Michael Ash wrote:
I'm going to be in the SF Bay area for a conference in January 2008 and
I'm pondering the idea of taking some time afterwards to do some flying in
a new place. I'm looking to rent a glider and stay for a couple of days. I
have some questions for people familiar with the area:

How is the soaring in January? I assume the thermals are about as dead as
they are here in Virginia, but here it would be good wave/ridge season, is
that the case there?

I've had some nice thermal flights on New Years day, but that's not
typical. Generally, good soaring conditions, whether wave or thermal,
will be tied to passing weather fronts, so it is impossible to predict
this far ahead of time. It may be raining for weeks on end, sunny and
dead, foggy 24 hours a day, or a series of beautiful soaring days.

If you'd like to fly solo, only Williams Soaring Center (two hour drive
from the Bay Area) and Soar Minden (four hour drive from the Bay Area)
will have gliders available to rent. Hollister is closer, but they only
rent gliders for instruction. Non-students fly with Bay Area Soaring
Associates, you may be able to talk a member into taking you for a
flight in their DG-1000. There is also Northern California Soaring
Association in Byron...

Marc