Late in the evening of January 20 we arrived in Chateau d'Oex after a long and uneventful drive from Paris. We only got lost once! After learning the schedule for Saturday, we unpacked and settled into our room. Immediately we crashed in our twin bed at opposite ends of the narrow room in the 400+ year old Chateau. The floors creaked and groaned underfoot, so we all tried to refrain from any nocturnal trips to the bathroom, to avoid waking everyone up.
Early the next morning we ventured to the pilot briefing in a large industrial building adjacent to the launch field. A roaring propane heater by the entry kept the room warm and cosy. Croissants and other breakfast goodies were available for pilots and crew, free prior to the pilot briefing. Not much is free or cheap in the Swiss Alps, so we took advantage of the hot chocolate, cafe, espresso and tea each morning.
Flights were never in the same direction each day. Some days the winds were light and variable at low level all day long. Yes, flights took place from 9 am to 4 in the afternoon. on the weekends our launch time was 11:30am. Due to the fact there was a small launch field for 80 balloons and no driving on the snow covered launch field. the unloading area accommodated just 6 balloon rigs at a time. The balloon equipment would be unloaded and the chase vehicle moved to parking lot a few blocks away.
The basket and envelope were loaded onto a sled and pushed to the launch site. No one had assigned launch sites. Fans were kept in a room next to the pilot briefing room so we didn't have to worry about it or have to lug it to the chase vehicle after inflation.
"OK... where's the balloon? We've got a sled!"