http://www.kingmountaingliderpark.com/weather/

King Mountain has tremendous high pressure soaring conditions, perhaps some of the best in the world, as the high altitude westerly facing ranges develop great amounts of heat and loft it into relatively cold air at the peaks. When the valleys are heat inverted and shut down in the summer, it is very common to see cloud streets with bases at 17,000 feet or more above all of the nearby mountain ranges. This can occur with atmospheric pressures as high as 30.40” inches! During these high pressure days when most folks are at home watering their lawn, King Mountain glider pilots will be at cloud base very happy to be wearing gloves and warm cloths.

To get to cloud base during high pressure, pilots will often encounter small and tightly wound thermals in the valleys and the lower soaring strata. These small core yet high velocity thermals will be powerful and punchy and require good centering techniques as they wind up through shear lines. Adjoining these fast bullets, will be generally one or two quadrants of turbulent or edgy texture. Steep bank angles and solid centering skills will be tested down low.

The Snake River Basin to our south is desert and covered with dark black basalt lava flows. This giant hot plate heats in the summer sun, which is then funned into, and then convects northward into the high valleys. In addition, the high Ranges also are being heated and are releasing giant thermals for which King is so famous. These two forces combine to form a strong valley wind. By 11:00 AM it is common for the wind to be out of the south at the Glider Park. Some time later around 1:00 or 2:00 PM it will be out of the south at the Mackay Airport. This southerly wind will average 12 to 15 kts and will continue until sunset when the night breeze once again begins.