SAFA Skysailor Magazine

8 SKY SAILOR September-October-November | SPRING 2025 Launch sits around 1600m (5500ft) with two launch lanes for Class 1 and another slightly higher one for Class 5 (Rigids). The generous set-up area for over 100 gliders, however, is on extremely rocky and un- forgiving terrain, so basebar positioning/ protection is important. To the south of launch is the Àger valley, bordered by another row of hills leading out onto the southern flats towards Barcelona. Over the back and to the north of launch is where many of the tasks take place. A large valley with the town of Tremp nestled at the head of the Terradets lake dominates the landscape, surrounded in every direction by rocky ridges and big mountains – a truly amazing place to fly. The calm before the storm Several of our team arrived before the competition started to practise flying the terrain, climbs and final glides of this unique region. Scott Barrett recounts one such practice day: “Racing along a sea-breeze convergence line, cloudbase reached over 4000m (13,000ft), barely stopping. Over the burnt ground in the flats, towering cumulus hinted at the end of safe flying. We stopped for a single climb on what was nearly a 40km High Stakes in the Spanish Sky