Hard Deck

The issues are quite site dependent. Out in the west, there aren't many instances of circling at 300 ft AGL that I have seen, the issue is more typically getting down to 3000 ft AGL where there are only crashing sites within glide range. Usually the perpetrator finds lift and makes it out, and often this is a competitive advantage. Occasionally they don't find lift, land or crash at an inaccessible location.

As I understand it back east, the whole contest is run at less than 3000 AGL and often far less. In addition, the issues out west are less having to cross an SUA to get to the other side, and more typically having to stop and take a 2 knot thermal rather than pushing on, low, hoping for a 10 knot thermal. Even though mountainous, I would not envision a bunch of inverted cake steps. A simple readout of vertical clearance to the SUA you are over is sufficient and behaves exactly as your altimeter, requiring no more attention. I'm getting close to the SUA ('ground') and I'd better stop for the next thermal. You really only need to know the top of the SUA, once, for that valley - it doesn't change. You look once, see that the floor is 8000 ft, and take thermals when you get down to 8500 or so. There isn't any need to stare at instruments. The edges are rarely a concern, because they typically end at the rising terrain surrounding it, you can't drop over the edge without penetrating rock.

I'm not sure if that is really John's proposal, but that's how I had envisioned it.