West Coast Soaring Club

The West Coast Soaring Club is the home to paragliding and hang gliding in the Vancouver and Fraser Valley regions of British Columbia, Canada.  The coastal mountains of southwestern Canada boast some of the best flying on the continent, with soaring sites to suit all pilot skill levels and styles.  The club's primary objective is to develop and maintain safe soaring practices in our area.

More about Hang Gliding and Paragliding

in Vancouver and the Lower Mainland

The Lower Mainland, located on the southwest coast of B.C. is comprised of the Fraser Valley and the surrounding Coastal Mountains and is home to Vancouver, the largest city in British Columbia.

Due to moist south westerlies, the coastal mountains, which range in height from between 2500 to 4,000 ft, are covered by a dense evergreen forest. This, along with the occasional rugged mountain peak jutting up above the tree line and continuing down to the beautiful coastal waters, makes this area some of the most attractive in North America.  The area offers many tourist and recreational attractions ranging from everything that a large city has to offer, to an incredible scenic wilderness which host many forms of outdoor recreational activities.  These range from yachting and boating, canoeing, mountaineering and rock climbing to world class skiing resorts, white water rafting and hiking trails leading up to 7000 ft alpine plateaus.

The Lower Mainland is also home to British Columbia's largest hang gliding and paragliding fraternity, the "West Coast Soaring Club".  The moist air in winter usually means that access to the mountain launches is restricted due to snow, but come spring, when cloud base rises to around 6000 feet, you will find pilots enjoying flights with breathtaking scenery in solid thermals along the entire length of the scenic Fraser Valley from Grouse Mountain to Bridal Falls.  By mid summer the air tends to have stabilized somewhat, which is the time to hone your scratching skills, with rewarding flights for those that have.

Our two most popular and consistently flyable sites are Mount Woodside and Bridal Falls (Lower and Upper launches).  Woodside is flyable year-round, and is suitable for hang gliders and paragliders.  Bridal Falls has a lower launch, suitable only for paraglider pilots, and a stellar upper launch, perfect for any foot launched flying, hang glider or paraglider.  Various events and competitions are held at these flying sites throughout the year.

Then, of course, there's Grouse Mountain, probably one of the most gorgeous flying sites in North America.  The site is only minutes from downtown Vancouver, and after a quick tram ride up to the top of the mountain, and a short hike to the launch site, the soaring pilot will be rewarded with a stunning panoramic view of the city of Vancouver, Stanley Park, Burrard Inlet, English Bay, and even the mountains of Vancouver Island, across the Strait of Juan de Fuca.

And that's just the beginning!  The Fraser Valley is home to many more flying sites, suitable for both hang gliding and paragliding.  The south facing splendor around Pemberton provides some of the best and most reliable fall flying conditions in the region.

Please take your time, browse our website, and say hello in our public forum.  We hope to fly with you soon.

Last updated:   23 Jan 2008