SNIP
open to get these lessons from anyone.
In a summary: it's just better if you experience as much as possible in
soaring. Instructors without xc are not bad at all, they could be just
better if they try it again. Unfortunately most of the clubs there is a
tendency to fly less and less xc.

/Janos

Not in South Africa

If I look at the flights being recorded, 1000km is becoming passe.

For what it is worth, my experience is still pretty limited (I am a pretty
inexperienced XC pilot with a longest flight of 250km),however, I only learned
how to really thermal, and a lot about decision making when I flew through a
rain squall in the middle of nowhere and ended up very low and with wet wings
(in a Std Cirrus this is not fun). That time I managed to get back up to FL100
and crawled home. Practicing being low and far from home in a low wingloading
trainer with the airfield in glide range is no substitute for that sudden cold
rush to the heart of realising you are less than two minutes from landing in a
beautifully harrowed field, probably a 2km walk from the farm house, which is
45km from your airfield down the most awful roads. That gets your attention.

Maybe other people learn better from being told, but my experience is that
actually doing it is far more valuable. Now - If I just had someone with similar
performance who flew XC from my club, I might learn faster.