Alberta Paragliding Website

Hey Evryone

If you feel this website is of use to you then Paying Kevin Perry a small amount of money would help with the expenses that he incurred all on his own. There is a paypal at the bottom of the page to chip in to keep this going. I personally feel this is long needed to help pilots in Alberta. This is not a Muller Windsports project and I would like to keep it that way this is a page for pilots from a pilot. A site like this is only use full if everyone chips in with articles and information. SO lets encourage Kevin to spend his time and money by helping him out.

Hello everyone.  albertaparagliding.com is up and running.  We are continuing to improve it on a weekly basis.  There is a home page with local news and useful paragliding links.  I'm pretty sure the forum will prove to be the most useful item.  In particular, the forum topic "the flying planner" where you can tell your friends that you're going out to the hill or ask friends to join you for some paragliding.  Sign up!  The more people that use the site, the more chances you will have to fly with friends rather than alone.  We all need a local website where we can share information and plan on flying days and or vacations.  I hope you find it useful.  If you have any suggestions please post it on the Alberta paragliding forum.

 

http://albertaparagliding.com

http://forumpg.albertaparagliding.com/index.php

 

Keith and Caroline's Latest Addition

Hello to All

Well sorry for the mass email but no time to give everyone a personal message. I hope to hear from you all and get back to you soon. Sorry if this is a total shock to anyone it just means we have not talked since december....hahaha.

As some of you already heard Caroline and I were expecting our first child this month. Well he is here. He was born Tuesday morning at 12:36am. His name is Loic Gregory MacCullough and weighed 8.4lbs and 52cm length. He came two weeks early but both Momma and Baby are healthy. The labour was very quick as we only spent 1.5 hours in the delivery room and 4 hours total at the hospital before he arrived ( Thanks Sue she ate no pie ). Caroline took nothing for medication in anyway so like I always knew she is one amazing woman. She was unbelievable in there and made it very easy for me when things were looking mighty tough for her.

Some of you saw me in Golden BC Sunday night and Caroline texted me Monday morning so sorry I could not stay and say goodbye....grin. She even let me take a 2.5hr nap Monday afternoon before going to the hospital at just after 8pm

Were super psyched to have a baby together and hope for many great times with you all in the years to come.

Hope all is well for all of you this summer.

Love 

Keith, Caroline and Loic

P.S. please change your address books to this email for me as I use the other one very little now...Thanks

For those that want more I have set up my gallery at

http://gallery.me.com/mullerwindsports#100004

username is: loic
password: MacCullough

US Paragliding Nationals

Well if your reading this you may care where I am. I have just arrived in sunny California to attend another paragliding comp. For those interested the results should be at this address
http://www.santacruzparagliding.com/natshome.html

The results are in the column on the right.
I will try to update but as you know I get lazy.
All for now
K

[Spam?] Reserve Clinic

MULLER WINDSPORTS

RESERVE CLINIC 2009

DATE:               Saturday, March 7, 2009

Repack Fee: $40.00 Deployment, inspection and repack.  The lecture is free. 

PLACE:               Ecole Ste-Marguetite Bougeoys, 

4700 Richard Rd SW 

(note: the school is next door to Bishop Carol High School & near the Farmers Market) 

TIME:     9AM

Format: Deployments will start at 9am for pilots who have attended previous clinics.

Lecture will start at 10am.  It is recommended that pilots who have not attended a clinic should attend the lecture.

After the lecture, deployments will continue.  Repacks will start during the lecture.  If work needs to be done on your equipment it will be done at the shop during the week.

If you are a new pilot and don't yet have a reserve we will try to make sure you get a practice deployment.  There is no charge if you have no equipment.

1:30pm- Pizza – included in repack fee or $10 if you didn't pay for repack.

AHPA ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING   2:00

Can you please let us know if you will be staying for pizza so that we can order enough

Email fly@mullerwindsports.com

Day 10 and BIG

Big Task. 117km with goal at the Monarca Butterflies. We criss crossed everywhere and anywhere. It was great day to be in the lead gaggle as it was going to be tough. We tagged the start and got climbs every time we needed them. It was going well as I stuck with the lead gaggle most of the day. I was charging hard as I was totally psyched to be flying today on a totally blue day with no clouds for people to cheat. The day got extra exciting at the end as I waited at base to go out to the flats so I would not be alone. Farmer came along just in time to charge out with me. About 2km's short of goal I took a climb with the others so I would get in for sure as it was to late to get stupid after suck a long day. This cost me a minute or so behind Farmer as he and Micky won the day. I was most likely top 10 for the day...Sweet. Tomorrow is the final day so party party. I did not see my teammates in goal. The goal was at 9000 feet so it was very tough to get in as we had to thermal half a km from the line just to get in as base was not much higher.
Cheers
K

This place is Insane

Today another 106km task. We are all so tired that everyone walks around like zombies. The task had an interesting start radius allowing for several different angles to take it. I choose the one halfway between good and bad. I got to the first turnpoint not as low as one group but lower than another group. After a very sweet climb we were all back together. I raced across no man's land to the next point with a fast group managing to catch most everyone in front of us. At this point we got stinking and high and very cold...4000m which you need to remember its still winter here. Arcteryx has me well equipped but I was still chilly. After some quick pushes into the course we hooked the convergence line and made good time across the lake to a point on the other side. I fell back a little here as i tried to be safe but it actually cost me as the group got a great climb from low and we coming in it was not there. So much for staying high as it sometimes backfires. I worked my way back up but a little behind the first gaggle. At this point I noticed Urban Valic over my head going the other way. he had decided to run around the lake the short way and was now in front by about 30mins. He of course won the day by a huge margin and I am 30mins behind him for the task. I was maybe TOP 30 or so today so not bad on a very tough and challenging task. I did not see my teammates today so not sure how they did. Tomorrow they want a huge task then easy on friday to finish. I will need a break from flying soon as I think I have 50 hours on the new gliders already....CRAZY.
Going to bed
Keith

Sorry for no posts lately

Well I guess to catch you up on what's happening down here. We had a terrible accident where a Swiss pilot died and I was unfortunately one of the witness's. I wont talk about it as it has been written about already all over the internet. I will just say it was a horrible sight. We had a Rest day last Saturday and Sunday turned into a memorial flight to pay respects to the fallen pilot. We all flew with flowers and tossed them out over the lake....very touching. Yesterday we had a long day with a 97km task. I finished not late but not early. I think I was Top 40. This morning I was sitting in 47th Overall so not bad but not great. Today we had a 114km task all over the bloody place finishing at the lake. I was charging hard for the first half but made a bad choice for a glide line and got lower than the gaggle. So survival mode it had to be. I got out after a delay and just happy to still be in the air as the trees were very close when I was low....grin. Back on course I was with the 3rd pack trying to catch up to the front packs and actually doing it. I tagged the final turnpoint at 3500m so very high. I had the rest of the course on a 6 to 1 glide. Off I went and made the end of the speed section with room to spare. I still had 5 km to glide to the lake to actually make goal. I still had it at 6.5 to 1 and its always a very lifty glide. UNTIL TODAY. I got absolutely drilled. I have never fallen so quickly. I looked at my instruments to make sure I was still going forward it was so bad. Lucky for me there was a golf course that we are not suppose to land in and that was where I made it too. I landed 1.7km short of the goal field but actually only about 50 feet in height as if it were not for the trees I would have made it as I was up on a plateau. Well some times you have good luck and sometimes bad so I guess i will chalk this one to very bad luck.
Hope all is well back home and see most of you soon. We have 3 tasks left and then its party time and then come home to get some work done and yes I am actually excited about that.
Cheers to you all
Keith (Not frustrated at all)

Day 5

Huge task today. They called 114km all over the place. I had a great start then led with a couple other guys to the first turnpoint and on to the second I was still with the lead group. We took a line of course line thinking it would be better to get to the hills quicker then work them. BAD IDEA. The group behind cut the corner and met us at the second turnpoint. From here the cloud flying was little out of hand and we continued on getting very low. The task then took us out into the wild blue yonder of the flats. We first had to tag the penon. We had a great glide out into the far off hills across the flats. Once out there we got thermals that were blown apart in the wind. Some drifted more than they went up...grin. I got out of there and back into launch. thinking the front of the penon would work better we went for it. No luck for me here as I got drilled in the strong winds. The group with me only made it a bit further. I landed at the base of the Penon for almost 100km of the 114km. So not a horrible day but it was not Goal. Tomorrow is the last day before REST. We all need it as it was another 4.5 hrs of flying today and more for others.
Cheers
K

Even More Tired

Is it possible to be more tired...
Well today we had a 84km task all over the place including the Monarca Butterflies. It was another cluster in the start gaggle but once the start happened the fast gliders got out in front and we then had space. I was with the lead group going into the first turnpoint but lower. I decided to make the wise decision to take a climb as there was no point in being stupid so early. The climb allowed me to catch the lead group again as they got low. I headed across the mesa and well on speed bar took a nice blowout and my wingtip stuck in so I lost some height fishing it out. I was now low and behind again. At this point the group behind me got me and I lead them into the flats where we took the convergence out to the butterflies. After getting stuck for a few minutes with the lead gaggle in sight it was just not to be and I resorted to being second group for the day. So all and all another good day but not sure how I did. maybe 15-20 mins behind the leaders. I did not see anyone from Team Canada in goal when I left so can not report on them at all. Hope they made it.
Cheers
K

Tired......

Well today we had yet another long task with it being 95km or so. I managed to get myself nice and low after the 2nd turnpoint but eventually worked my way free. I then had some great climbs which put me back into the lead gaggle for awhile at least. At the final turnpoint I made my last mistake by not hanging on to the climb the leaders were in and fell off the bottom. I searched for what seemed like ever on a horrible little lee side spine. I finally got what I was looking for and went across the mesa low. At the end of the mesa near launch I found what had to be the worst and best climb of my life. Worst cause it was so rough I had only half a glider for most of it and best cause it allowed me to go on final glide for the remaining 12km's to goal. The glide was in the convergence so I maintained 80% speed bar the whole time and came in with 100m to spare altitude. A Japanese guy in goal asked me where the fire was and with some hand gestures I explained that we are racing here....grin. Brett and Jim both made it in and not sure about Nicole yet. Not sure how well I did as there were many in front of me today but of course just happy to be in Goal again. Yesterdays results will be recalculated as about 10 pilots got scored for making goal but did not cross the line because of landing short. Tomorrow is another day. I hope for a better result as I feel my glider is going very well and I am getting very comfy with it.
Cheers
K

Day Two

Big Task today. They called a 92km task all over the place. I was with the lead group for the first half but left a climb to look for a better one that was the same but the climb I left ended up getting much better. This left me low with a group of pilots who did the same. I was able to get going again but took a 15min delay doing so. I then got to the final turnpoint and got drilled in sink to almost landing which took another 10mins to recover from. The group then proceeded to go quicker making smart decisions. We took one last climb which allowed us to go on final from about 8km out with a 9 to 1 glide ratio so I did not come in very high but in. I think I may be top 40 but we will see. Thanks for the emails from back home. Time for dinner as its 8pm.
Cheers
K

First Day

Great day today. I was able to fly safely with the gaggle for the first half then managed to connect into the convergence. This allowed me to take the lead for the day which I maintained until the final turnpoint where I managed to make my big mistake for the day. I still got in the TOP 10. I believe I was 6th or 7th. Tonight I will celebrate with Team Norway with a couple beers and a nice meal. Thanks for all the support back home and hopefully I can maintain this great start. The task was 75.4km and most of the field finished. Jim Orava and Nicole both finished for the Canadian Team and hopefully Brett can get in tomorrow too.
Cheers
Keith

Quick

Everything is good. Making changes to my glider daily. I got new risers last night. 4 reserves tosses today. Chad and Peter are having fun. Food is great. Chat soon. I wrote a long post then lost it 3 times so I am going to bed annoyed with this crap so i hope your all reading it.
K

Quick Update

Got here in Mexico Late Last Nite. Almost missed my flight out of Calgary as it left at 8 not 8.30am yeah I know......grin. Woke up this morning and went flying. Good to catch up with old friends here training for the Worlds. I got to really test the new glider and was very Happy with what I found. Its not typical GIN glider but very nice, More on that later. So after two hours and a cruise around the area I landed at the lake for a nice beer and a rest for tomorrow. The internet is rough here so for the next few days updates will be tough. once the meet starts it will be better as we have internet at HQ. All for now and check out the Spo track from the post below and you can see part of my flight for how it works. You can start tracking around11am <calgary time and it should move every 10mins or so. All for now. time for sleep as the sun is HOT and the days rough....I know how sorry you all feel for me.
Cheers
K

Keith's Paragliding Travels

Well If your getting this email I probably think you might care about where I am or if not then just delete this and ignore.
I am off in about 6 hours to Valle de Bravo, Mexico for the Paragliding World Championships. I will get a week of practice in then the game begins on Sunday the 25th. I plan to try and update my blog but I will also give you the links for other sites with info. My other major plan is to fly with my SPOT locator beacon, It will update every 10mins live with where I am so if you want to get fired then go watch this site.

http://share.findmespot.com/shared/faces/viewspots.jsp?&glId=0QnTjoYYNEq9Fu8JuDoV2aAexa2FdM2Cu

http://mullerwindsports.blogspot.com/

http://www.keithmac22.blogspot.com/

http://www.canadiannationalteam.ca/

The Best Coverage probably
http://www.eagleparagliding.com/?q=node/212

The Official Coverage
http://www.pwmex2009.com/

So hope all is well for all of you and Thanks so much for all the support now its my turn to go represent.

Cheers
Keith

Thanks for a Great Evening

Just wanted to say thanks again to all those that came and to those that chipped in some money. It was a very successful evening and I will do my best to represent Canada and make you all proud.
Cheers and Thanks again
Keith

test

TEST

Fundraiser for my trip to the World Paragliding Championships

Come to Shank's Crowfoot to have a few drinks and support my Paragliding Endeavors. I will be having a 50/50 draw as the fundraiser part so don't feel like you have to pay money if you come, I would like to just see all my friends. My good friend John McIsaac from Canmore will be doing a slide show on his attempts at climbing Everest without O2. I think we have a great evening planned.

Place: Shanks Crowfoot in NW Calgary
When: January 14th/2009
TIme: Around 7pm

Cheers
K
Check out my new glider a Boom 6 from GIN GLIDERS mine is the white one
http://www.pbase.com/vincene/gin_gliders_boom_6__icepeak_3

Chelan

I am off tomorrow for the Canadian Paragliding Nationals in Chelan. I will be taking my girlfriend Caroline along for this adventure as after it wraps up we will be taking two weeks holiday on Vancouver Island. I feel as though I am ready for a great meet after the summer has not allowed for many long flights. I will hopefully be using my SPOT locator some days but the batteries are lithiums so very expensive the link to follow me is http://share.findmespot.com/shared/faces/viewspots.jsp?&glId=0QnTjoYYNEq9Fu8JuDoV2aAexa2FdM2Cu .
So give it a try.

I will be using the Boom 5 from Gin Gliders for this meet so it will not be my equipment holding me back.

Hopefully I will be able to Blog while there but if not I will write when i get to my Mom's after the meet.
Cheers
Keith

Mexico

The meet started on Sunday and Will and I arrived a couple days before that to get into the groove. I am flying a new glider this season so getting used to it right before the first day was a bit short. So Day 1 started with a nice rough day of flying the ended up shading over and shut most of the day down fro us so I ended in 28th spot after day 1. Day 2 was a great day we had a 70km task and after a very risky final glide I finished in 5th place. the task had us fly into goal with nothing but trees between us and the finish. I made it into the finish cylinder but not into the actual field of goal as I was to low. Today I really don't want to talk about so I won't.
Hope all is well back home.
I will most certainly lose my 13th place overall.
I will try to update more often but internet is tricky here and the only reason I am even writing today is I was back early.
Cheers
K

Home Sweet Home

I am home now and after recovering from what seemed like the worst Jet Lag ever. I have been suffering the post long trip blues as I spent so much time and effort organizing it and now its over. But that just means its time to plan for something else. After spending Will's birthday in the rain and totally drunk we got up the next morning for the last task of the World Championships and the sun was actually shining. The day looked ok but cloudbase was low so we knew it would be tough. Sure enough we all launched into the cluster of gliders not really climbing but above launch. Myself and Will left between the start times so took a 10 minute penalty by not waiting for the next start time. We talked as we were close to each other and decided to just continue to goal as it was the last day. The day went well with only a few tough spots for me and a great final glide to goal with left most of the way for the last 10 km's. I finished my Solo Bar as I was crossing the goal line as the munchies struck and I had an extra bar in my pocket to finish before packing up to come home so it was time to eat. I crossed the line a couple minutes behind Will and placed 26th for the day while he got 7th. Yes it was tight with a lot of gliders crossing together. So the meet ended on a good note with a nice task and an ok race. I placed 51st for my first ever World's finish and have to be happy with that but next time I now know I can do better. I felt as though I was able to keep up with the Top pilots but they really excel at not making mistakes. There bottom end seems to be higher than mine so I come home and will practice not making the little mistakes and focus on making more solid decisions with reading conditions.

There are a few Thank You's for this trip:
Invico Capital Corporation -
For obviously supporting me both Financially as well as encouraging me to chase the dream. Dave, Alison and Jason you guys all rock and Thanks for all the support.
Solo Energy Bars -
Is my newest supporter and they stepped up supplying me with the energy to fly the long days when I first got there. I also used the bars to keep me alive when I decided that Australian sandwiches taste like crap. So Thanks Saul.
Columbia View Homes -
For the team support. Looking forward to seeing you this summer.
Muller Windsports -
Vincene you are the best we could ever have on our side and without you I would never have made it this far so Thank You.

All the friends that chipped in to make this happen. I will never be able to repay you for a trip that I will never forget. So thanks.
D&G- Your Simply The BEST
Caroline- For allowing me to go away to chase the dream. Love ya
Will for being easy to share a caravan with when the rain fell and the flying sucked at times.
Nicole our Team Leader for going to meetings that I am glad I never had to go to and being a master sandwich maker after we all got sick of the bakery. Thanks

The next comp comes at the End of July
Were running the Canadian National Paragliding Championships in Golden BC July 29th to August 4th 2007
till then later

Days Go By

It has been a while since my last confession. We have been doing everything but flying here it seems. So what that really means is we have been doing nothing. The weather is not on our side so there for we have had to take up other tasks. I have choosen eating, sleeping and internet. Yes, for all of you that know me well this is not working so well for me. Boredom and I have had a very much love hate relationship over the years and this last fortnight is testing it yet again. We have had 3 days here since the World's started and now we only have 3 left to go. The forecast dare i say looks good for the next few days but I will wait till they are here before I get my hopes up on some racing conditions. I still sit in the Top 50 overall so I am not going to shed a tear about it but I still wish we could test ourselves with some real flying rather than surfing every bit of lift we can find.

So until I have something more postive to say I have decided to say nothing at all.
K

Were Flying

Yeah so today the storms finally stopped and we actually woke up to no clouds. The original thought was it might be windy but once arriving on launch it was the opposite. We had no idea which launch of the four to go to as it was really not blowing up any of them. Gadd and I sat on the east launch as the first start time went by with both of us behind a solid 20 or so other gliders before we could even get a chance to get into the air. After sitting for what seemed like ages we finally chucked ourselves into the abyss. In front of launch there was marginal to no lift at all. I promptly sunk out and landed at the bottom just in time to get a ride back up top as everyone climbed out. I was no behind the entire field of 145 pilots. It was time to get my ass in gear. I launched the West launch this time and climbed straight away up to almost base where I decided to head to the first turnpoint which we were told was a massive sink hole. It was. I was so far behind I had a great view of the field of pilots in front of me. We had a group climbing just before the turnpoint to the right and few to the left. I choose left and it worked. I was now with the pack. We went back in the direction of launch were we all got very low waiting for the lack of lift to become something useful. I finally climbed back to base and went on glide towards launch. I was now in the lead gaggle and charging hard. Just at the end of the ridge before turnpoint 2 Josh Cohn and I climbed to base and headed out to the flats where the turnpoint was located we timed it perfect and were now leading with me being first to tag the turnpoint. We tagged it and headed east over town to a small and I mean very small ridge hoping for a quick climb that would allow us to tag the final turnpoint and head to goal. We slowed down just enough that a few other pilots including Tom from the US to help us. We waited for another what seemed forever before we climbed back out. I turned left well Tom turned right and he got the climb and I missed it. I then waited longer turning in zero lift now giving up my lead to 5 pilots. I was still in the game so I hung in there. The next group was none other than PWC champ Chrigal and we quickly climbed up enough to tag the final point and head into the wind to Goal. Goal was right next to the Caravan park where were staying so very close to home. I believe I made goal in about 13th place. As I was packing up we watched many pilots in the gaggles after us dirting just short into the headwind. The speed section ends 1 km short of actual goal but if you do not make it across the physical goaline you get all your speed points taken away. So it should be a nice spread of points between those that made it and those that dirted. There are rumors of 35ish pilots in goal on a 60.7 km task. So I am headed to bed to prepare for tomorrow. We entertained ourselves with another episode of "Heroes" tonight to chill out. It has become a great tradition watching the laptops in our caravan. Well all for now.
Cheers
K

Great Ideas

Yeah I started with what I thought would be such a great idea. I launched right behind Will and we slowly got to base. I spent sometime in the marry go round at base in bigears trying to stay out of the clouds with about 100 of the gliders that had launched. I worked my way to the edge of the circle which was 2km around launch. I dedcided if I go I could probably drag at least a few gliders with me but no luck. I was about half way through my glide to the next climb when I turned around to see that I was all alone in the middle of nowhere with no help to find the next climb. I did find my next climb and got back to base thinking at least the gaggle will be chasing soon then I can have some help. Once at base i headed to the ridge in fornt of me and continued alone again as there was still know one with me so it was time to just go it alone for the day. I got to the Turnpoint and got base very quickly. I turned for the big glide to goal and hit the headwind hard. I glided to the next ridge where I managed to get up a bit to the next ridge where I knew I just needed about 500m climb to get high enough to get over the ridge before goal. I searched and searched but no luck for me today. I landed happy but a little frustrated to watch everyone fly over my head. It was a great effort to get it alone but next time I think Power in Numbers is the way to go. Today is looking very suspect as we just had about an hour of some of the coolest thunderstorms I have ever seen. It is rumbling still as I write this. It is 10am here on wednesday and I believe we will be watching more episodes of "Heroes" which by the way is the best show on TV I believe now. Its very entertaining for us to hang out in Franklin and watch american TV together. So hope your all enjoying the snow back home...grin.
Cheers
K

The World's Start

Or do they? They were suppose to start yesterday and as of now Monday afternoon we still have not had a task. The weather has been epic since I arrived almost 2 weeks ago. But yesterday things went bad weather wise. We went to launch yesterday and watched as the clouds got bigger and bigger around us. I got already with my flying clothes and walked into the line up to launch when they delayed us for about 5 minutes then called the day as cancelled. I was a little displeased that I got ready for nothing and voiced it loudly out of frustration. I quickly calmed down and packed up my gear and drove down the hill. We were really happy to be down as a few hours later one of the biggest thuderstorms I have ever seen dumped loads of rain on the town of Manilla.
We had a very nice dinner of pasta made with peanut butter, thai curry paste and coconut milk. (VERY TASTY). Were eating on a budget here as it costs a lot for food were finding. Apres dinner we chilled with friends and retreated to Franklin (Will's & Keith's Caravan) to watch an American TV show called "Heroes". Ok James you win its a good show...grin. We watched the first two episodes before crawling into our beds to read for a couple hours. Yes, I do know how to read.
Today we have been chillin in various capacities from Jogging to coffee drinking to napping and some computer work. I have arranged for a couple us to go to Sydney on the way home and my brother has got us tickets to some Australian Rugby which should be crazy fun. The forcast I have to say is not great for the next few days as a tropical storm sits in the North of Australia pulling moisture from the south towards us. But hey if you have a drought book a paragliding meet to get rid of it. Well enough of me rambling and I hope all is well for everyone wherever they are.
Cheers
Keith
PS. cross your fingers for things to improve for us until then bring on "Heroes"

Pictures

Check the link to the right

Pratice Day

Were all here now. Josh Cohn and Bill Belcourt arrived yesterday. So the US Team is Kari Castle, Tom McCune, Bill Belcourt and Josh Cohn. The Canadians are of course already here. We will all go up to launch and set up some sort of practice task to get back into it all. Tonight is registration so i have to get some paperwork together. They are very sticky about prototypes here and wether the right person is flying it so a few of us had to get a letter signed by the designer to prove were allowed.
So its 8 am and the Cuckatoo's do not allow for sleep past about 7:30 so needless to say we get up early every morning. It is nicer this morning as it rained during a tunderstorm last night for a bit to really settle things down. Sorry for not being able to post many pictures but I am hoping still that I find a connection with more bandwith to allow me to send bigger files. Sorry for the scatered post but hey its something I guess. I am still tired so will take it easy for the next couple days to get back into the game.
Cheers
K

First meet over

Yeah the title says it all. Were cooked, fried and just plain done. We flew a crazy amount of hours and over 100km everyday. There were something like 75 of the 150 pilots that had personal best distance flights myself included. We all got our names called out and a t-shirt was awarded. I did very well in this meet so I am more than psyched for the World’s to start on Saturday. I finished up in 20th Overall out of 150 pilots. I managed to beat some of the best in the World so of course that feels good and I was really not that far out of second as the points were very tight.
I would just like to Thank everyone that has made this trip possible. Invico Capital Corporation and Muller Windsports you guys all rock. All the friends who chipped in and even the ones who didn’t thanks for being there. Caroline your the BEST.
So thanks everyone else cause it is 36 degrees as I sit here writing this and my brain resembles a frying egg on a sidewalk.
Cheers
K

More Flying

Ok so here it is quick version. We lanuched I got stuck in front of the launch low unable to find enough lift to get me on my way. After close to an hour of that I finally got on my way. I quickly and I mean quickly flew after some other pilots in order to try to get with a group that was moving fast down the course. I just ended up passing most of them and going it alone. As I was alone I figured staying IFR or "I Follow Roads" was a good option. I made a very low save at the 70 km mark where I actually got out of my harness to land. I took that climb back to base and proceeded onwards. I got to the town on the way called Bingara and climbed out again but the storm cells to my right were coming to the right and the blue hole in front of me was going to make it difficult to fly fast enough to out run the storms. I blundered into the blue holw and like I figured there was nothing for lift except a lot of wind trying to push me futher off course into the storms. I landed at the 96 km mark but a little off course so we will see how I shape up. The scoring is still F*&^ed. We have no clue where anyone is ranked. I have had some top 10 days so we will see where I end up. There are 2 days left and I have had 3 solid flights. I need 4 days for the ranking out of 8 so I guess I at least need one more good day to pull off a solid result. Were resting well and not partying at night so it means we can actually function in the air. I have almost flown 20hours and some 400+km of distance in 3 days of flying. Were very tired from this sun spanking us all day. We Canadians just don't understand what sun is till you have been here. It goes through your shirt to burn you and can zap every bit of energy you thought you may have had. But were having a very solid time of it here. Everyone that got me here I have to thank for so far what is turning into the best flying trip. Sorry for not posting pictures but the internet here in town is so slow it would take a month to post pictures. I will post a bunch when I either get to sydney or hopefully for the worlds they will have a better internet area set up. I will be taking rest days thursday friday and saturday to get ready for the Worlds which start Sunday. Once again sorry for no party stories yet and no pictures. Cheers to everyone back home.
Keith

YES GREAT DAY

OK its midnight and we just got back to camp so this will be quick. I flew 225km today and was in the air for almost 7 hours. Yeah it was crazy. There was probably 20 of us over the 200km barrier. The idea was that we all had to foloow the same bearing meaning we were all along the same course. We had to be as far as we could by 6:30pm so I went on a long final glide just before 6:30pm to try and win the day. So far I am in 2nd place after the last check so we will wait till morning to see. All and all a great day. I managed to chew down 3 Solo bars in flight to keep me going and 3 liters of water. I felt great and this is by far a personal best for me as I have never flown more than 160km. So thanks to Solo for keeping me energized and Invico for actually getting my ass to this comp.
Cheers
K

Picture Leaving Calgary

G'day Today

So today dawned HOT and clear. After all the usual running around this morning we headed over to pick up our new cell phones. They got it all figured out and we were off to head up the mountain. But first we stopped by the owner of the flying sites house and he has a pet baby Kangaroo named Mango. So after a short visit and a nice little pet of Mango we went up the mountain. I launched fairly early and went straight to cloudbase where I went on glide downwind. I was fairly close to the lead group and as this is not a race for this comp I just chilled out and let them lead the way. My racing got the best of me as I could not handle anyone in front of me so I pushed hard after the lead group but there was just no chance to catch them. We ended up getting about 40km where a large bunch of trees about 30km in distance stopped us and made us turn around to go a different direction. It would have been nice to know about this large block of trees but hey that’s Paragliding I guess. So after about an hour detour we were back flying and gaining distance. I spent most of the day at close to 2500meters so it was comfy and not to HOT. I finally had Will come in under me after not seeing him all day. For those reading the other Blog of the team Nicole will update you on her day. So Will and I continued to the 100km mark and he got just a bit further when our day ended. It was 5.5hours of flying 100km so by far the longest it has ever taken me. We actually flew about 130 or 140 because of us having to back track a bunch. So all and all a good day. I will try to post more pictures soon but its hard because we get back late and this is it for me before bed around 9pm.
Cheers to y’all

First Day

Well Kids
Today was a day. We got up early as the body would not allow anymore sleep in after going to bed at 9pm last night. The day started with clear skies but turned into a stormy day. I launched around 1:00pm into nothing, so I sunk all the way to my landing at the bottom just to watch Will and Kari continue into the thermal that I could not use. So with a quick ride to the top again I flew quickly until the 15 Km mark where I ran into a wall of thunderstorms. I choose to allow my smart’s to overcome my day and landed. I was glad to get some flying time and get used the glider again. I hope tomorrow will be a great day and I feel today could have been except we launched to late. So till tomorrow.
Cheers
Keith
PS Happy Valentines Day to you Sweetie.

Flight Over

Bon Matin
Were still sitting here on this long ass flight to what seems to be the middle of nowhere. Its 5:30am Tuesday morning Sydney time and it is something like 11:30am Monday at home in Calgary. Will and I have both managed some form of sleep for a few hours, he is sitting on the aisle and me against the window and with another guy between us. I am watching the most amazing sunrise right now and will post pictures when I send this tonight. I feel as though my diet of trying to be healthy is being thrown out the window by United Airlines as they constantly make sure your chewing something that resembles nothing I would ever eat at home. So no worries about ever going hungry on these flights. I believe we have another couple hours then we will land in Sydney and have a 4 hour wait and meet up with Nicole and Tom before we have yet another 1 hour flight to Tamworth. Were going to try and get an evening huck off the hill tonight to work out the body from being still for so many hours but we will see how we feel when we get there.
Will and I both also managed to not have to pay extra baggage charges and in fact they never even weighed my bags (SWEET). The first comp starts tomorrow so no time to recover but hey I think were all used to it being this way. The first comp is the Manilla XC Open and will run for the next 8 days and is open distance everyday (fly as far as you can). The cool thing about this comp is only your best 4 flights out of 8 count towards the scoring. That way after a big distance day we can rest and get after it again the next day without losing any points for it. Well I guess they think its breakfast as they are feeding us yet again damn they must think were hungry from all the exercise were getting sitting here staring out the windows and watching bad movies on shitty screens.
Salut
K

Flight Delays

Yeah I am sitting here in YYC at the airport. My flight was suppose to leave at 1:27pm and yeah well the flight is now leaving at 3:40pm. So I guess my trip starts with a waiting game. I thought I should call Will and let him now exactly what was going on as he had planned his connection fairly tight in San Fran so he is now on the way to the airport to board this flight. We will travel to San Fran where are good bud Jeff Wishnie is planning on taking us for a little Mexican feast before our 10:20pm connection to Sydney. I am admittedly dreading this horrible 36 or so hours of travel before we actually get to our destination. But I guess it could be worse I could be going to the ARCTIC. So I guess that will settle for today’s update. Today’s weather is extremely snowy and cold here in Calgary.
Cheers
Keith

Paragliding World Team Party and Slide Show by Will Gadd

Hey Everyone
If y0u got this email I either feel you care or just felt like I should send a heads up email.  I will be representing Canada at the upcoming World Paragliding Championships in Australia and would like to see you all before I leave so this is a great opportunity to come hang out for an evening of debauchery and good times. We have managed to convince Will Gadd who is the other male on the team to do one of his Great Slide Shows about his crazy adventures from around the World. He does slide shows for a living so they are always very entertaining and fun for everyone. So Invite all your friends and family. Hope to see you all next Thursday night January 18th.
Cheers
Keith MacCullough
P.S. Liz can you forward this to the Older Crew i.e.. Your parents and highschool friends. Thx


The Canadian Paragliding World Team fundraising party will be held on
January 18, 2007, at the Schanks Athletic Club (103 Crowfoot Terrace
NW, Calgary, AB) at 7:30pm.

All are invited for a night of partying, a slide
show by Will Gadd, and the draw for the 50/50 contest. Entry cost to
this event is by donation to the PG World Team or nothing.

For those who can't (or don't) want to travel to Calgary, there is
still a chance for you to enter the 50/50 contest and help the PG
World Team (Will Gadd, Keith MacCullough, and Nicole Mclearn) pay for
their trip to Manilla, Australia, for the FAI World Championships.
Tickets for the 50/50 draw are $1 each; obviously the more tickets you
buy, the greater chance you have of winning! The winning ticket will
be drawn the night of the fundraising party, and the winner will get
50% of the 50/50 proceeds. We are projecting a total proceeds of
around $6000, which means the winner can walk away with $3000!

If you want to buy tickets for this draw, here's how you can do it:

-In person at Schanks Athletic Club, January 18, 2007.
-By emailing me with how many tickets you would like to buy, and a
mailing address that I can send the tickets to. I will send you a SASE
that you can send a return cheque in.

This is a great chance for you to support the Canadian Paragliding
World Team in their endeavor to compete at the World Championship
level, and also a chance for you to win some big money (pay off your
holiday debts, go on a winter vacation, save up for a new glider,
etc). The winning ticket and their owner will be announced on this
mailing list, as well as the HPAC mailing list.

Big Party for Fundraiser

Day 1 US Paragliding nationals

Well you guessed it I am away yet again to the US. This time I am competing in the US Nationals. They are located in Sun Valley Idaho which is basically a high mountain desert, so very HOT and DRY. The mountains are capable of giving us life to well over 18,000feet so we all fly with O2. I got here after a very long drive of 13 hrs in the rain. I arrived last Friday night and was ready to fly Saturday morning. We had the official practice day and one of my buddies Nate decided to take a few of us on a tour of the area from the air of course. We ended of flying towards a beautiful pass called Galena. It was only about 40km so only 2 hours in the air so we would be rested for the next day.
Day 1 started very sunny and we went up to launch early via a chairlift which is very nice. My chairlift partner is of course my bro Ryan and he flying as well which is a lot of fun having friends to hang with to make it like home. The task for Day 1 was a 79km out and part way back flight over the Galena Pass. I was able to time the start with the lead group and decided to take a very direct line to the next turnpoint where as Will and a few others choose some very different lines. My line was up the middle so I could keep a very close eye on everyone. As we neared the Turnpoint the pilots all converged on a single mountain so we were all together again with about 10 of us. At the turnpoint I made the major mistake for the day but recovered nicely and was able to head of to goal shortly after the winner allowing me to take 7th for the day.
Day 2 was well lets just say not so much fun. I was fully dehydrated and hypoxic from the Day 1 has my O2 system ended up leaking so I had none and my camelbalk was pinched so I had no H2O. I did launch in the less than ideal conditions but after close to an hour I decided with judgment to save my life and go land. I was not into it as I was really not well and was unable to really get my head in the game. The day ended up being good and 12 made goal, so my placing overall dropped to 25 but I am only a little ways back from Top 10 so with a couple more days it should be good. WOW that was long but there it is JC....grin.
Cheers to all back home and Thank You to Invico Capital Corporation for sending me here.

Golden is Best

Well you may have noticed by the title I am in Golden. We are having a 5 day comp. With pilots from all over the world here competeting for the prize of champ. It started off with a 60km and we had 11 people make goal on a very tough day. The conditions were very slow in the beginning then got fast in the end. I managed to get low at the very beginning then was able to catch up to 5th place for the day so overall I sit in a good position. Yesterday was a different story. We sat on launch for 6 hours waiting for conditions to improve and when they finally did at 5:30pm we called a complicated 40 km triangle. With the wind still being strong on launch we did not have many eager pilots wanting to get in the air including me. So after my bros Will and Jeff decided to go off I went as well. We ended up having a great day of racing. I was able to take the lead after the 1st triangle was finished and held onto that lead the whole way around the 2nd triangle. So the GPS’s are scored and I managed to make some ground on the other pilots. With a 5th and now a 1st I should sit pretty good going into day 3. Cheers and I hope all is well for you all.
K

Great Times

Yesterday was my best ever at a comp. A great day of racing and managed to pull off a Top 5 finish. The race started with all of us waiting in the start at cloudbase for over an hour. We then set out on a 70km task with 5 turnpoints. I was able to time the start right on time and then proceeded to get the turnpoints with what we thought was the lead group. But it turns out there were a couple guys that managed to take an odd angle to the start and got in front. We finally caught them and snagged the turnpoint after a great glide line. Len and Bill took the turnpoint first and took a very bold line to the next turpoint where as myself and Josh and Bruce went back to the ridge a little out of the way but safer. Then it was off towards goal or so we thought. What felt like it should have been a final glide turned out to be 3 more thermals before I could hammer the bar to get in. I ended up a minute and a half behind the winner and 1 second behind Bruce Goldsmith. So all and all a great day of flying. The times were 2:22:37. Yeah two and a half hours for a very long task in this area. Till today. It looks cloudy today.
Cheers K

Rat Race Results

http://www.ratracecomp.com

Then click on results. I had a  great day yesterday placing 1 second out of 3rd. But ended up 5th because of some leading bonus. Up date later.
Cheers Keith

San Fran

Well it was a nice relaxing flight after Mr. Cranky charged me 25US for having a bag that was 4lbs overweight. Oh well. So once in San Fran, Jeff picked me up and it was off to his really sweet pad in the middle of an area called Mission. This house is so cool. It is one of the houses that is super tall and long but narrow. After some obvious chillin we walked down the coolest street ever for some good ‘ole TEXMEX. I miss it every time I am away from the states for to long and it is always one of the things I want when I first get here. So as we proceeded down the street I was able to watch drug deals and more homeless people then I think Calgary even has people. It is a crazy world. After some great cheap food and some full bellies we went to a cool club Downtown. It was made from an old art gallery so basically it was just an empty room with a little bar along the wall. Kind of cool actually.
Well after the party the true adventure was trying to get back to the car weaving through prostitutes and the crack heads to find one of them leaning against Jeff’s door. He kindly asked her to move which of course she grunted not missing a beat in her conversation with herself and moved. Ha-ha. Funny Funny World we live in.
For today we are just about to get in the car for what I have been told is a 7hr drive.Yay. So all for now .
K

The Real Season Begins

Well if your receiving this message all it means is I thought you might care what I am up to in the next week. The Paragliding Season is taking me to the booming metropolis of Medford , Oregon. Yeah that’s right, Medford. Well I am not quite sure what this town is famous for but after spending a week there I will probably be able to shed some light on the matter. The one thing about Paragliding Competition is we get sent to some of the most far reached places around the world where honestly you would not usually spend more than a bathroom break to see these places but hey I get to spend a week. That aside I am looking forward to this next adventure. I actually get to fly into San Francisco, then drive the 6 hours North to Medford with my good buddy Jeff. The comp. Itself starts on Tuesday so I should be able to practice for a day or two before it gets rolling (Yay).
This Comp. Is rare in that it actually has 2 comps in 1. The first is a normal racing comp and the 2nd is a mentoring system where the higher ranked competitors get paired with a rookie and  we train them for the week to hopefully teach them better racing skills.

Of course this meet as like my whole season has not been with out the help of a great group of supporters:

David Campbell @ Invico Capital Corporation  ( Thx Buddy I would not have made it without you) WEB LINK on the right column
Smith Sport Optics & Ian ( Thx for making me look better out there )
Muller Windsports  ( Thx you mean a lot to me)
D&G Inc. (Love You Guys)
Gravports  ( Gadd need I say more. Thx Bro )
Mom & Dad  (Your the Best)

Well all for now. Wish me luck and I will update my Blog as often as I can

www.keithmac22.blogspot.com

K

Captain Chaos

Today was a strange day. It was very overcast I as I rolled over in bed. It was 7:45am and there is a very large window in my room high up on hill. My roomies woke me up to a very grumpy go away response. I rolled back over and told myself the day would be cancelled. A few minutes later I got out of bed and slowly got my shnazzle together,making my way to the vans for the long drive up to launch. Arriving at launch to a blue hole above us, I got my gear all ready. The meet director then told us that the top 40 get special launch order, which means that we can go out and launch whenever we want rather then having to get into a line up with the other 125 pilots. It was very relaxing watching the chaos unfold. We finally got on our way and as I was on my way to the first of six turn points my buddy Santiago had his glider kick him in the ass resulting in a reserve toss. After the reserve toss he landed in the trees below me and all was good he hiked out. After that I was very much behind and spent the rest of the day catching up. With a very slow point before the 4th turnpoint I spent my time taking it easy just trying to finish the day. So the day ended with me getting to Goal in 6th or 7th place so all and all a GREAT DAY. I was 30th place going into today and now I will move up a few more spots.
www.monarcaparaglidingopen.com for results
Sorry no pictures today.
Cheers K

Lazy, Crazy, Fun, Very Tired

Well the title sums up my moods for the last 72hrs. It has been a crazy mess around here. The lead gaggle manages to disintegrate into the ground towards the end of each day and it has included me for Days One and Two. Day 3 it all changed, I had a terrible start and got behind right at the beginning. With the help of having all the other pilots in front of me to show me the lift along the way I quickly caught up to the front and managed to fly myself into 10th into Goal. Goal was high up on a plateau where all the Monarch Butterflies migrate for winter, it was at almost 10,000 feet above sea level and the clouds were at 11,000 feet so it was very tough to get too. I ended up placing 13th for the day do to the fact that I missed out on some speed points that are given to pilots who lead during the day. The leading points are given to pilots who charge out fast and make it easier for the slower pilots to see where the lift is up ahead and take very little risk up not finding lift.
Today was another very hard day. I launched very early again today as it was a speed run which means we all get individual start times(normally we all start at the same time). I was very fast in the beginning,then got stuck flying on a small ridge with 20 or more other gliders for more than an hour. I finally got fed up and searched a little further for some better lift and found some but before I could turn there were 20 gliders flying straight at me making it very difficult for me to turn. We got on our way to the next turnpoint, trying to avoid flying in the clouds as it was overcast. The group all turned at the turnpoint then it was just a matter of gliding as far as we could which lucky me was farther then the rest. I placed roughly Top 20 for the day, so in the overall I may move into about 25-30th. So with two more days to go I can hopefully pull out a better placing,maybe Top 20 if I get smarter....
Cheers and check my photos in the corner flicker account.
The Results can be found at www.monarcaparaglidingopen.com
P.S. Today's Photo is from Nicole

Day 1 Monarca Open

Well.....
Day 1
We started off with a 59 Kilometre task. I launched number 3 and spent over an hour and half in the start circle at 11,200 feet going in and out of the wispy clouds with 150 pilots. I timed the start perfectly with Josh Cohn and Frank Brown and managed to get a great glide line to the first turnpoint and back to the second. By this time the lead group formed and for some reason there I was with them. Josh decided to take a very bold line to the next turnpoint which was out in the flats. Len and I decided to not quite take the line Peter Brinkby took and decided to go half way between the two lines. We glided into the turnpoint number 4 and found a big blue hole so we slowed down allowing time to make sure we were high enough to get back to the lift in the hills. This is where my first mistake and last mistake was made. I tried to retrack the thermal I was in and lost it. So the group I was with and actually really needed to help spot left was now 1000 feet higher then me. They went on glide back to the hills where the final turnpoint was and from there it was just a final glide to goal. I was now left having to climb by myself. This was ok but as I reached the clouds and went on what I thought was final glide a MASSIVE shade spot was no coming across where I was headed. By the time I got there all I found was sink and now was left searching for any chance of survival. The 4 pilots ahead of me went on to goal with no chance of helping me. The day ended with me watching a butt load of other competitors fly over my head as the sun was now out again. So all and all a great day but now I am left with a lot of catching up to do. I am happy with sticking with the big guns up front but it just does not matter unless you get to Goal. Hope all is well back home . Tomorrow is a new day for us all.
Cheers and Thanks for all the emails, they certainly keep me psyched

Well Peeps.
The big day begins. I am currently in a beautiful town about 3 hours west of Mexico City, where the days are hot and the nights are cold. The comp. has 125 of some of the best pilots in the world and will be very tough as the racing here is very fast. I have just spent the last 3 days training and getting use to flying again after winter back home. I’m staying at the coolest house ever with views that are unbelievable. I will post pictures soon but have been forgetting my camera in my glider bag. Sorry Mark. I will attach a shot of a picture of me from about 11,000 feet by my bro Josh Waldrop. The pic shows the town I am staying in. The flying has been amazing and the people even better. We usually land around 2:30 in a nice grassy field by the lake with little kids the pack up your gear for about 80cents ( crazy ). All for now.
I would just like to take some time to thank the people that made this trip get going. Just click the pics to make larger.

Invico Capital Corporation – Dave thanks you guys rock.
D & G – Your a great Bro. Thanks
Muller Windsports – Vincene I could never get my butt off the ground without you. Thanks for all the help over all these years.
Smith Sunglasses – Ian thanks for the hook ups.
Mountain Bike City - Tyler and Brad, I would be freezing my little ass off if it were not for you guys.
Gravsports.com - Thanks Gadd, The glider is going well, so well Eric Reed is flying his Boom 3 too.
And last but not least Mom & Rob Love you guys thanks.

Day 3 and More Flying

So we all went surfing this morning and then went off to Blossom for some more flying. The flying was a lot better today with more then my share of turning at the ends of the ridge with one very low save. (Blah Blah Blah). It was good to turn some circles in preparation for Valle at the end of January. My Dad did some flying as well so it was good to spend some airtime with him. Xmas Eve dinner awaits. Merry Xmas to all and have great weekend.
Cheers
K

Sunny San Diego

Well the trip started earlier then I wanted but hey 6am is not a bad time when your headed to sunny California. With a brief stop over in Salt Lake City, that turned into a 3 hour stop instead of the scheduled 1.5hrs. Flying into San Diego was pretty cool as a very large layer of fog was sitting out over the water and it was sunny over the land.
I did my best on route to keep anyone and everyone from speaking to me about their Xmas plans by watching episodes of the second season of Scrubs. I managed to knock down about 5 episodes (Thanks James). Well once in San Diego we arrived back to the car to find out my mom had left the lights on which obviously left me saying who the hell turns their lights on in the daytime. But she did and we were left with a dead battery. Problem solved. Home we went but not first without a stop at some tex mex(yum). Went Paragliding today with my Dad and had Mom drive. No thermals but lots of sweet air for some nice Acro.
Till Later
K
P.S. I have added photos to my Flicker account in the sidebar

Full Stall Trango

Yes we Have SNOW!!!!

Well the snow has finally fallen on Calgary. We awoke to a few inches of the white stuff covering everything horizontal. The only thing this means to me is a transition from Paragliding to Kite skiing...YES!! I have most of the month off from teaching but will be back teaching classes in early Dec. I have a ticket to sunny California to visit my parents and brother for Xmas. I will only be there for 5 days but it should give me just enough break from the most likely cold temps. here by then. All for now until I start travelling next year.

Bros at the Bar

Great Group Of Friends

Canadian Paragliding Nationals 2005

US Nationals Paragliding 2005