The XC season in the Andes north of Patagonia is short. There are three or four months at most with the potential for good thermals and high ceilings. Patagonia is also famous for being windy, so when there is a good day you need to seize it. The complicated weather, convoluted geography and the remoteness transform each XC attempt into an adventure.
Even if the flight plan is a day long with organised retrieve or a closed triangle, we almost always go out with bivouac equipment, prepared to sleep in the mountains. You also have to have good information about the trails, since there are valleys that are very difficult to get out of. It is also ‘mandatory’ to have a satellite tracking device, since phone coverage is pretty bad.
Did I just say “adventure”?!
Spring season
This spring the first good days were a long time coming, winter was not over, and when the weather was good, it was too windy for XC flights. However, patience is a virtue for any pilot and finally the time came to get excited about...
