The Sangre de Cristo - Wet Mountains - Mt. Shavano Wave

Explanation - and what is it like?

As of May, 2000, there are 9 (nine!!!) contiguous high altitude wave windows in Colorado's Mount Shavano - Sangre de Cristo - Wet Mountains wave area! I first flew the Sangre de Cristo Wave when we "discovered" it in a May 1966 expedition to Westcliffe. Dave Johnson and John Brittingham flew Colorado's two-seat altitude record on that day - over 37,000 ft. Mike Berger, on his first cross-country, flew Colorado's distance record. I took off in a borrowed 1-26 at 11:25, had to be back on the ground at 12:00 - in between, after a 10-minute airtow, I went up to 32,500 and down again! With the 2000 fpm vario pegged all the way, from 14,000 to 18,000 it took exactly 60 seconds - for 4000 fpm lift (40 knots! 20 m/sec!!).

On May 7, 2000, I made the first flight into the new Curley Peak (Wet Mountains) wave window (it opened for use the same day). This was a Diamond + , "1-Lennie" altitude gain, only needing 20 minutes in the window! (Link to the record of this flight). The most civilized way to get into the wave is from Peak Soaring at Fremont County airport, 1V6. You can climb in the Wet Mountains wave (a 5-minute airtow from 1V6) up to FL 400, then , if you wish, cruise forward to the Sangre de Cristo secondary Wave, then to the primary. The sign of strong wave in the Rockies is NOT lenticulars, but rotor clouds. Call from the ground the Denver Center Military Airspace Specialist, indicate the Z hours of your planned wave use, then request clearance into the high altitude area on 128.375 from Denver Center. Transponder is not required (but it is useful). Close the wave are after you don't use it. Link to some practical thoughts on procedures.