From the start at Edgewater Resort, most of the athletes headed toward the Waterfall Creek and Roy’s Peak trails, with a few hiking in the opposite direction.

From the Roys Peak turnpoint, the group spread out again, some hiking the ridge toward Mt Alpha and taking off from there, others quickly gliding toward Wanaka and the Mt Iron turnpoint. Those who waited for thermals to kick in, were rewarded with longer flights over Mt Barker or toward Mt Maude, or in the opposite direction, into the Matukituki Valley to tag the Rocky Mountain and Treble Cone turnpoints. Later in the afternoon, the nor’wester entered the Wanaka-Hawea basin, making flying impossible. Still, 7 pilots managed to make it to the official Night Turnpoint, Pakituhi Hut on the east bank of Hawea, to score a 5 pts bonus and spend a fun evening sharing stories about the emotions and excitement of the day.