Rocky Mountains Soaring

On the right: The Angel of Shavano is a snow formation on the East side of Mt. Shavano, the Southernmost peak of the Collegiate range. Below: Cruising at 17,970 ft above the Angel of Mount Shavano, January 1999 in LS-3 N71J. Soon thereafter the FAA approved the Shavano High Altitude Wave area, extending the Sangre de Cristo Wave Area to the North

Over some 35 years, I flew these mountains in gliders cross-country from Wyoming to New Mexico. Here you are always on oxygen. You must not think in your planning in terms of a landable fields, but in terms of the next airport 60 miles away. Here 14,000 ft is a low altitude, there the big Colorado peaks are still above you. The summer cumulus bases over the Collegiate peaks, the Sangre de Cristos are often up around 21,000 ft! Winter or summer, the 18,000 ft altitude limit is restricting... If you have a transponder, file a flight plan with flight following, then contact Denver Center. They may offer you a block clearance (but don't demand it) above 18K, if they see you are climbing.