Golden Fun
2022 Season Turned Out to be Memorable.
Photo courtesy: Guus Luijten
The 2022 flying season in Golden was off to a slow start in June with a fair amount of rain and sketchy conditions. Most of the decent June flights occurred in the evenings after conditions settled down and the overdevelopment cleared. Come July the weather improved quickly with consistently nice days and rising temperatures (high 20s and low 30s).
Soggy start to the 2022 season…
While the Lookout (main launch) was accessible by vehicle as early as June 7, flying for the next couple of weeks was hampered by OD, rain and/or windy days. Most of the flights during this period were confined to the evenings when the weather tended to clear and winds settled down after 7pm.
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2022 Season Gets Going-sort of.
It’s been a long countdown of days this spring to access the Lookout launch by vehicle. Continue reading
Snowy Winter Might Mean Late Start to 2022 Season.
Well it’s been a cold winter with a heavy snowfall. Snow has been slow to melt through March and April due to lingering cool temperatures and consistently overcast days.
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It was a smoking hot summer…
The 2021 XC season in Golden BC was pretty much a bust. The lookout launch was vehicle accessible in the first week of June but the heat waves hit immediately. We flew in an increasingly hazy blast furnace for the month of June with the exception of several days that were sunny but blown out.
The Annual Willi XC Challenge Starts Tomorrow
Event Dates: July 24 – August 8, 2021
This will be the 25th year of what started as a side bet challenge amongst a small group for flying friends and has grown into an annual XC pilgrimage for many. Due to Covid restrictions, this iteration will not be the big event we had hoped for, but we want it to happen in the best possible way.
Be Advised: Main LZ restrictions in 2021…
Advice from the owner of the main LZ formerly The Golden Eco-Adenture Ranch(GEAR) now named The Ranch:
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“Please advise all pilots that the LZ is closed until May 14th no exceptions? I have a drone company doing test flights on my property and a pilot landed in the LZ while the drones were flying.
GEAR LZ Open Under New Rules – Zero Tolerance for Violators
June 17, 2020
Fellow Pilots,
My name is Brandon Hopkins and I am a Director with the AHPA (Alberta Hang Gliding and Paragliding Association). Recently, I, in conjunction with Keith at Muller Windsports and Hugo / Scott with Golden Altitude Adventures (Tandem pilots) have been in talks with Cathy-Anne of GEAR (Golden Eco-Adventure Ranch) in Golden B.C, where we have an amazing landing field called the Muller Flight Park.
The GEAR landing zone is going to open on 20 June 2020 with NEW RULES…
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2019 – It’s All Over But The Crying…
Well the 2019 paragliding and hang gliding season on Mount 7 has come and gone. Snow arrived at The Lookout at the end of September this year. While there were a few warmer days in the valley through October, snow on the upper part of the access road continued to accumulate. Weather was unsettled and windy throughout the month so generally there was not much incentive to head up, even for a late season sledder.
The 2019 Season is Underway…
The road to the main launch site on Mount 7 (The Lookout) was clear as of the May 25th weekend. While conditions were difficult for the first few days, several locals didn’t miss the opportunity to air out their wings. Continue reading