2023 Paragliding & Hang Gliding Season is Good To Go
As of May 11, 2023 the 15km stretch of the Bowle-Evans forestry road up to the Lookout Launch was clear and fully accessible by vehicle. This is early access for the Lookout due to a low snow year and unusually warm May temperatures. (30c downtown for a string of days starting May 11).
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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Main LZ for flights originating from Mt.7 is closed indefinitely…
COVID 19 Update -PLEASE TAKE NOTE: The Golden Eco-Adventure Ranch (GEAR) is closed until further notice.
GEAR is the primary LZ and staging area for hang gliding and paragliding pilots launching from Mount 7. GEAR is private property. Please respect the closure. Do not land or trespass on the property under any circumstances.
If the situation changes, updates will be posted on this page as soon as they become available.