Soaring and Vortex
XC middle of summer strong well defined Cu's and in cruise travelling through these thermals regularily dropping MP to 15' or below (in a CBi) to maintain level flight. Never heard any whining.
I had this discussion with an instructor: But here is a question for the knowledgable: Say you take off from this cliff face and as you depart to the windward cliff face and encouter the ridge and thermal lift there... if it is strong lift (Say 1000 FPM+) can you enter Vortex Ring with no actual descent occuring?
Just remember things tend to equalise in the air (apparently Newton had somehting to say about such things) - if air is going up that strongly, somewhere it is going down just as strong.