal that brought me back above the takeoff
14:35 - finally got some sound from XC Track on the phone, after a lot of struggle. When rotating the phone I accidentally touched something so all apps got minimized. I had to take off the gloves (they are touch-sensitive, but that didn't seem to work today), bring XC Track, find the volume mute button, and then put XC Track back into landscape mode.
15:00 - nice clouds are forming all over the place
15:30 - one can already see the snow-capped ridges of Piatra Craiului Mountains, and then Iezer Mts
17:32 - Leata Peak, 2133 m. Been hiking there 25 years back, but never managed to fly over it. Maybe today is the day?
18:50 - first strong thermal, I think it reached 5.5 m/s
27:10 - first cloud base, at 2500 m. asl. Time to continue towards Cioara Peak
37:12 - Squizing under the cloud base I reached Cioara Peak, time for one more thermal here, before
40:28 - ...engaging into a cross towards Leaota
45:30 - finally reached the ridge connecting to Leaota Peak, but pretty low. Will I find a thermal, in order to avoid landing on the ridge?
49:20 - looking carefully one can spot a group of hikers enjoying the view on Leaota summit.
51:15 - a curiosity: out of 3616 flights recorded on XContest from Priseaca, only 24 are reach above Leaota Peak, that's 0.66%. One needs a good day and has to dare flying deep into the mountains. I am finally above the peak and waving to the people on the summit.
55:00 - it looks tricky to go towards Bucegi, so I decided to go back, this time over Romanescu ridge.
57:00 - found a good thermal and now I know I can reach at least Valea Badenilor, when I can easily land, if needed
1:19:30 - surfing the clouds again! With 2700 m a.s.l. I decided to go back over Leaota and try pushing over towards Bucegi Mts
#adrenaline #paragliding #ozone #Rush6 #ozoneparagliders #mountains #motivation
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