Doherty Slide

• Wind directionW (260°) → WNW (300°)
• Ideal speed8–18 mph
• Upper limits≤ 23 mph base · gusts ≤ 28

Doherty Slide (a.k.a. Doherty Rim), SE Oregon near the NV border, ~45-50 mi E of Lakeview on Hwy 140; a ~1000 ft vertical escarpment / cliff-launch ridge soaring and thermal site. Multiple site guides explicitly give the working wind direction as 260-300 deg (W to WNW); the ridge runs SW-to-NW so it can be soared with cross components into SW and NW (marginal ~225-320), but the heart of the window is straight W/WNW. Custom BLM-built cliff launch pad and parking at the top of the slide, with a large open landing area below (no sage, good road access) and top-landing possible. HAZARDS / TIMING: daytime conditions can be very strong and launching midday is challenging (strong thermic cycles off the desert floor, cliff-launch commitment, potential for getting over-powered). The site is renowned as a spectacular evening glass-off ridge run with miles of flyable rim, climbing to 11,000+ ft MSL and stayable until after sunset, so late afternoon/evening is the prime window. Remote high-desert location - no cell service in spots; emergency = Lake County Dispatch 911 / 541-947-2504. Pilot rating not explicitly published, but the cliff/escarpment launch plus strong midday conditions effectively make it an intermediate-or-better (P3/H3) site. Direction arc is HIGH confidence (explicit in club/oregonsoutback/US Hawks guides); wind-SPEED numbers are inferred from the site type (ridge/cliff soaring with strong daytime flow) - no club source published explicit mph, so treat the 8-18 ideal / 23 base / 28 gust as estimates.