Mt Baldy (Sun Valley)
📍 Idaho , Blaine County · Nearest city: Ketchum (4 km)
23 XC score / 100 · takeoff at 2731 m · 📍 View on map
Coordinates and external links
43.66010, -114.40400Takeoff orientations
Green = good orientation · Yellow = possible · Gray = not suitable
Why this site has thermal potential
| Factor | Value | Interpretation |
|---|---|---|
| Hotspot density (5 km) | 0 | Low |
| Avg thermal probability | 0.00 | Based on thousands of aggregated IGC flights |
| Solar orientation | 0.56 | Slope faces south in northern hemisphere |
| Own flight history | 0.00 | Thermals detected in platform IGC tracks |
Takeoff description
Many
Pilot comments
Excellent XC-potential! Chuck Smith writes... Our primary Flying Site at Sun Valley is Mt. Baldy, a high altitude mountain flying site with the summit at 9150ft MSL. The landing zone is approximately 3400 ft. below, at 5700ft MSL. Baldy has launch sites for essentially every wind direction. Competent P3 pilots with some mountain flying experience should feel comfortable in smooth conditions. This is a site requiring advanced skills as conditions can change, reasonably quickly. We expect all pilots to fly within their limitations and to be observative when conditions become strong. All the launch sites are located on top of a very busy ski resort. You often have an audience, especially in the wintertime. Demonstrate your best skills. Please show the greatest courtesy and patience to all skiers and mountain personnel. Use extra attention to clear the area around your glider when preparing to launch. Stay aware at launch, not all skiers can see glider lines lying on the snow while a glider is laid out. We've all had our lines skied over at least once! Proper launch protocol will also help avoid skiers from crossing your path during launch. Baldy is accessed by a multitude of high-speed ski lifts. Launches are a few steps away from the top of the lifts. The landing zone, is within a few hundred yards of the bottom of the lifts. Please be aware, if you are a pilot new to mountain flying, airspeeds, including launch and landing speeds are greatly increased by the altitude/elevation.
Nearby sites
Sky Ridge (Ketchum- Hailey) (16) · King Mountain (Arco/ Moore) (21) · Kimberly (6) · Danskin (4) · BOB's Upper Lip (24) · BOB (Blown Out Butte) (23)