I started 2007 by joining Vail Soaring Club and taking a few 3400' sled rides at Beaver Creek. Beaver Creek is very nice ski area, a few miles west of Vail. It is a P4 site, but a P3 can fly there with a sponsor. The best time to be at launch is 11am, and by coincidence, that is almost exactly when we arrived.
You need to join the Vail Soaring Club to fly the sites in the Vail Valley(which include Beaver Creek). To fly at the resort, you buy a 'footpass' which costs about a quarter of the price of a lift pass. The foot pass allows you to ride the chair lift (without skis) multiple times in a day.
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Launch is at the top of the a very steep double-black diamond run named 'Golden Eagle' at the top of a very demanding downhill course named 'Birds of Prey'.
To get to launch, you ride the Centennial Express high speed quad, walk past the Spruce Saddle Lodge and take Chair #8 to the top of the mountain.
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From the top, you bear right and walk about a quarter mile down through the 'Zoom Room' terrain park to the top of Golden Eagle.
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Launch faces NW and today, winds were very light from the NW, requiring forward-facing inflations. Fortunately, the terrain drops away very steeply and once the wing is overhead, it is not long before you have ample altitude.
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It is a long glide to the golf course LZ, and you have to cross over servral ski lifts. The Club's agreement with the resort requires that pilots avoid flying over ski lifts and maintain at least 500' vertical clearance. Pilots are required to cross lift lines at a 90 degree angle to minimize overflight time.
Once airborne, you hang a right turn and fly over towards the Spruce Saddle Lodge ,
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then continue over the resort to the golf course. In case you sink out on the way to the Lodge, there is a small restricted bailout LZ behind "Beano's".
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Once over the base of the mountain, there are several LZ options along the golf course. The primary LZ is about halfway down the golf course, near a cross street and located conventiently near a bus stop.
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Once landed and packed up, you can be on a bus headed towards the Centennial Express within a half hour. With good timing, four flights can be made in a day. I made three today. I've posted an album of photos at http://outdoors.webshots.com/album/556763351rsuzwe
If you ever have a chance to fly Beaver Creek, I recommend it. (just a hint to Matthew and Karen : )
'Spark
New Years Day at Beaver Creek Ski Resort
Moderator: CHGPA BOD
