Bill

I have had the experience while banked 45 deg in mountain thermal of having the glider stop flying and start falling in a split second. IE, the dirt came up of the floor and was pinned to the canopy.

Under those circumstances, I would define skosh altitude as anything less than enough to recover from a deep stall or early spin with enough reserve height then to direct the aircraft in a desirable direction.

Very sharp shear is possble at the borders of strong thermals. I don't think a steep bank would necessarily be as perfect a safeguard against a turbulent airflow as I would hope. Airflow across one wing could be erased in an instant under the wrong circumstances.

Mark