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Black Mountain

WA
48.9745°, -122.0270° Directions ↗
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Showing Paragliding. Switch wings up top ↑
Not flyable
Medium confidence · · Run: HRRR
The sun has set — no daylight left to fly
NESW 217° SW
Flyability score
10
/100 · paragliding
Wind
12
mph base
Gusts
21
mph
Temp
43°
F
Dew point
43°
F
Elevation
4,583
ft MSL
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Location

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What we look for at Black Mountain

Wind direction

W (270°) → NW (320°)

The wind must blow from within this arc. Direction is the same for both wings.

Ideal speed

3–10 mph

Ceiling · Paragliding

≤ 19 mph base · gusts ≤ 23

Top of the range for paragliding (any rating). Switch wings up top to compare. Hang gliders hold roughly 10 mph more than paragliders.

Black Mountain Upper (Main) Launch, ~4500 ft MSL, W/NW-facing on a south-north trending ridgeline (western aspect), in the North Cascades east of Bellingham, WA. North Cascades Soaring Club site guide gives explicit numbers for this launch: ideal wind direction 270-320 deg, marginal/cross 240-300 deg, ideal PG speed ~6 mph (range light to ~10 mph), with conservative gust tolerance. Rating: Intermediate / P-3 / H-3; launch is considered technical with elevated P-3 skills required. Launch is short with only a few steps before a steep runout, and winds can vary from strong to light, demanding good wing-handling. Best time noon to sunset; evenings offer smoother thermals. LZ is at ~900 ft MSL in the grassy group-camp field at Silver Lake County Park, surrounded by tall trees with a barn and potential rotor; glide ratio of ~3:1 needed to reach the main LZ. Access is currently hike-in only (vehicle road closed behind Sierra Pacific/logging gates). Lower launches (Middle, and Lippy's Leap at ~2900 ft) work in a slightly wider 250-350 deg arc. Consistent soaring/thermal site; home of the late-summer Can-Am fly-in.

Window data compiled from northcascadessoaringclub.com, public site guides and club resources.

Next 7 days How calls are made

Sunday Flyable flyable 9am–10am 🌅 sunset 7:24 PM
6a
3g5
NNE
7a
5g8
NW
8a
3g3
SW
9a
5g6
W
10a
3g7
W
11a
3g6
SSW
12p
4g8
NW
1p
7g8
W
2p
7g9
SW
3p
9g12
SW
4p
8g11
WSW
5p
9g14
SW
6p
8g13
SW
7p
8g14
SSW
Flyable 12pm–2pm — best around 7am: 5 mph NW, gusts 8. 2 clean hrs, the rest borderline.
Monday Caution workable 2pm–4pm 🌅 sunset 7:22 PM
6a
12g19
SSW
7a
13g19
SSW
8a
12g19
SSW
9a
12g17
SSW
10a
11g15
SSW
11a
10g14
SW
12p
8g12
SW
1p
7g9
SW
2p
7g10
WSW
3p
7g9
WSW
4p
8g11
SW
5p
8g12
SW
6p
8g11
SW
7p
8g11
SW
Borderline only 2pm–4pm — best around 2pm: 7 mph WSW, gusts 10. All borderline — fly it with a close eye.
Tuesday Not flyable no window 🌅 sunset 7:20 PM
6a
6g10
NNE
7a
7g11
NNE
8a
7g13
NNE
9a
9g17
NE
10a
9g20
NE
11a
10g20
NE
12p
11g19
NE
1p
10g16
NE
2p
11g17
NE
3p
11g19
NE
4p
12g20
NNE
5p
11g19
NNE
6p
2g12
N
7p
1g10
ENE
Wind's out of the NE most of the day — outside the working window, so cross/tail or rotor.
Wednesday Caution workable 7pm 🌅 sunset 7:18 PM
6a
4g14
ESE
7a
5g16
ESE
8a
5g17
ESE
9a
3g17
E
10a
3g15
NE
11a
4g15
N
12p
4g15
NNW
1p
4g15
NNW
2p
4g16
NW
3p
4g15
NW
4p
4g14
WNW
5p
3g13
WNW
6p
2g11
W
7p
1g9
S
Borderline only 7pm — best around 7pm: 1 mph S, gusts 9. All borderline — fly it with a close eye.
Thursday Caution workable 6am–8am 🌅 sunset 7:16 PM
6a
2g7
SE
7a
2g8
ESE
8a
1g9
ESE
9a
1g10
NNE
10a
2g11
NW
11a
3g12
NW
12p
4g13
NW
1p
4g14
NW
2p
4g14
WNW
3p
4g15
WNW
4p
4g16
WNW
5p
4g17
W
6p
3g17
W
7p
1g17
SW
Borderline only 6am–8am — best around 6am: 2 mph SE, gusts 7. All borderline — fly it with a close eye.
Friday Caution workable 6am 🌅 sunset 7:14 PM
6a
1g8
SE
7a
1g9
SE
8a
1g10
SSE
9a
1g11
WNW
10a
2g11
WNW
11a
3g12
WNW
12p
4g13
WNW
1p
4g14
WNW
2p
5g15
W
3p
5g15
W
4p
5g15
W
5p
4g15
W
6p
3g14
W
7p
1g13
SW
Borderline only 6am — best around 6am: 1 mph SE, gusts 8. All borderline — fly it with a close eye.
Saturday Caution workable 6am–7am 🌅 sunset 7:12 PM
6a
1g7
SSW
7a
1g8
SSW
8a
1g9
WSW
9a
1g9
WNW
10a
2g9
NW
11a
3g10
NW
12p
3g12
NW
1p
3g14
WNW
2p
3g16
WNW
3p
3g15
WNW
4p
4g14
WNW
5p
3g13
WNW
6p
3g12
W
7p
2g12
WNW
Borderline only 6am–7am — best around 11am: 3 mph NW, gusts 10. All borderline — fly it with a close eye.
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Conditions are an automated estimate from public forecast models, not a go/no-go call. Always check the sky, talk to locals, and fly within your rating. You are responsible for your own safety.