Crested Butte
12/30/25
Updated:
Advanced high-altitude flying off the Crested Butte ski area.
Primary site developed & maintained by RMHPA
Min Rating:
Special Skills:
Radio:
P4 / H4
High Altitude, Turbulence
ask guide
Crested Butte
Crested Butte guide pilots are available by phone or our telegram chat group to provide club paperwork and provide site and weather information.
Crested Butte is a high alpine area with thin, dry and occasionally very active air. Launches are about 2400 feet vertical from launch to landing. Brown’s Launch is West Facing and requires a minimum of a H4/P4 or foreign equivalent. This is due to the technical aspects of CB Launch. CB Launch is a high altitude launch and requires HA and TUR special ratings. It is a very small launch only large enough for a single glider sitting on top of a large boulder field. This combined with the fact the LZ cannot be seen from launch, the small trees nearby and a running chairlift is why it is an H4/P4 launch where a failed launch can have severe consequences. At the discretion of an CBSS guide pilot a H3/P3 with a minimum of 20 hours or 20 flights in the current flying season and a check off flight may be permitted to fly Paragliders must have a minimum glide performance of 5:1 L/D. Landing Zones (LZ) are the CB Main LZ on the south side of the Crested Butte Community School, there is a bailout LZ on Mt. Crested Butte and an Emergency LZ near rainbow park. These LZ’s have limited access for paragliding and all other activities.
All pilots must be members of both RMHPA and USHPA, and complete special paperwork specific to Crested Butte before flying.
Launch
Brown’s Launch is a H4/P4 skill-level launch site at 11,300ft.
This west-facing launch sits above the Silver Queen chair lift about 300 yards below the unloading station at the top. The windsock is on the North side of launch, below launch.
All pilots must be accompanied by a CBSS guide pilot. Access to both launch sites is available via the Silver Queen Chair Lift when operating in the winter and summer season. Further summer access is available via a 4×4 road. A vehicle permit provided to guide pilots by Crested Butte Mountain Resort is required.
Landing
Town Ranch Main LZ is at 8,858ft in a large field located southeast of the Crested Butte Community School. There is a town shuttle that picks up from multiple locations nearby.
The Bail Out LZ at 9,720ft in a clearing south of the West Wall Chair Lift. Pilots can hike down or ride the chairlift down from this LZ. This LZ is on the mountain and during operating hours could have skiers, bikers or hikers in the vicinity so take caution!
Launch and Landing Map
Winds
Speeds
PG: 0-20mph, ideal 3-10mph, gust factor 5mph
HG: 0-22mph, ideal 3-12mph, gust factor 5mph
Direction: Ideal 250-325, Okay 270-310 degrees. A southerly component is normal and not a good one due to rotor off of the surrounding rocks, trees and ridges; also the gust factor historically increases rapidly. Crested Butte valley winds are also a concern. Flying is highly discouraged when the winds increase to these levels.
Access
Shuttle: Coordinate with a CBSS guide pilot. Check the telegram group or call to see when we are meeting and a vehicle is going up the 4×4 Road in the summer.
Gondola: During the summer and winter operating hours the Silver Queen Chair Lift can be taken to launch.
Obstacles
There are few natural obstacles at our site. Browns Launch is surrounded by boulders, trees and a chair lift. The chair lift has a mandatory No Fly Zone of 300’ in all directions, all the time for all seasons. The CB Main LZ is in open space but fences and imperfections on the ground exist. CB Main LZ does have power lines and a road on the west, as well as fences on the east and south side of the open space. Historically, hang gliders have been landing there for over 45 years so the CB Main LZ is sufficient for paragliding and hang gliding operations.
No Fly Zone
The Silver Queen Chair Lift in front of launch has a No Fly Zone that extends 300 FT vertically and on all sides at all times during all seasons. Pilots must achieve adequate altitude at launch before crossing the chairlift or push out to an adequate altitude before crossing. If you think you are too close, fly away from the chair lift! Adequate altitude can be easily reached by flying out and away and will leave plenty of altitude to reach the main LZ. ANY VIOLATION OF THESE RULES MAY RESULT IN THE LOSS OF YOUR SKI PASS, FLYING PRIVILEGES &/OR YOUR U.S.H.P.A. RATING
Winter Flying
In addition to meeting all of the general site requirements and acceptable flying conditions outlined within this site guide, winter launches are also required to meet the following conditions:
Gliders shall be transported, set up, and launched no later than 4pm so as not to interfere with skier traffic or other CBMR operations. A 3:30 cut off time should be observed to allow yourself enough time to download by 4pm, if you are not going to launch i.e. if you are questioning the conditions or your ability to get off at 3:30pm, pack it up!
Pilots shall notify ski patrol dispatch before each flight. Typically, a CBSS guide pilot will organize this communication, but you must ensure that ski patrol dispatch has been notified, and a flying window is open, prior to launch.
Pilots need to carry a radio that is on the same frequency as ski patrol before launching and remain in contact during flight.
Pilots must respect the chairlift clearances and minimize passes over the Silver Queen lift.
In the event of an inbound helicopter, CBMR ski patrol will contact pilots via radio and pilots must leave the mountain airspace at once.
History
The Crested Butte Soaring Society merged with RMHPA in 2026, but flying has a rich history in the area since at least 1974! A fantastic history can be found here.
XC Flights
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