Requirements to Fly

(Pilots must complete all of the steps below).

• You must be an active (not expired) member of USHPA in good standing as shown in the USHPA member directory.
• Join the Storm Peak Hang Gliding Paragliding Assn. as a member.  If you live within 75 road miles of Steamboat for at least 60 days per year, you are considered “local” and must join as a full member.  If you do not live within 75 road miles of Steamboat for at least 60 days per year, you are considered a “visitor” and must join as a visiting member.  Full local memberships are $200/year for our membership year which runs from March 1 – February 28 (this is dictated by our insurance and we unfortunately cannot offer pro-rated dues for partial years, i.e. if you join part way through the membership year, you still must pay the full $200 to join).  A non- resident full member can be designated by the local full members, dues are the same as a local member, $200. Visiting memberships are $50 for a 30-day membership (the 30 days begin on the day of your first flight, even if you join/pay earlier).  Visitors may purchase multiple 30-day memberships in the same year.  Our insurance does not allow us to be flexible with these membership criteria.  For example, we cannot charge less for less frequent flying or more for more frequent flying, as doing so would classify us as a commercial flight park instead of a non-commercial recreational flying site. To join SPHGA, you must:
  • Complete and sign the SPHGA Membership Application and Waiver (2024-25 Membership Year). Please download, print and either (1) bring with you to your first flight or (2) email to [email protected].
  • Pay membership dues of $200 for a full membership if you live within 75 road miles of Steamboat at least 60 days/year (or have been selected as a non-resident full member); otherwise, pay membership dues of $50 for a visiting membership for 30 days (starting with your first flight, not when you pay). Payment can be done via cash or check made to Storm Peak Hang Gliding, Inc., given to your guide pilot.
  • You must receive an affirmative confirmation from a member of the SPHGA Board (for this purpose, existing guide pilots) that the prior 3 steps have been completed successfully and that you are now authorized to fly, subject to the remaining requirements below.  You are not authorized to fly until you have received this confirmation.  (NOTE: You are required to provide your SPHGA Waiver to SPHGA before you are authorized to fly, so do not expect to complete these steps hours before you want to fly; you need to pre-arrange with your flight guide pilot.  Please plan ahead!)
• Purchase a Colorado Outdoor Recreation Search and Rescue (CORSAR) card.  
• (If you plan to fly during our Winter Ski Season ) Be aware that this can be difficult to arrange and you must have special permission from the Board of the SPHGA..
• You must have modern equipment in good condition, including a reserve parachute, a radio capable of receiving and transmitting at 151.955, and a cell phone.  A satellite communication/SOS device (e.g. InReach, Spot, Zoleo) is highly recommended if you will be launching from Storm Peak.
• You must be qualified to fly our high-altitude, complex, mountain flying environment safely.  This generally means:
  • You’ve reviewed our site guide and risk assessment worksheet
  • You hold a H4/P4 rating or higher
  • You have HA and TUR skill designations, or equivalent experience as determined by your SPHGA guide pilot
  • If you have questions about your readiness, you should join our Telegram group and ask our local pilots for advice and guidance
  • The only exceptions to the above that will be considered are for local pilots well-known to our guides and/or visitors with whom at least one of our guides has flown extensively at another site
• Join our Telegram group, introduce yourself, and let’s get to know one another!  We love visitors and are very welcoming and encouraging as long as you respect the requirements listed here.

At least 12 hours in advance of your intended flight, you must connect with a SPHGA guide pilot (ask in our Telegram group) who will review your paperwork, membership payment, qualifications (see above), and proposed flight before agreeing to meet you at launch for your flight. The club recommends that you bring a printed copy of the site guide with you to your first flight.  That’s it!  We appreciate you taking the time to go through these steps, which are essential to keeping our healthy relationships with USFS, SSR, City of Steamboat and other stakeholders and our flying site open, safe, and insured.

Future unsupervised flights at Steamboat for pilots currently required to have a guide pilot can be possible with the approval of the Board.

Steamboat is a high alpine flying site with thin, dry and occasionally very active air. Launches are about 3600 feet vertical from launch to landing. Thermal conditions are common in the summer and some ridge soaring is possible. The flying site is located on the windward side of the continental divide with topographic restrictions between the upper launch and the landing areas. Potential high winds and the associate venturi effects make caution and experience with high altitude flying a must.

Conditions at high altitude can change quickly so parameters for flying vary depending on wind speed and direction. In general we look for winds described in detail later in this site guide . A southerly component is normally not a good direction so these numbers are reduced because the gust factor historically increases rapidly. Steamboat’s valley winds are also a concern due to the Venturi effect from the multiple valleys so we make sure winds at the airport stay below 15 mph. Flying is highly discouraged when the winds increase above these levels. 

All pilots without visiting members must be accompanied to launch by a SPHGA Guide Pilot. Please reach out on Telegram to connect with Guide Pilots and read other requirements to fly.
There is no self-guide status, and it is required that one or more
Guide Pilots will be present when flyable.

SPHGA Guide Pilots are appointed by a majority vote of the SPHGA board. Guide Pilots are not instructors and are not responsible for your weather forecasting, flight planning, or safety. Rather, they are fellow pilots experienced with our local flying sites/conditions who are qualified to give site briefings and advice to pilots with less experience flying our local sites. They also have authority to approve or deny flights by any pilots who have not been previously approved for self-guide status.

Pilot Instructions

(Instruction cards must be carried by ALL pilots)

Upon recognition of INCIDENT: ALL PILOTS tune their radios to Emergency Frequency (151.595) and CHECK IN

     A. ONE PERSON takes charge of the incident

     B. ANSWER 4 questions:

1. 1. Is there going to be a delay of more than 5 minutes to make contact with the pilot?
   2. Is injured pilot requiring medical attention?
   3. Is search and/or rescue required? (Tree landing, water or power lines)
   4. Are there too few pilots available to handle the situation?

IF YES TO ANY: ACTIVATE EMS: CALL 911

 

     C. PERSON IN CHARGE MEETS EMS at designated location. How can we assist them and integrate our special skills into their procedures?

     D. INFORM ALL PILOTS HOW THEY CAN ASSIST EMS

 

IF NOT TO ALL

     A. Person in charge coordinates non-EMS recovery

     B. Search teams composed of at least 3 persons

• • One of three should be trained in first aid
  • All should have radios and monitor emergency frequencies and injured pilot frequency

     C. Each group should have a GPS and know how to use it

     D. Each search team carries a rescue kit containing:

1. Rescue ropes
2. First Aid Kit
3. Flashlight & Compass
4. Water

 

REMEMBER: EMS CAN BE CALLED AT ANY TIME AS YOU REALIZE THEY ARE NEEDED.

The person in charge is responsible for complete documentation and incident report to the regional director and submits a USHPA Accident Report at https://www.ushpa.aero/member_emailacc.asp.

The emergency procedures listed below are provided as a general information document and should not be considered an all-inclusive procedure. It is most beneficial to consider the worst case scenario when planning for emergency procedures. Always follow USHPA protocol (SOP02-07) when responding to an emergency.

911 Available at SPHGA launches and LZ’s. USE IT.

 

Emergency Contact Numbers:

Routt County Sherrif: 970-879-1090

Steamboat Resort Security: 970-879-6111

Routt County Search and Rescue: 970-879-1090

Bob Adams Airport: 970-879-1204

Ken Grubbs: 303-888-1255

Garrett Eller: 970-531-9500