Adventure in Euskedi

After months of excitement our journey to compete in the Euskedi Open 2009 began late on Thursday night. Our flight from Stansted was scheduled for 7.30am and because we were transporting our rifles abroad for the first time we wanted to arrive with plenty of time to spare in case any problems arose. However, all that was required was proof that they were really air rifles and the cylinders were free of air. So just before 6am we found ourselves in a bustling departure lounge where hen and stag parties were starting their celebrations early. When in Rome!

The flight left on time and after the blink of an eye and odd nod of the head we touched down in Bilbao.Security at Bilbao also required to check that we were carrying only air which presented a slight problem as one of my gun case padlocks refused to open and I had visions of my air rifle spending the weekend at the airport. Enter Jesus whose arrival smoothed our transit and we were in Spain! Regular readers will know that Jesus visited the UK to compete in the NEFTA Classic in May where he made many friends. Today he introduced his friend Inaki who had kindly volunteered to transport our kit to the Extebarri Hotel which was to be our home for the next three nights.
Off we set for our first view of the Basque Country and our first experience of a new culture. Jesus wanted to show us his city from above but that was after a welcome drink ...
... and some pintxos!
We then walked around a plateau that offered superb views of the city of Bilbao and the green mountains which enclose it. Bilbao is an important port and industrial centre, its construction within a valley means it cannot expand outwards so up it goes!
From the heights we could see the port and the legendary "the Football Cathederal" home to Athletic Bilbao.
Next our journey lead us to a traditional Basque restaurant; a caserio. This is where the Basque farming family would live with their animals. The caserios are unique and offer visitors an exceptional eating and drinking experience. The favoured drink is cider and its method of delivery is well suited to a field target shooter. With our appetites very satisfied the journey continued to Zumarraga and the Exteberri Hotel.Bags dropped off we set out to view the shooting ground and meet up with the organiser of the event Jose; who is known as Sanjon on the internet. A walk of the ground revealed that all facets of FT would be tested. There was opportunity for depressed shots, inclined shots, varied distance, within woodland and in open field; what would tomorrow hold?
Slightly jaded now we returned to our hotel for a siesta and then our adventure continued at the welcome meal in Zumarraga. Here we experienced the great hospitality and community of our hosts. We sat at tables that contained 40 or more people and shared communal dish after dish. The beer, wine and cider flowed very easily and we had a great time.
Very satisfied and ready for bed? No! Manuel, who we had met in Northern Ireland last year, insisted we trip into the town for a night cap.
Day 2 began with breakfast and then it was off to the shooting ground to zero and check out the course. Upon arrival our attention was drawn to banners representing the shooting regions of Spain and our presence was honoured with a Millride banner. Plinking confirmed that our rifles had not suffered in the flight and so to explore the course. Jose had designed two courses each of 44 targets; a black course and a yellow course. On day 1 the piston competitors would shoot black and PCP yellow. The ground consisted of three plateaus which were joined by a steep path. The course started on the lower plateau where we would be tested first shooting downhill and then up. The course then climbed to the second plateau where there was an assortment of distances and kill zones varied from 10-40mm in an open area. The transit to plateau 3 was through woodland and here shooters would have to adapt to the shaded conditions which tested range finding. Finally plateau 3 contained some long targets and some in trees, it was this area that would be most exposed to the high sun. However, before the shooting commenced it was back to Zumarraga for lunch!
Round 1 was due to commence at 5pm thus it allowed shooters travelling time and avoided the hot afternoon. Before the action got underway we were treated to an incredible sight of two men playing this instrument; in the past it was used to communicate between caserios. It was certainly a workout!
So to our lanes. The commonest pre-charged rifle on show was the Steyr LG110; there was a handful of Walthers and the odd EV2. One guy was using the Mach 1 from the USA and there were also a number of sporters. In Spain the power limit of air rifles is 24 joules compared to the 16 joule restriction in the UK. It was interesting to watch these guns at work; they certainly whacked the plate when the kill zone was missed. There was a slight breeze and I was surprised to see that even with 24 joules that wind compensation proved tricky. The spring gun is very popular in Spain particularly the Cometa. So as the evening drew in there were two vibrant competitions unfolding. At the end Pepone top scored in PCP with 42, Colapso was second with 40 and Snowball third on 39. The piston class was lead by Victor on 35 and Mamel topped the 16 joule class with 38. In Spain the shooters are called by their pen names so Greg was Baltipal, for Roy read Arby and I was CB Chairman.
With the first round complete we headed back to the hotel and decided to relax on the terrace and take a few beers and enjoy some ham, bread and chorizo sausage.
Greg took the opportunity to show his dexterity when it came to bottled beer!Sunday morning arrived and shooting would begin at 9am; this time it was the black course for us. The shooters had been paired based on yesterday's scores. I shot with Josefe from Madrid who used a LG110 with a silencer attached. After two rounds we managed to tie on 69 from 88 and I hope he saw that 16 joules wasn't too bad! Roy and Jesus also couldn't be separated on 61 and Greg shot round with Inaki scoring 63. Pepone added a 41 to win the event on 83 and a tremendous round of 43 saw Snowball move into second place. Mamel finished on 78 to win with 16 joules and Suidos pipped Victor to win the piston class.
The prize giving ceremony started with a surprise for me as I found I was helping the Mayor of Zumarraga present the trophies. The winner of each class received a Txpalla which is the traditional headwear of the Basque men and is regularly given to the winner of sporting events.
Congratulations to Pepone
and to all the winners. Let's hope we see you at the Europeans in September.

At the end of the event Jesus, Jose and his wife presented us with their Millride banner upon which Jesus wrote an invite for Millriders to return next year.With the shooting over there was time to shower and change before joining everyone for a special lunch. There was a fantastic affair. The food and drink was superb, there was live music and spontaneous dancing, the atmosphere electric and we three were treated as VIP's. Salud!
After the parting lunch Jesus and Inaki took us on an off road trail in Jesus' jeep. He managed to drive it up paths barely wide enough to walk along; it was cracking fun! However, there were no roads to our destination which was a cross perched on a mountain high above Zumarraga. To get there required leg power but the rewards were well worth it.
We descended to Zumarraga and after an essential cool beer we took to the streets to watch something quintessential Basque. The idea is for two cows to pull, and two men to steer, a 3 tonne concrete block along a fixed route then turn through 180 degrees and do it again.
This guy steers from the front
and this guy prods from behind.
Our holiday ended with a trip to the beach resort of Zumaia where we dipped our toes in the Atlantic. Then we enjoyed some more pintxos in the beautiful city of San Sebastian; yes that is an octopus's leg!
All too soon it was time to return home. Jesus and Jose transported us to the airport and ensured we had a smooth transit into the departure lounge.
We had a fantastic time that my words cannot possibly describe. We would like to thank all those people who treated us so kindly and generously. In particular Jose for his superb course and competition organisation and Jesus for his amazing hospitality.
I hope we are the first of many future UK competitors in the Euskedi Open. Muchos gracias amigos, hasta el proximo ano!