Steptoe Butte a premier site for gliders

A local group that catches adventure on the wind found itself grounded by red tape this summer after someone realized that a state law prohibits hang gliders from using Steptoe Butte State Park.

Hang gliders, which use a wing attached to a frame, and paragliders, who use a special type of parachute to catch air, have been using Steptoe Butte for decades. The 3,612-foot tall butte affords a wonderful launching pad for those who turn proper wind and thermals into a high-flying adventures over the Palouse.

“We have been flying there since the early 70s,” said Steve Baran, who is co-founder of Center of Lift, which is a chapter of the U.S. Hang Gliding Association. “We are not quite sure how (the law change) came about.”

The law is part of Washington administrative code, or WAC, that deals with permitted uses of state parks. The current state code permits paragliders but not hang gliders.

“We think it was pushed through the Legislature in the 90s by people who were pro-paragliding and they didn’t put hang gliding in it,” Baran said.

Baran and his group are now working with state parks officials to revise the code. In the meantime, Steptoe Butte park managers have allowed the use of its park until the end of the year, he said.

State Park’s Southeast Area Manager Gary Vierra said he learned of the code and shut down hang gliding until he could learn more.

“Just because they have been doing it for 20 years does not keep them or us from being liable,” Vierra said.

Vierra immediately started discussions with the group to find potential solutions.

“These folks are legit, educated and not reckless or dangerous,” Vierra said. “We don’t have chuckleheads up there, so we gave them a temporary permit.”

The hang-gliding legal problem also got more attention last year after a hang glider died after launching from an un–designated area of Maryhill State Park, Vierra said.

“It was brought to my attention that it was against the law and we had to have a meeting,” Vierra said. “It was a pretty crippling WAC. It was pretty ridiculous. But, it impacts liability.”

Baran said the group hopes to get the law changed sometime early next year. And, the fliers are doing anything they can to push the process through the proper channels.

“We are thinking by summer that we will be OK,” Baran said. “Right now, we are calling (continued use at Steptoe) a trial period as a way to have hang gliding put in the Washington code.”

Vierra said state parks managers are much more willing to deal with stake holders who cooperate.

“There are other groups in the state and country that do whatever the hell they want,” Vierra said. “This group does it right. We are willing, as an agency, to work with the group to change the (law) so that they can fly.

“Make everybody legitimate and make everybody happy,” he said. “I’m excited.”

Steptoe appeal

Steptoe rises about 1,000 feet over the sprawling wheat fields north of Colfax.

It also has a road to the top, which makes it prime real estate for hang gliders who generally must have road access to haul their gear.

Paragliders, however, can pretty much launch from anywhere and can carry their chutes in backpacks, Baran said.

“The higher the better,” Baran said. “We look for natural alpine meadows. We can’t take off into trees, so we have to have some type of an open area.”

While the takeoff area affords longer flights, the fliers also need safe places to land.

“We can put them down into some fairly tight spots. but you can’t expect to do that time and time again,” Baran said. “We look for areas free of power lines and fence lines.”

While Steptoe is so popular because it offers everything hang gliders and paragliders seek, the search for appropriate sites never ends, said Baran, who has been flying hang gliders off and on since 1975.

The group has worked with U.S. Forest Service to develop several launching sites in the Chewelah area. It also works private land owners to gain access.

“Someone from the Forest Service asked, ‘Why do you need another flying site?” he said. “Well, each site is different, similar to runs on a ski area. You won’t frequent a ski area if it only has one run.”

Baran, a 63-year-old teacher at Horzion Middle School, said one of the keys to success is to have multiple launch sites for the ever changing winds. The group, which has about 25 paying members, charts the wind and fliers head to those launch locations that afford the best option for flying on a given day.

One of the fliers in the group recently caught a favorable wind and was able to fly from Chewelah all the way to Genesee, Idaho.

“It’s an alluring sport because it pays off: the better you get the more fun you have,” he said. “The more you learn, the more you understand there is more to learn. You are just constantly trying to get better. It pays off in air time.”

For more information about the paragliding and hang gliding opportunities visit www.centeroflift.org/