Camps vague
Gatineau Gliding Club encourages member pilots to advance their progression through participation in wave flying near mountain ranges. Wind adjacent to these ranges provide vertical lift upwards. It allows glider pilots to reach significant vertical altitudes.
There are three wave camps that members can attend. In October, the club cohosts a wave camp for a week in Lake Placid, New York with the Montreal soaring Council.
Another wave camp close to the region is put on by the CVVQ of Quebec City. Although the mountains aren’t very high, pilots can get lift to 10,000 feet in their flying operations in Baie Saint Paul, Quebec. (6 hours 15 minute grove from Ottawa).
Although a bit further afield, Cowley Camp, Alberta is another option that’s known for often having great wave conditions.
Remarque : If you wish to participate in one of the wave camps such as Lake Placid, you need to express an interest and get organized well ahead of time.
Lake Placid, New York
Each autumn, the Lake Placid Wave Camp takes place in upstate New York, offering an unparalleled flying experience in the northeastern region. The site boasts diverse conditions, including mountain wave, ridge, and local thermal flying over mountains.
Three Canadian gliding clubs – Montreal Soaring Council, Gatineau Gliding Club, and Rideau Valley Soaring – make the trek to Lake Placid annually for its exceptional wave flying. While many pilots from these clubs attend, the camp is open to anyone eager to participate, whether they bring their own glider or utilize one of the club gliders on-site (after a required check ride). Flying rates are determined directly through the participating clubs.
Camping facilities are available at Lake Placid Airport for pilots and guests, but various accommodation options can be found throughout the area.
Baie Saint Paul, Quebec
Hosted by the Club de Vol à Voile de Québec, this camp boasts terrain that isn’t excessively high yet can accommodate flights of up to 10,000 feet. Nestled along the shores of the mighty St. Lawrence River, Baie-Saint-Paul is a quaint town located approximately an hour and fifteen minutes away from Quebec City.
Cowley Camp, Alberta
The Cowley airfield is located about 10 kilometres north of the village of Cowley on Highway 3 in the southwest corner of Alberta. This Alberta Soaring Council operated airfield has a long history of being the wave flying capital of Canada. Details of the camps, flying operations, and the flying conditions are available on the Cowley Camps website. Club members from throughout Alberta participate in this camp including the Cu Nim Gliding Club, the Central Alberta Gliding Club, the Edmonton Soaring Club and the hosting Lethbridge Soaring Club. Pilots can arrange to fly one of the many club gliders that are brought down for the duration of the camp, or bring their own glider to fly. A check ride is required to familiarize new pilots with flying in Cowley.
Pilots and guests are welcome to camp on the airfield with camp registration. The site features water from a hand pump, but few other amenities. The campground also has a cookshack which is the centre of soaring camp activities. The camps are entirely a voluntary effort, and everyone on hand is expected to help out in some respect such as taking a shift as time-keeper or field manager out on the flightline. Motel and hotel accommodation is also found nearby. For fly-in visitors, there is avgas available at the nearby Pincher Creek airport and emergency avgas is available (in drums) on the airfield. There is a camp registration fee and common rate for tows to specified release heights. Oxygen is available on-site and is regularly required.
The Alberta Soaring Council runs two major soaring camps at the airfield. The Cowley Summer Camp starts on a Saturday and runs for 10 days ending the Monday of the August long weekend. The Summer Camp has been the largest annual soaring event in Canada. Pilots and families are most welcome with free camping at the airfield campground. On a historical average, wave can be expected on 30% of the days. The Cowley Fall Camp starts on a Saturday and runs for 10 days ending the Monday of the Canadian Thanksgiving weekend, which is usually the second weekend of October. At this time of year, this is not a family camping affair except for the hardy – visitors often choose motels in nearby Pincher Creek. The weather is highly variable and at the airfield elevation of 3900 feet prone to freezing at night and a fair chance of the first snowfall of the year. At times the camp has been cancelled at the last minute due to a bad weather forecast, so check ahead by e-mailing the Alberta Soaring Council office before committing to the trip.To see flights originating from the Cowley Camp, click here. For more information, visit the Alberta Soaring Council website for more details.
