Fozzer wrote:I prefer to be closer to the ground, on my bike, when "altitude" problems occur....

...!
I solo'd in gliders many moons ago - but haven't been able to afford to do much since. I have to say, though, that I felt infinitely safer in a glider than any powered aircraft (and don't dare mention egg-beaters!). Usually - without any input from the [idiot] pilot, they will just "fly". The only problem (as you hint at) is where do you put it when the altimeter reads <100ft AGL? Not much of an option around Mount Cook itself - if you can't get back to "the flat green bits" around NZMC.
There's a great video that I once had - about father and son trying glide the length of Miford Sound (and the passes leading up to it, I think). They had a backup landing plan in place for every single yard of the trip. Sadly, they reckoned they just couldn't *quite* make the very last hurdle, so had to go back to Plan B. Both reckoned they had a fair chance of making it, but safety prevailed!
I have a great anecdote: In my gliding days in Gloucestershire (plenty of flat fields but loads of really beautiful, steep valleys) ... there was a mad Polak instructor (who we all loved). All CFI's have to check each other out regularly - and on his check flight, the other CFI took him down to 100ft in one of the steepest valleys around and promptly said "you have control" (get out of that!!!). There was much cursing (some of it in English) ... but he made it - inch by inch. Unbelievable.
Adam.
I'm sure the NZFF-Wikipedia (Ian!!) will furnish us with that video title!! LOL!