Here's notice of the St Arnaud Paragliding "XC Camp" event being run during the period Saturday, 8th February to Sunday, 16th February, 2020. The aim of the XC Camp is to create opportunities to fly cross-country in the company of others. If you've not flown the Nelson Lakes and Mt Murchison areas before, then the week could be a good time to check the flying out (weather permitting, as always).

The event has a "message board" web site which is:
https://starnaudxccamp.wordpress.com

Cheers

Tim Percival
Tasman Hang Gliding and Paragliding Club

St Arnaud Paragliding XC Camp

Saturday 8th February to Sunday 16th February 2020

(This expands slightly on the notice of the November Airborn magazine).

The St Arnaud Paragliding XC Camp will be a flying meeting for paragliders with a friendly cross-country competition. Fly XC without a set task and see how far you can get. With optional flight logging to find who flies the most kilometres over their best four flights. The event’s HQ will be a rented holiday cottage in St Arnaud.

Here is a location photo: St Arnaud area, Nelson Lakes, on Flickr
Here is a location map: St Arnaud area, Nelson Lakes, on Google Maps

XC Camp Specifics

Dates: Saturday, 8th February to Sunday, 16th February, 2020.

Day format: Fly XC and see how far you can get, from any of the recognised sites in the greater St Arnaud area, including Mt Murchison, Inwoods Lookout, Mt Robert and Parachute Rocks. Come for the whole 9 days or just the good days. Lodge your flights in person at the HQ each evening, or remotely via XContest, if you wish to enter the friendly cross-country competition (your best 4 XC flights count). Distance via 3 turn points can be scored for GPS tracked-logged flights, otherwise you can simply score the straight line distance between your take off and landing.

Required for Safety: PG2 + 20 hours, reserve, back protection, GPS, UHF Radio, maps.

Cost: $5 suggested donation for the week.

Sites: The sites we will be using are high sites (up to 1450m ASL), so they make for some very scenic and exhilarating flying around the St. Arnaud area, which is the northern-most end of the Southern Alps. (The site records for Inwoods Lookout, Mt Murchison and Mt Robert are 116km, 95km and 91km respectively).

Transport: Mt. Murchison requires 4WD vehicles so if you have one, it would be good to bring it. Vehicles used on forestry access roads must be equipped with fire extinguishers (be sure to contact Tim beforehand if you will need to get one for your vehicle).

General Information

Accommodation and Facilities

St Arnaud has a variety of accommodation available including good tenting in the DoC campground and a backpackers’. And there are holiday houses and baches for easy rental if you’re a little organised. The village has a shop and an all important bar. The event’s HQ this year is a bach/holiday house which sleeps 8. Contact Tim if you’d like to book a bed at the HQ or if you would like to coordinate with other pilots for renting a different holiday house in the village.

For more information contact: Tim Percival, 47A Brook Street, Nelson, ph. 03 548 7397 or 022 646 3864, percival@actrix.co.nz

Cheers

Tim Percival
Tasman Hang Gliding and Paragliding Club