The long running Bassano competition is now resurrected as a three-day event over the Easter holiday. Its popularity is close to former levels, though with only three rather than five potential tasks fewer nations are represented than before. I was the only British hang glider pilot competing and there were no French or Swiss, however most Scandinavians have a week-long holiday at Easter and the Nordic nations are always well represented.
The meet dates back to the days of Open Distance, when in good weather the most dif?cult task was getting back for the next day. The upper launches on Monte Grappa have been abandoned by the hang gliders in favour of the civilised cafe diving board ramp, but the Competition uses the shallow Campeggia launch where there is a huge rigging area and an easy top landing (when there are not 100 gliders rigged!).
Bassano became the first big meet of the year, the place to see which glider would perform best that season. Good results there gave Solar Wings their best year when they launched the Rumour. The meet included a huge microlight trade show and a paragliding competition as well. However the complex legalities that the Italians live by led to the sponsors withdrawing after a microlight, apparently launched elsewhere, crashed in the show car park. The competition was abandoned for a few years but started up again recently as a three-day meet. It remains the ?rst meeting place of the year for many old friends, and a chance to catch up with those who have crossed to the limp side of the sport.
Easter conditions are traditionally a fast-changing mix that can see snow in the morning and a 150km task in the afternoon. Overcast will usually still allow a fast race along the ridges with 400fpm or more on offer, and with the sun out thermal strength goes off the clock. Often cloudbase is barely above the top, allowing only fleeting glimpses of the Cima Grappa war cemetery. Once in a while a cold front reveals the amazing view that is usually hidden - from launch you can see the Appennini all the way to Monte Cucco, and the Alps in the east as far as Croatia. A short drive north is the Feltre Balluno valley that gives access into the Dolomites and a fast out-and-return from the stunningly beautiful Monte Avena to Monte Delada and back that is a bit over the 100km mark.
Traditionally tasks have been a choice between heading east to Vittorio Veneto and back, with the Piave crossing and its vine-blanketed landings the biggest obstacle, or heading west to Schio or beyond and back again. This year a stronger than normal westerly on all three comp days meant we headed west every time.
Day 1 was the traditional first turnpoint at Passagno, 10km east of launch, then west to beyond Schio and back to Passagno for a 7km leg to goal. There's one particular point where you must get over a village on top of a hill, where any excess height is wasted time and being too low is a complete disaster. It soon become apparent that most of the hang glider pilots know this place very well. We know how high we
must be and are armed with the confidence that each year the glider is a little better. However this all came as a quite an eye-opener for normally gung-ho Australian Dave Sieb, first time in Bassano, who later admitted to resorting to follow-my-leader and con-centrating on sphincter control!
After getting back to Passagno the task was decided by who thought they could press on past launch without stopping in a weak one (bad idea), who could make it to goal without returning to the ridge (very dif?cult), and who managed to get to Passagno nice and high. The valley wind demanded 7:1 to make goal direct, but 10:1 was easy via the ridge. Several big names landed just short including Tom
Weissenberger and Christian Ciech, who was just a few metres outside the radius.
For me it was a flight of discovery about just how unfit I had become over the winter. On the pace after two hours, I faded fast on the way back to Passagno and made goal only after picking up a thermal in the valley on my way out to land. I don't think I have ever been so tired while in the air.
On the second day we went only halfway across the big valley to Schio, and then back out to a turnpoint n the flatlands south-east of goal. I left lift confident hat I was on a very steep glide slope, but found such tremendous sink that I ended up 4km short.
On the final day, ringing the changes involved racing past the paragliding comp launch (we all made the point of heaving on the bar and not stopping, no matter how low we were!), going a long way out into the flats before returning to that same tricky last turnpoint. The first trip into the flats claimed many over-eager pilots, and the final glide many others.
| 1 | Robert Reisinger | Austria | Moyes Litespeed RS4 |
| 2 | Alex Ploner | Italy | Icaro Laminar Zero8 |
| 3 | Gerolf Heinrichs | Austria | Moyes Litespeed RS4 |
| 27 | Gordon Rigg | GB | Moyes Litespeed 4 |
Full results are at www.vololiberomontegrappa.it
There was a small rigid wing comp with nine entries Fying the same tasks. Slovenia's Primoz Gricar won on an Aeros Phantom. Primoz was Bronze medallist in last year's flexwing Euros and managed to squeak ahead of the rigid wing specialists.
REPORT BY GORDON RIGG
