Snow Parlick

Went for a quick blast up Parlick in the snow, the wind was quite strong from the East putting me in the East bowl. Was quite a struggle clambering up the hill as it was icy, there were a few people out sledging and I got asked the usual questions about snowboards, as I use a snowboard bag for carrying my gliders.

Once on the top there was a couple of inches on snow which had drifted to a couple of feet in places, like the bunker where I could hide out of the wind. I filled the Cyril full of ballast and launched hoping for some smooth lift, but it wasn't to be and it was lumpy and rough just like last week. I got about 30 min practice before it got really rough and bumpy so I decided to go for a landing. She came down with a bump in the rough rotor nearly disappearing in the snow but she survived intact apart from the tape that holds the wings on cracking and splitting. I guess it had become brittle in the cold.

So decided to call it a day as I didn't want to risk another landing in the rotor and I came back down the hill.

Managed to find a different way down that avoids the main path that has worn out now and is quite treacherous, followed the tracks in the snow left by all the fell runners. Bonus is it avoids the rocky ice steps of death that I had to struggle up on the main path, will remember that way for next time!

Parlick covered in snow

Snow drifts on the East Bowel

Trusty Cyril, shows up well in the snow