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Event info

Dinosaur 2015 brings serious competition back to the big air of western Colorado. $10,000 first prize for the Open Class and $5,000 of total prize money for the Sport Class. Both foot launch and towing will be available, as will climbs to 17,999 ft.

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Flying site

Dinosaur is a famous flying site located in Colorado (USA) in Rocky Mountains. As described by 2014 Rocky Mountain Region Site Guide it is at approximately 8,000ft MSL, 2,000ft above the primary LZ. Launches face SW, S, and SE.

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  • 150 Pilots max allowed
  • 7 Countries presented
  • 🏆 FAI Status = CAT 2 🏅
  • left before start of event

Prize funds and scoring categories

  • Open Class
  • Sport Class
  • Rigid Wing
  • Class 2 (faired pilot)

Event info

Dinosaur 2015 brings serious competition back to the big air of western Colorado. $10,000 first prize for the Open Class and $5,000 of total prize money for the Sport Class. Both foot launch and towing will be available, as will climbs to 17,999 ft. See you there!

Flying site

Dinosaur is a famous flying site located in Colorado (USA) in Rocky Mountains. As described by 2014 Rocky Mountain Region Site Guide it is at approximately 8,000ft MSL, 2,000ft above the primary LZ. Launches face SW, S, and SE. Normally launchable in almost any wind direction as cliff creates its own weather pattern, unless winds are strong. Primarily a thermal site with some ridge soaring opportunity. Great XC potential, several competitions have been completed here. First competition to have a 100 mile goal. Very open, landable areas when going XC over the back. Try to land near a road, distances can be deceiving! Oxygen highly recommended. Primary LZ is about 1 mile from the base of the mountain, called the Snake Pit. Corral LZ is another mile further from ridge. Recommended Pilot Rating - Hang 2 for Hanglider (mornings) and P4 for Paraglider pilots (challenging air). Times to Fly - Mornings are usually light winds, suitable for experienced Hang and Paraglider pilots. Midday finds very strong thermal activity. Infrequent thunderstorms occur from May-August. Evenings occasionally glass off. One of the more popular XC sites, flown mostly by Hanglider pilots. Please check in with Mike Warden of the Hi-View Motel in Dinosaur. He offers pilot discounts on lodging and is the only local pilot. Call Mike at 970-374-2267.

TOPOGRAPHY
The area is high desert averaging 6,000'msl, punctuated with numerous peaks at approximately 8,000‘ and river valleys at 5,000‘.The terrain in the contest area varies from spectacular rocky cliffs to river valley pastures. There are expanses of level desert and various sized hills. Ranch and oilfield service roads form a network for easy pilot retrieval. Vegetation includes ponderosa pine, Douglas fir and aspen at the highest elevations and irrigated grassland and cottonwood trees at the lowest. In between are juniper, cedar and pinyon pine trees. For safe landing, open fields of desert grasses and sage brush are plentiful at all elevations. Wildlife is abundant, particularly soaring birds. Everyone will see deer, elk and antelope. Pilots can count on flying with eagles.

WEATHER
While no one would be so foolish as to guarantee the weather for any hang gliding contest, the period scheduled for this meet should yield eight straight days of outstanding flying conditions. The desert area around Dinosaur is not affected by the high mountain weather which makes many mountain sites inconsistent. While a high mountain site could have a solid week of virtually unflyable conditions, it is unlikely that there will be even a single day at Dinosaur on which a safe, valid task cannot be called. During the post-monsoon period of this meet, pilots can expect a weather pattern dominated by high pressure, with light westerly winds aloft and blue thermals/small cumulus. Climbs above l7,000'msl are normal.

Take off - (2460m ASL, 40°22.257', -109°05.171')
Takeoff will be from Cliff Ridge on the Blue Mountain Plateau, slightly west of the Colorado/Utah border, just north of Dinosaur. There are several launches facing south to southwest at 8,l00 ft msl, 2100ft above the nearest landing area at an approximate 4.6 to 1 glide (1 ft = 0.3048 m). Driving time from that landing area to launch is 45 minutes (2-wheel drive). Driving time from Dinosaur is 50 minutes, mainly on the paved U.S. Park Service road and then a good 2-wheel drive dirt road through BLM grazing land. Light, straight-in thermal cycles are the usual summer condition throughout most of the day. The launches are 150 and 200 yards apart, allowing several pilots to safely take off simultaneously. The area behind the launches is clear and perfectly level, with space to set up several thousand gliders. There will be an ordered launch that will minimize shuffling of gliders while providing the opportunity to back off if the pilot is not comfortable with conditions. Pilots will be able to drive close to their favorite setup spot, unload their equipment and park nearby. Unlimited parking is available on top, with a level walk to any takeoff. A clearly marked, convenient parking plan, with a separate area for spectators’ vehicles, will be overseen by staff. Spectators will be very cordially, but definitely, restricted from moving into cordoned-off areas surrounding the actual launches.
SAFETY
With several thousand competition and free-flying foot launches over 29 years, an excellent safety record has been established, especially in comparison with other well known big air sites. Safe landing fields and roads are plentiful. Fences, power lines and other hazards are sparse (except in the oilfield near the town of Rangely, an area that will be avoided in task calls). Prearrangements for search and rescue, ambulance and medical facilities will be made and coordinated by the Safety Director for all potential routes of flight.

Selection and entry fee

The meet will be planned to accommodate 150 competitors. Slots for U.S. and internationally ranked pilots will be reserved, per the USHPA Competition Rulebook and CIVL, to maximize meet validity/NTSS and WPRS points values. Before June 1, slots will be allocated 75 for Open Class and 75 for Sports Class. Beginning June 1, any remaining slots may be reserved on a first come, first served basis regardless of class.
We believe strongly that a profit motive is essential for the continued existence of quality hang gliding competition. Meet organizers take on significant financial risk and expend tremendous effort putting on contests. However, that being said, the owners of Rocky Mountain Glider Company, LLC, will not retain a profit from pilot entry fees for this contest. Hang gliding has been a huge and wonderful part of our lives and our motivation now is to give something back.

Proposed entry fees are:
Before April 1, $300; before May 1, 2015
$325; before June 1, 2015
$350; before July 1, 2015
$375; before August 1, 2015
$400; beginning August 1, 2015
and on site, $450 (cash or money order).

The amounts above are net to Rocky Mountain Glider after all fees (PayPal, etc.). The entry fee and completed online registration (described below) holds your slot. The reason for significantly lower entry fees early is the benefit of much better planning for all concerned. We anticipate that all the slots will be filled. Enter early to avoid disappointment. If you can't make it, we will refund your entry fee less 25%.

Use PayPal and send your entry fee to terryreynolds2@gmail.com as a friend.
Alternatively, use a credit card, but add $15 to your entry fee to cover PayPal fees.

Or, mail a check to:
Rocky Mountain Glider, LLC
P.O. Box 23077
Glade Park, CO, USA 81523

Prize fund and scoring categories

Open Class: $5,000 1st, $3,000 2nd, $2,000 3rd.
Sport Class: $3,000 1st, $1,500 2nd, $500 3rd.

General schedule

August 28 - 29, 2015 - Registration; Footlaunch/ big air clinic
August 30 - September 05, 2015 - Competition flying days
September 05, 2015 - Prize-giving ceremony

Daily schedule

Briefing
Going to take off
Competition task
Retrieve
Scoring

Time frames will be defined at first competition briefing.

Accommodation and Activities

For more information, see rockymountainglider.com
Pilots are welcome to camp on the grass in the fenced town park. There are bathrooms and a large covered area with picnic tables and chairs. The large covered area may be utilized for bulletin boards, pilot meetings and social events. A discount has been arranged at the Blue Mountain RV Park, a 100 unit RV park set up by an oil company to house its employees during an earlier boom. Located a short walk from the town park, it has electric, water and sewer hookups for RV's, plus large men's and women's shower and bathroom facilities. Camping is free at launch and portable toilets will be provided.
. Commercial services include two small motels, three restaurants (one with bar), two gas stations, a liquor store and a Loaf’n’Jug convenience store. There is also a library, post office and Colorado Tourism office. Wireless Internet is available in numerous locations. The nearby larger communities of Rangely, Colorado (18 miles) and Vernal, Utah (30 miles) offer the services of small cities, including municipal recreation centers, airports, hospitals, large supermarkets and a wide variety of restaurants and lodging.

How to get here

See driving instrcutions at rockymountainglider.com

Dinosaur, CO 81610, USA
Dinosaur United States

Plane

Pilots wishing to travel by air can take commuter airlines from Denver or Salt Lake City to nearby Vernal, Utah. They may ship their gliders to the care of the Meet Organizers in Dinosaur.

Car

Dinosaur is on U.S. Highway 40, three miles east of the Colorado-Utah border, approximately midway between Denver and Salt Lake City. Pilots from anywhere in the U.S. can easily reach the area via the Interstate Highway System before transitioning to the major artery of U.S. 40.

Downloads

Waypoint files

Organizers

Dinosaur 2015
rockymountainglider@gmail.com
Terry Reynolds
Organizer
rockymountainglider@gmail.com

Contacts

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Dinosaur 2015 Results

Open Class

  1. Zac Majors (103)
  2. Glen McFarlane (106)
  3. Christian Ciech (101)

Open Class results

Rigid Wing

  1. Jim Yocom

Rigid Wing results

Sport Class

  1. Kelly Myrkle
  2. Beau Buck
  3. Nathan Grimes

Sport Class results

Tasks and results

Task 1

31 Aug, 2015

Class 1 — 98.7 km — Race to goal

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Task 1

31 Aug, 2015

Class 5 — 98.7 km — Race to goal

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Task 1

31 Aug, 2015

Class 1 Sport — 45.0 km — Race to goal

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Task 2

01 Sep, 2015

Class 1 — 125.8 km — Race to goal

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Task 2

01 Sep, 2015

Class 5 — 125.8 km — Race to goal

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Task 2

01 Sep, 2015

Class 1 Sport — 78.4 km — Race to goal

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Task 3

02 Sep, 2015

Class 1, Class 5 — 118.8 km — Race to goal

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Task 3

02 Sep, 2015

Class 1 Sport — 40.0 km — Race to goal

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