The alluvial fans these mountains leave is impressive. It looks like if all that soil was back up top, they'd be twice as tall !!
Some of the first HG distance records were broken in the Owens valley. The valley is flanked by two rows of mountains with the valley in between. The mountains and valley are oriented North/South.
Early soaring pilots figured out that the Sierras were high enough to block the general west winds (from the pacific- though when the winds get high enough and spill over the top, WATCH OUT!!). So, they would launch from the southern tip of the western mountains- as the sun rose, it would first warm those mountains and create thermals / lift. Then as the sun crossed Westward, the East mountains (the Inyos (above) and the Whites) would come into full sun and would now have the lift. The trick was to cross the valley sometime after midday (and not sink out) then establish yourself on those mountains and continue North. The first 100 milers were set here in hang gliders.
The alluvial fan above, slopes at about the same angle as the glide ratio of a HG, so landing out can be tricky... oh, and then there's the huge swaths of sharp lava flows ...
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The alluvial fans these mountains leave is impressive. It looks like if all that soil was back up top, they'd be twice as tall !!
Some of the first HG distance records were broken in the Owens valley. The valley is flanked by two rows of mountains with the valley in between. The mountains and valley are oriented North/South.
Early soaring pilots figured out that the Sierras were high enough to block the general west winds (from the pacific- though when the winds get high enough and spill over the top, WATCH OUT!!). So, they would launch from the southern tip of the western mountains- as the sun rose, it would first warm those mountains and create thermals / lift. Then as the sun crossed Westward, the East mountains (the Inyos (above) and the Whites) would come into full sun and would now have the lift. The trick was to cross the valley sometime after midday (and not sink out) then establish yourself on those mountains and continue North. The first 100 milers were set here in hang gliders.
The alluvial fan above, slopes at about the same angle as the glide ratio of a HG, so landing out can be tricky... oh, and then there's the huge swaths of sharp lava flows ...