Do hilltop sites still use bungee launches? I did a course at the Midland GC many years ago and, as long as the wind was on the hill, we used the bungee. A very simple way of enjoying instant flying.
It is also the only place where I have done a touch and go in a glider. I came in much too fast, touched down, and then the instructor closed the brakes and we took off back into the hill lift for another, more successful attempt.