On Wednesday the first message on the Alpsfreeride chat appears, opening the dances. Where are we going to fly this Friday? Mystery of the meteorology, since two months, Friday seems to be the best day of the week. I don’t even try to figure it out the reason why the never ending arrival of fronts leaves a window open to allow us plan another great adventure on this day. All I know is that I am running out of excuses at work in order to take another Friday off. After a quick debate on witch site to choose backed by screenshot of meteo models, we are off to Riederalp to see big Swiss glaciers. 

At Cornavin the usual suspects meet at the same corner. We are all armed with big coffee cups and we squat a wagon. While eating a  generous breakfast we share traces, review notam and makes big plans. 

Train is late, we miss the coincidence. Plan B. Skip the taxi and have another coffee. 30 mins later we are back on track all squeezed on a red panoramic train followed by 2 lift that brings us on one of the must beautiful scenic view of the entire Alps. It is a breathtaking place and we have the luck to take off on the tip of this tongue of ice. Reynald is already there showing us the way followed in quick order by Martin, Gilles, Pierre Henry an Steph all by Ozone. Gaëtan an me, we close the platoon. My plan is: “Take off last and land first!”. Nice and simple, with plenty of air for improvement.  I follow it by the letter and 22 mins later I am at the landing in Fiesch. Still early, with Gaëtan we go up again. We are motivated more than ever and we climb to the “secret” take off few hundreds meter above the official one. There is a queue of others connoisseurs that anxiously wait to leave this ground. We take our place and few mins later we are also in the air. My plan this time is: “You hang there doesn’t matter what!”.

Plan seems to work and after 55 mins of magic roundabout a splendid view of Ice and rocks open my eyes. I just stay there, happy to be in front of this majesty. I take the time to see places, to relax and take inn as much visual memories as I can. Eventually I start to get cold and I have enough height to move up to the valley. I lost Gaëtan somewhere on this immensity. The rest of the eagles are probably flying on terra incognita. Maybe one day I will be able to follow them, but for today I am happy with my flight. I aim for the perfect landing field half way through the valley. A big green field, wind flag, a church and a bench. Nothing can go wrong there, apart entering inside the control zone of the small airport during landing. I write this note on the train back home, mindless of the delay, happy of this day.