Gas Balloon Races

This years' Gas Balloon Race started on Monday night during
Balloon Fiesta.

There were 18 balloons racing. Richard Abruzzo and his crew,
Dr. Carol Rhymer Davis were competing as usual.
Richard has taken first place 5 times in the last 12 years and a couple of
seconds and thirds. Carol is a radiologist in Denver and one
of the most accomplished female pilots in the world, holding the women's
hot air balloon altitude record and being the only woman to win the
prestigious Gordon Bennett Gas Balloon Race.

The gas balloons are about the same size as a hot air balloon
and use the same baskets. The red and black bags are filled with
sand for ballast.

The balloons are filled with helium starting mid-afternoon.
It takes a couple of hours to fill each balloon and get the
baskets set up.

The balloons at sunset with the Sandias "pinking out" in
the background.

Richard and Carol getting the basket set up.

Carol inside the basket with all the equipment. Not much room
for two pilots.

The balloons wait until after sunset to launch into the colder night
air so that they won't have to use up ballast until the next day.

Waiting for the pilots to get ready.

Last minute preparations go on before each balloon is carried to the
launch podium.

The balloons take off about 5 minutes apart. You can see 5 or 6
balloons floating off into the distance in this shot. It was good weather
for launching with the wind about 3 mph from the north.

Richard and Carol were one of the last to launch, here being
carried to the podium. The balloons typically can fly for up to 3 days
and have made it as far as Ontario and Maine on occasion. This year,
with little wind the first night, they did a slow flight first south about
30 miles, then reversed course for a slow flight back over the
Albuquerque area Tuesday morning, then hung around t
he Jemez area all day and finally caught a west wind Tuesday
night. Ultimately, 5 balloons made it as far as Minnesota and Wisconsin.
Unfortunately for Richard and Carol, their balloon developed a
leak Monday night and they put down just south of
Albuquerque Tuesday morning.

Glen Plake at Balloon Fiesta

Balloon Fiesta madness is upon us again and the gas crisis/economic crisis hasn't deterred many balloonatics from visiting. Saturday, Oct. 4th was the first day with a mass ascension of over 650 balloons. I was there early to help Richard Abruzzo put up the Sandia Tram/Ski Santa Fe balloon. He was going to give a celebrity ride to extreme skier icon, Glen Plake and his wife Kimberly, who were here for a ski show at one of the local ski shops.

Left to right, Elyse Saugstad, the 2008 Freeride World Champion
Female, her boyfriend, Cody Townsend, a member of the World
Freeride Team, and Glen Plake
(Richard is the bald guy in the middle)


Kimberly Plake getting a grin


Close-up of Big hair


Glen and wife Kimberly helping to inflate
the balloon


Local TV guy and balloon nut, Steve Stucker
doing an interview just before launch.


Up and away with a celebrity wave


The Peak Express with the Tram
on one side and the Ski Santa Fe
Bear on the other

Glen and his wife (who is a good skier too) are really nice, down-to-earth people. They travel all over the US to small and medium sized ski areas in the winter promoting skiing.
Glen is a designer with Elan skis and also designs sportswear as does Kimberly. They spend a lot of time in Chamonix. Glen still skis for films, mountain climbs and drives race cars.
Nice life for a big mohawk