Rampart Ridge

• Wind directionSSW (210°) → NW (325°)
• Ideal speed3–12 mph
• Upper limits≤ 15 mph base · gusts ≤ 20

Alpine thermal/XC launch over Snoqualmie Pass (~4,455 ft MSL launch; ridge tops ~5,870 ft). SW/W/NW facing per paraglidingEarth orientation; ideal arc SW-W-NW (~210-325 deg), marginal edges S/SSW and N/NNW. This is a thermal/cross-country site, NOT a coastal soaring ridge, so it works best in LIGHT cycles with good thermal activity rather than strong ridge wind. Season: April-September, peak summer; best mid-day, typical launch window ~12:15-2:30 PM. Big XC potential (flights of 50-140 km recorded toward Leavenworth). Afternoon valley winds tend WEST, building to ~5-8 mph with gusts to ~20 mph. HAZARDS: (1) Military Training Route over Rampart - low-flying jets at ~8 miles/min; NW Paragliding Club strongly advises checking the Military Training Route schedule before flying. (2) Strong/turbulent mid-day summer thermals - requires solid glider management and micrometeorology knowledge; can get windy and turbulent in wrong conditions. (3) Lee-side rotor if synoptic flow is from the E/NE backside. LZ near Lake Keechelus. No published club guide gives an explicit ideal-direction arc or precise speed limits, so direction arc is inferred from the SW/W/NW orientation hint and general alpine-thermal practice (medium confidence); the west afternoon wind and ~20 mph gust figures come from local forecast/site reports.