Red Rocks Wide Open

EVENT INFORMATION:

Reliable weather. Big Air. Bigger vistas. 4 launches that take different wind directions. HUGE XC potential through some of Utah’s most incredible natural wonders. Welcome to the Red Rocks Wide Open! This is a USHPA National Championship series Cat2 event that promises strong conditions and long tasks that take advantage of deep, tall mountain ranges and high-desert flatlands. Participants should be very comfortable with flying in strong thermals at high altitudes. Oxygen is highly recommended (tank refills will be available for $5 each during the comp and practice day). Garmin InReach or other satellite tracker with messaging capability is mandatory.

Registration opens April 1st, 2023 at 1600 MST.

Entry fee is $600 USD. The top 15 NTSS pilots will receive a $50 USD discount on the event fee. Rankings will be as of April 1st, 2023. International pilots ranked in the top 400 in the WPRS will receive a $125 USD discount on the entry fee. You might be wondering why comps in the US are so expensive?

Minimum qualifications: P4 or International equivalent. You can expect strong conditions in Monroe, very high altitudes and at times when we fly downwind, potentially limited places to land. If you do not have a P4 or international equivalent please contact the race organization with your flying background if you feel the Red Rocks Wide Open suits your ability.

Full details on pilot qualifications here.

Full Details on Local Rules and Regulations here.

We have obtained a 10% discount on Mountain High O2 on demand systems. If interested let us know.

Get a feel for the remarkable area with this short film shot by Ben Horton during the 2022 XRedRocks hike and fly race.

DETAILS

WHEN:

• September 9-16 2023 (9th is a practice day)

• Daily pre-flight briefing at headquarters local time (i.e. Mountain Standard Time, UTC-7): 09:00

WHERE:

• Headquarters: Richfield County Fairgrounds

AIRSPACE:

The applicable airspace is described on the US Salt Lake City (SSLC) VFR sectional aeronautical chart, available from the FAA or SkyVector.

LAUNCHES:

Monroe has 4 world-class launches. Monroe Peak is the main launch, at an altitude of 11,171 feet and faces SW. It is an astonishing 6,000′ above the valley floor! HUGE distances have been flown from Monroe (over 300 km). A list of the top flights.

Another nearby launch is COVE. Cove is a local favorite for getting incredible restitution glass-offs of well over 15,000 feet even in October! Cove has launches from N, W and S. 

Mt Edna, one of the most stunning take offs in the Rockies is the highest drive-up launch in Utah, with various launches that take nearly all winds between 11,500 and 11,700 feet. 

And finally Junction, a SE facing launch where HUGE XC flights (several over 300km) go down nearly every year. 

Central Utah has the most reliable flying weather in the Intermountain West. CUASA, the local club hosts an annual fly-in at the end of September every year and it is nearly always flyable every day. We are hosting this event right after the monsoon, when OD becomes much less of an issue and yet the days are still long and XC potential is still fantastic. The fall colors will be setting in and the terrain is nothing short of mind-boggling. Expect long and varied tasks (FAI triangles, downwinders, and out and backs) that utilize the most of every day.

LODGING (discounts are being arranged):

1. Quality Inn (Richfield)
2. Monroe Inn (Monroe)
3. Hotels in Richfield
4. AirBNB’s in the area
5. Monroe Canyon RV Park (Monroe)- Ask for Jordan for a pilot discount (adjacent to the main LZ)
6. Sevier River RV Park (Joseph)- about 17 mins from LZ. All staff stay here. Awards and afterparty will be here. Lots of grass and trees. Ask for Danny.

ATTRACTIONS:

National Parks nearby: Bryce, Escalante and Zion. They are all epic. There is great mountain biking, hiking is pretty surreal this time of year with the fall colors, hot springs in Monroe…

CONTACT:

Radio frequency: 151.925 MHz (a USHPA member frequency)

Red Rocks Wide Open Telegram Official Announcements

Red Rocks Wide Open Telegram Group Chat

RETRIEVE:

Cellular service available: The group chat in conjunction with live trackers and InReach tracking is used for coordinating pilot retrievals.

PLEASE set up your satellite tracker per these instructions: InReach set up instructions

Medical Emergency:

Telephone: 911

Nearest hospital: Sevier County Hospital. 1000 N Main St, Richfield, UT 84701. Phone: +14358934100

Staff:

Organizer(s): Gavin McClurg and Logan Walters

Meet Director: Logan Walters

Medical and Safety: Justin Grisham

Weather: Reavis Sutphin-Gray

Scoring: Bill Hughes

Method: Gap 2021, FTV 20%

GEAR:

Oxygen supply: Monroe peak altitude is 11,223 ft (3420 m). Top of usable lift is expected to be above 15 kFt. Oxygen refills will be available for $5/ fill. We are working on getting O2 rental units. Oxygen is HIGHLY recommended.

Satellite Communicator: A satellite communicator (Garmin inReach or Spot, etc.) with two-way messaging is MANDATORY. Cellular service is unreliable in the surrounding area. We hope to have InReach rental units available.

WEATHER:

CUASA Cove Station
NOAA Central Utah
Weather.com – Hourly 
USAirNet.com Winds Aloft – US 
WindCast – Utah / Soaring Forcast 
Live Feed on Cove Two hour time span on Cove 

TRACK LOGS:

Historical flights on XContest from Monroe Peak and surrounding launches