"BTW, I've also done a few hours in a Duo with a top-shelf XC pilot at a world class soaring location. The general thrust of this thread is to make those opportunities more available, and I would certainly like to see that happen. It is something that I would like to do more of in the future, but that level of flying is so far above my level that it hardly seems relevant at that the moment."

***but that level of flying is so far above my level that it hardly seems relevant at that the moment.***

I think the last sentence is an important one to address. Working with the right mentor or instructor, there are so many ways to advance from whatever your current state is.

One of the key things I go through with anyone that I am mentoring is a basic assessment of their skills/weaknesses and things they want to work on. As Kemp mentioned, if their thermalling and speed to fly skills aren't up to the task, you leave that out of the equation and focus on strategy. I will often work with people that need better thermalling skills or speed control. The key is to just pick a few things to work on actively and then passively absorb a lot of the other activity all while enjoying an XC flight that you might not do yourself.

It's good to understand what you aren't ready to do by yourself or that maybe you can't absorb a massive amount all at once, but I do see a lot of people that stand a lot to gain from working with a mentor/instructor well before they think they are ready.

Sounds like you've done quite a bit of prep compared to what I'm used to seeing.

Morgan