Bear Mountain

61.417220, -149.380190
Updated June 4, 2024

Description

Pilot Recommendations

P3/M2 - Cliff launch skill for west launch

 

In-person site intro recommended,

especially for pilots flying XC

Weather Conditions

West Launch:

Wind Direction: 200°-300°

Min: 0mph / Ideal: 8-10mph / Max: 15mph / Gust: 3mph

Glide Ratio to L//Z: 3.0

South Launch:

Wind Direction: 160°-230°

Min: 0mph / Ideal: 8-10mph / Max: 15mph / Gust: 3mph

Glide Ratio to L//Z: 6.5

Hazards

Beware of days with strong SE in surrounding areas! This can quickly push through and cause severe turbulence and sink

There are converging, diverging and mixing valley flows. Stay alert

This is an unmaintained site. All launch locations require special attention to detail. There are limited setup sites hazards to both your lines and footing.

This is a popular hiking area, there will be spectators for your launch. Please make sure they are a safe distance away.

Restrictions

Do not land within 50' of other recreators

Do not land at Mirror Lake Middle School while school is in session or teams are using the fields.

Do not land on Mirror Lake unless you are confident in the ice thickness.

 

This site is not managed by the Arctic Air Walkers, and this Site Guide is provided to assist pilots in making good decisions about flying at this site.  Always seek out pilots with site experience to get an orientation to the site.

Bear mountain is the steep face above Mirror Lake in Peters Creek.  Year round, Bear Mountain is a rarely flown site in the Anchorage area due to the steep trail to launch a and easier sites closer to town. If you do make the hike, the prominence of the peak offers many flight options. It gives extended time to search for lift, or provides the opportunity for the longest sledder in the area. Bear offers launch options in all directions except easterly, and all launches from Bear require exceptional launch skills.

The trail head has limited parking so please carpool to the Peters Creek trail head from Mirror Lake Middle School (MLMS) or other gathering spot when possible. 

Bear Mountain is primarily an XC site.  Mirror Lake, (when frozen) or Mirror Lake Middle School are bailout LZs.

Do not land at the middle school while school is in session or while children or other field users are present. 

Mini-wings and speed wings can be flown from Bear Mountain.  Mini-wings (defined as having a glide ratio better than 5:1) can make the bailout LZ at MLMS.  Speed-wings cannot and therefore should only be flown when Mirror Lake is frozen.

Follow the main trail approximately ¼ mile until you come to an obvious left branch.  Following this branch all the way to the top of Bear Mountain which is an open rolling plateau.  The face of the mountain faces nearly due west.  Launch locations exist along the entire face and need to be selected based on the amount of south or north wind present. 

Launch

The summit of Bear Mountain is an ideal location to launch a paraglider from. With a flat and open area that faces west there are many possible setup locations. The main detractor of the area is the sharp, rocky ground and the finicky and variable weather conditions. Due to the direction that the face looks toward, thermals often develop later in the day which can lead to variable winds on top. It is not uncommon to have the wind switch 180° in the time it takes you to setup. Because of this, it is imperative to check the weather forecasts, local weather stations and, most importantly, always be ready to hike back down.

Bear Mountain provides views of the Chugach mountains behind you, with the Alaska range in the distance. It is not uncommon to have views of Denali while flying this site. 

There are 2 main launch areas at Bear, the West Launch and South Launch. Each of these have their own intricacies, but all share similar ideal winds and common hazards. All launches are natural, unmaintained mountain locations. Maintenance or "grooming" of any kind if forbidden by the Park Service, and could jeopardize our future access. 

Bear Mountain Launch Image

 

West Launch

The West launch is a true cliff launch and the cliff launch special skill sign off is highly recommended.  However, it does have the best setup location, a large flat area facing the direction of launch. The ridge can provide both ridge lift or thermal soaring and sometimes both at the same time. It is important to set up away from natural features that may present rotor when wind is coming in at an angle to the launch.

 

South Launch

The south launch is a small hill at the top of the trail that leads up to the plateau. Launch consists of a small open area, with only enough room to lay out one glider, with a good runway down the hill free of obstructions. There are small alders on the sides of the launch. Typically thermals can be found out over the valley and the south launch is not a good soaring site. The south launch can also be utilized by speed/mini wing pilots. Making it to an LZ can be a long glide and pilots need to be careful crossing over to the west due to rotor coming off the mountain.

 

 

Once a launch location is selected, pilots can choose to ridge soar and top land in moderate west winds, thermal in front of (or on top of) the peak and go X/C, or if it is not soarable, you can glide to the bailout LZ's at Mirror Lake Middle School (summer) or Mirror Lake (winter) and land.

The site can also be launched to the extreme northeast if there is a E-NE wind.  If launched in this direction, it will be necessary to cross the descending ridge line at some point in order to get back on the west side of the mountain.  It is not recommended to launch in this direction in winds any higher than 10mph as the possibility for extreme sink and/or rotor is too high. 

Some pilots also hike up to the knoll at the base of Eklutna Peak east of the Bear Mountain face.  This knoll offers a better launch slope but increases the glide required to make it to the school.  It also puts the LZ out of view of launch which makes it a P3 site.  In a north wind the north buttress of Bear Mountain creates a significant obstacle to overcome in order to make it to the MLMS bailout LZ when launching from this knoll.

Landing Zones

Mirror Lake Middle School

61.428899, -149.421863

MLMS LZ Image

Landings can only be conducted while school is not in session and when the field is free from teams.

Bear Mountain is primarily a XC launch point in the summer however Mirror Lake Middle School is the bail out LZ. The school consists of a football field and a soccer field separated by a low mound. Obstacles can include soccer goals, football goalposts, etc. The fields are large enough to land in but be aware of rotor off of nearby buildings and trees.

It is uncommon that both fields are in use at the same time, and the un-used field should be chosen.  This can be observed from launch and, if activities are occurring on the fields, then either consider not launching or landing at the Hill Top Airstrip to the SW or the Oberg ballfields further SW.  (Note, these may not be reachable on glide without thermal assistance.) In the winter and spring, Mirror Lake itself is frozen and considered the primary LZ.

Weather Considerations

Pilots need to keep a careful watch on weather conditions, both on launch and in the air.

  • Works best when the winds aloft are light.  S/SW/W winds up to 10mph.

  • High wind launches are possible but generally indicate strong thermals and should only be launched by a skilled pilot. 

  • DO NOT launch if the winds are from North East/East/South East; expect strong gust and rotor from Mt Eklutna or from the east side cliffs. 

  • Winds can shift quickly at launch and in the LZ's due to convergence, divergence, and mixing valley flows.

Requirements

Pilots are expected to evaluate the launch, the possible landing areas, the weather, and other conditions.  Flights are at the Pilot's own risk. 

P3 is the recommended pilot level, but conditions outside of P3 limits may exist. Beginner Speed wing pilots should be accompanied by an experience speed wing pilot until they can gain the experience and skills to safely fly the site.

West Launch Recommended Use Parameters:
Glide Ratio to LZ, 2.0:  Ideal wind, 8-10 MPH, directions from 200 to 300 degrees.  Max wind 15 MPH with 3 MPH gusts

South Launch Recommended Use Parameters:
Glide Ratio to LZ, 6.5, you need to cross around a SW ridge to reach the LZ:  Ideal wind, 8-10 MPH, directions from 160 to 230 degrees.  Max wind 15 MPH with 3 MPH gusts. 

Hazards

  • This is a natural mountain site and there are many natural hazards that are common to many natural mountain sites in Alaska that could be a hazard for pilots
  • Bear Mountain can be a dangerous place to launch from during peak heating in the summer months because of the large thermals that rip up the face of Bear Mountain.
  • Do not linger too low at the base of Bear Mountain unless you are finding lift.  While it is a 3:1 glide from the top, it can be a deceptively long glide out to Mirror Lake Middle School from lower down, and there is no good place to land near the lake. 
  • In the winter and spring, the lake itself is the primary LZ but pilots must know and understand the condition of the ice and snow cover before committing to this.
  • If Mirror Lake Middle School and/or Mirror Lake are suitable for landing at the time of launch, then this is technically a P2 site.  However, most alternate LZ’s make this a P3 launch as they are not visible from launch nor are they reachable on glide and would require thermal assistance to make the LZ. 
  • Other hikers/spectators/berry pickers may occasionally visit this site and the potential for a conflict exists. Pilots are cautioned to ensure an appropriate distance is maintained between launch and landing activities and the public.  Pilots are expected to communicate to the public as needed to maintain clearances.
  • Hike all the way to the top, winds from the surrounding peaks can create false wind indicators.
  • DO NOT launch if the winds are from North East/East/South East.
  • DO NOT land in the Mirror Lake Middle School LZ when school is in session or if teams are using the fields.
  • There are converging, diverging, and mixing valley flows. Stay alert.
  • Winds can shift quickly on top it is not uncommon to have winds shift 180 degrees while you are preparing to setup.
  • Pilots often try to fly around from the South launch to land at Mirror Lake Middle School. If you choose to do this be aware of mechanical turbulence as you fly around the West face.
  • Be cautious when cloud deck is close to launch level.
  • The trail is quite steep at the top, and can be very icy in the winter. Traction spikes are recommended.
  • All tundra areas have rocks, bushes, sticks, etc. that are a tripping hazard at launch.  Avoid landing in active play fields at the School.


WARNING: The descriptions of typical flying conditions listed in this Site Guide reflect the experience of the authors of the guide. The conditions that you encounter at the site may differ, sometimes substantially, from those described. These descriptions may not be relevant to the possible experience of any other pilot, particularly one who is relatively inexperienced or new to the Site.