I'm used to Oregon and over there the winter months just drag by. Gray skies and lots of rain make flying difficult and even hiking is hard work.
But the early part of the winter has flown by here and I can't believe it is Xmas already. There have been plenty of days of bad weather - mostly snow, sometimes rain. But here precipitation falls quickly and you seldom get a run of bad days. St Andre is just at the altitude where the snow can last for weeks or it can melt in a few days.
The result has been plenty of sunny days; normally with a lot of snow on the ground but right now it has almost all melted. I've had several hike and flies (and, of course, a few hikes too); I take my lightest gear and the hiking is a pleasure. There have been two general problems. First, the hiking can take a lot longer when the snow is difficult. Second, there are lots of days with light winds in the valleys and strong winds at or just above ridge height; unfortunately, you can seldom launch on the way up, so you have to choose your days carefully.
I'm using my electric gloves and they make such a difference, both in the hiking and flying. Today is Xmas and I managed to get in a quick hike and fly, using the W launch of Chalvet. Door to door, when the snow is easy, is a tad under 3 hours. The christmas duck is in the oven, I'm about to light the fire, the ski season has just started - not too bad!
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