wrote:

1. As Kees noted in his last post here,
efficient thermalling requires steep
banking near stall.

Almost all replies to this topic have given the impression that the steeper the
better -- that's not *always* true. Depending on the size and strength of the
thermal, sometimes banked a little less makes more effective use of the lift,
exposing more of the surface of the aircraft to the rising air.

--Shirley
Glider Pilot