A Pilot Resource

Peavine Peak

This in depth look at Peavine was compiled by Dick Benoit & Paul Vandervoort.

MAP: Click here (This takes time)

RATED: Hang 3-4 / P2 (Hang 2 and P1 with Instructor)
LAUNCH ELEVATION: 8200 Feet
LANDING ELEVATION: 5100 Feet

SITE DESCRIPTION: At Peavine, hang and para pilots of most any skill level can experience the thrill of high altitude mountain flying. This can be an excellent site for those first high altitude flights before 9:00 am and on those all too rare days following the passage of a front in the late spring, summer, and fall, paraglider pilots regularly report the most pleasant and mellow flying the Reno area can offer. Summer days produce powerful thermals with the usual amount of turbulence, which can take you to cloudbase, and beyond. Scores of long distance cross-country flights have been made from Peavine. Jim Paddock set the current site record on 7-1794. He flew approx. 90 miles to the town of Lovelock, NV. Peavine offers great sightseeing as well. Driving around the summit area your driver can see for many miles in almost any direction. The view of Reno is spectacular. You can fly almost any wind direction at Peavine. This versatility may be particularly valuable if the near constant SW flow continues as it can all summer. Unlike Slide, you can drive up to Peavine & fly anyway.

SEASONS: Road may by blocked by snow November through April.ROAD TO TOP: Rough 2WD with washboard in places. No question about it, the biggest negative of Peavine is the road to launch. It's unpaved and has various rocky & washboard areas, which reduce driving, speed. A comfortable drive up to launch takes 25-35 minutes. The drive down always seems smoother because gravity assists. Nevertheless, most two wheel drive vehicles can drive to all launches. High clearance vehicles with large diameter tires are recommended. The road is not maintained. Thus, the launches are inaccessible during winter. Snow typically prevents flying from approx. November into April. To find the start of the road on old US 395 from the Redrock Exit, go a short distance east of the large blue water tank. Follow the very wide and obvious main dirt road over the train tracks and on to the top.

SITE LOCATION: 8 miles NW of Reno on the old 2 lane 395 highway. To find the start of the access road, go a short distance East of the large blue water tank. Follow the wide and obvious main dirt road over the train tracks and on to the top.

LAUNCH AREAS
LAUNCH "A": THE BOWL - This launch has the largest set up area. Dozens of hang gliders can be set up here but being back in the canyon this launch is not popular with paraglidersLAUNCH "B": RADIO TOWER KNOLL (Upper Launch) This is probably the steepest launch. Several gliders can be set up on the road to the west. Paragliders are advised to use the nearby C launch for obvious reasons. One thing to be careful of here: If the wind was light southeast a short time ago and is now shifting around from west NW north NE, don't be fooled into thinking that the air is converging over the mountain. It's very possible that the prevailing direction is actually southwest. In the middle of the day, the flow can change from SE to SW very quickly. A SW flow can cause a deceptively consistent W N E direction at B launch. If you launch from B in these conditions you will encounter turbulence in the bowl and sink like a rock. This happened. If you're not absolutely sure about the flow direction, take a little drive to F launch (Twin Peaks) & check what's happening there.

LAUNCHES "C" & "D": (Lower Launches) These launches are the most popular on the mountain with paragliders. Hang gliders can use each one as a set up area for the other. Only about two hang gliders can be accommodated at C. A short downhill hike from the road is required. Paraglider pilots be warned that the east facing D launch requires the pilot to become airborne quickly or face the unpleasant prospect of flying into the sharp mountain mahogany bushes immediately below launch.

LAUNCH "E": (SE Launch) This launch has no wind shadow shielded set up area. Hike down from the road past the brushes. In the south wind conditions for which this launch is best suited, beware of a rotor behind the large ridge to the south. A quick left downward turn immediately after launch is the standard Paragliding practice.LAUNCH "F": (Twin Peaks) Four wheel drive is required to drive the road from the peak to the LZ. Nice Aspen groves in this valley. Launch has a smaller AGL (1,000ft) than the other launches. Nevertheless, awesome flights are often possible from here. The area to the southwest produces awesome thermals that can take a pilot high over Peavine Peak. Hang VI or advanced hang 3 skills are recommended for this launch. The reason for this is that the LZ is a bumpy alluvial plain with lots of little hills & gullies, which are not clearly visible from launch. Also, on hot summer days the air tends to swirl around the LZ in all directions, making landings even more difficult. It is recommended that hang glider pilots launch from F only when conditions are such that thermaling over the top is likely. Launching into the beginning of a cycle is important.
Paragliders should use extreme caution flying this southwest-facing site as strong turbulent winds can suddenly appear with little or no warning. Unfortunately, this holds true for all west facing Reno area flying sites.

LAUNCH "G" (Switchback) This is the closest launch to the Mini mart. It is just below the switchback. Pilots have reported semi consistent thermal activity in the area north of this launch. This is a good launch for paragliders when the wind is blowing from the northeast, directly splitting the difference between and C and D launches.

LAUNCH FLAT WEST RIDGE RUN (Hang 4 and no Paragliders suggested) At the north end of Peavine ridge, very flat launch, with flat glide north to bail over the ridge to the mini market on Red Rock road. Not recommended for windy days or Paragliders.

LANDING ZONE: Advanced pilots generally like to land near the parking area just north of the store. The LZ on the east side of Red Rock road is larger and more forgiving, but may close soon due to development. Beware of fences & power lines. Downslope breezes can blow late in the day. If you sink out, you can land in the alluvial plain between Anderson and the base of the mountain, but there is lots of high sagebrush here. If possible, pilots are advised against landing in the populated area south of the freeway. Some landowners are not very pleasant. Also beware of the many power lines in this area. Paragliders can land on a broad ridge above a particularly steep and bumpy part of the access road (see map). Beware of the power line immediately east of the LZ. If conditions are strong and turbulent a larger alternate LZ can be found several hundred feet further up the ridge. Landings should be on ridge tops, not in gully bottoms. Due to occasional turbulence and higher performing wings this site has not been utilized much by paragliders in recent years.

We're fortunate to have a good relationship with The Red Rock Jackson Foods mini mart. Manager Dave Evans reports that they have had no problems with pilots. Our business is welcome. Dave's primary concerns are that we: 1. Land away from the building; 2. Don't crash into the building; and 3. Don't park in high traffic spots; in other words, if you're going to leave your vehicle in one spot for an extended time, park it away from the building. Never park in the covered gas filling area.

PARAGLIDER LANDING AREA LOCATION: Just West of the main access road on a broad ridge above a particularly steep and bumpy part of the access road. Beware of the power line immediately East of the LZ. If conditions are strong and turbulent, a larger alternate LZ can be found several hundred feet further up the ridge.

Landings should be on ridge tops - not in gully bottoms.

TIPS: On unstable days lift can often be found over Granite Hills. North or northeast are good headings to take, since there are lots of bailout LZ's in this direction. Great flights have also occurred to the south. Steve Roderick once flew to Genoa. The area to the east is in the Reno Tahoe Airport approach corridor. Pick up a FAA sectional map & familiarize yourself with FAA regulations if you wish to go XC in this direction.
To summon an emergency medical helicopter from Peavine Peak: 146.670 MHz "minus" repeater shift; To get a dial tone, star up, To "hang up", hold pound down.

CAUTION: Paraglider pilots who have not flown in desert thermal conditions are urged to treat this site with great caution. It can be as rowdy as any place and some of the best known American Paragliding pilots have either thrown their reserves or been flown to the hospital after launching at Peavine. BUT if you can hit it in the early evening with a light to moderate east or north wind and buoyant air even beginning pilots can have pleasant ridge soaring and some of the smoothest air imaginable.

HOW DOES PEAVINE COMPARE TO SLIDE MOUNTAIN?
Peavine's MSL altitudes at launch (8,200' at the Knoll) & landing (5,100' at the Mini mart) are exactly the same as Slide (to Washoe valley). The AGL is the same (3,100'). The thermals are just as strong & you can get your ass kicked just as easily. Cross-country possibilities are just as great.

Slide advantages:

1. Paved road to launch.
2. Paved set up area.
3. Possibility of hitchhiking back to launch.

Peavine Advantages:

1. Lots of good launches - almost any wind direction can be accommodated.
2. Pilots of almost any skill level can fly, given mellow conditions.
3. Easy 5 to 1 glide (Knoll to Mini mart) to secure LZ, which is open year round. Peavine is an excellent Paragliding site.
4. No guard rail to climb over.
5. Mini mart right at the LZ to celebrate your flight with a cold one before you even tear down!
6. Top landings are possible for pilots with good spot landing skills. The top LZ is within easy walking distance of the north & east launches.
7. Vast, uncrowded set up area at east facing launch.
8. No trees to sink out into with wide-open landing areas almost every where for paragliders.
9. Wind direction is often easier to determine.

Note: While the launch altitudes are essentially the same as Slide, Peavine's flat slope runways are not as steep. Generally, this is considered an advantage, since cliff launch skills are not required to fly Peavine. Wire assistance is usually not needed and paragliders find launching at Peavine much less frustrating than dealing with the squirrelly winds on the pad at Slide. However, the steep slope runways at Slide enable a skilled hang glider pilot to launch in very light wind. Some pilots can even launch at Slide in no wind. No wind hang glider launches at Peavine are generally not possible. Pilots must remember that the air at 8,200' is thin. If you're used to flying at sea level, you may stand at launch, observe the slope angle and conclude that you can run fast enough to take off, even though the air is still. But what works at the coast doesn't always work at 8,200'. Several pilots have made this judgment error at Peavine and crashed at runway's end.