)Thought I would put this out there to the 3 or 4 other pilots that use this WCSC forum.
The WhatsApp tribe of the WCSC have been slashing a new direct route to launch. The upper section of the project starts out of the logging slash just below launch and aggressively takes a direct route up to launch. Very well marked and steep. The actual measured distance between sticking to the road and taking the new trail is 900 meters less taking the new direct route.
The SAFETY notice regarding this trail is the design flaw it creates at the top of the trail. Users exit the trail directly onto the flight path from launch and is a hazard to pilots attempting to take off. An exhausted old man (person) cresting the top of the trail with head down and keeping an eye on their heart rate will likely be oblivious to that fact they just wandered out onto an active runway?
Sure, to a paraglider pilot, taking a boot in the head from a fellow low flying pilot attempting to get airborne is just a friendly greeting, but taking some recycled beer cans from a real aircraft might have some deadly consequences. Its quite common to see both hang glider and paraglider pilots skimming this slope well taking off. If you doubt this comment, look at the wind sock at the point (the old ramp)..... we had a pilot yesterday having to push out and climb to miss the windsock pole on the point.
I suggest the trail be redirected near the top, to the south side of the launch area to avoid the active runway.
Cheers,
Martin
PS, maybe somebody might want to forward this note to the Whatsapp tibe? I know its allot of words and exceeds the limited attention span of most social media users but maybe it could be rendered down to something like "Martin says trail bad" ? tho.... Martin thinks the trail is great, just a dumb place to exit...