XC basics

1. The most basic advice - take off!

It may seem totally obvious that if you don't take off, you won't get anywhere, but next time you're at a flying site, look around to see how many pilots are still on the ground when conditions are at their best! If you see other pilots getting to cloudbase while you're still on the ground, you might have missed the best (or only) thermal cycle of the day.
There are two basic situations: either it's soarable, or it isn't.

Don't stay on the ground looking up!

Soarable conditions

If this is the case, you need to be in the air and as high as possible - that way you will join the thermal as high as possible, where it is well formed and easier to stay with. If the ridge lift is good, you should be able to gain height and use it to push out in front of the site, aiming to join any thermal as high and as far in front of the hill as possible.

There is a balance to be struck here, and you need to decide which area of the site is likely to produce a thermal - remember that this may or may not be the same place that worked yesterday! Look at the direction of the sun - for example if the sun is high and the site faces North, the flat area in front of the site may be heating up better than the slope of the hill - try pushing out forward to find lift. If the sun is lower and facing onto the slope of the hill, you may find better lift over the slope. The wind strength also has an effect on this, weaker bubbles of lift will drift back with the wind, strong thermals may lift off in front of the site and this can cause the wind strength at take off to drop.

There are too many factors involved to make any hard-and-fast rules. The most important thing is to be flexible - if you are pushing out front while other pilots are finding good lift further back - change your tactics! Look for signs of lift such as birds, or clouds forming if you are high. But make sure you are in the air and ready to go!

Not soarable

In this case, you may think there's a good reason for not rushing to take off. It's important to time the takeoff carefully, but the worst thing to do is to sit on the hill all day for fear of sinking out.

Site choice is important - if the forecast is for light winds, go to a big hill, and preferably one with a good reputation as a thermal producer.

Try to understand the thermal cycle on the day. Look at any windsocks, feel any changes in strength and direction of the wind. The right time to take off may be marked by an increase in the breeze, but is just as likely to be marked by a decrease or calm as a thermal rises in front of the hill - it has a "blocking" effect on the wind, and may also be drawing air into itself, against the general wind direction.

But to return to the basic theme - take off and try it! If it doesn't work, at least you have practised a launch and a landing, and learned something about the conditions. Walk or ride back to the top and try again. Sooner or later you will get lucky and go straight to cloudbase, with a perfect view of all your friends sitting on the hill!