Boulder glider flys by Crested ButteImage: Boulder glider soars near Crested Butte, CO

 

Soaring Society of Boulder Places 2nd in 2025 World Competition

The Soaring Society of Boulder (SSB) today announced that its team of glider pilots placed second in the global soaring competition, the IGC-OLC World League, and has secured the title of Vice Champion.

The World League is a multinational decentralized race where approx. 1000 glider clubs from around the globe compete for the championship.  Each season the competition includes 19 rounds.  The fastest cross-country soaring flights from each team count towards the score.

“With one round left to go, the Boulder team has locked in second place with a commanding 76-point lead over the third placed team,” said SSB team captain, Bob Faris. “With only 40 points at play in each round, no team can match or surpass our silver medal position.”

 
The Minden Soaring Club in Nevada has clinched the title as this year’s World League Champion.  Third place has yet to be determined and is an open battle among three different German teams.
Boulder routinely scores among the top 10 clubs worldwide in the global race, and this is the second time that the Boulder team has become Vice Champion.


“The Boulder airport gives us easy access to one of the most favorable soaring environments in the entire world, and this of course attracts top pilots.  The eastern slope of the Front Range is particularly conducive for thermal development.  In combination with the prevailing westerly winds aloft this creates optimal atmospheric conditions for long and fast flights. We are proud of our team and thrilled to be silver medalists once again,” concluded Faris.


The final round of the ICG-OLC World League soaring competition will be completed on August 24. To view the race results, visit the contest website.

One of our members documents their flights, follow this link for some eye opening details.
 

For 96 years, the Boulder airport has served the entire community and saved thousands of lives in the fight against wildfires, flood events, and everyday emergencies. Now, a group of vocal anti-airport activists wants to destroy it to replace it with dense urban housing developments.

This would be a terrible mistake. Closure of our airport would:

  • Put our community at risk.
  • Cost at least a hundred million dollars.
  • Require a drawn-out legal battle with the FAA with a very low chance of success. 

In the long term:

  • No new home could be built for at least 20 years.
  • Most likely, none would ever be “affordable”.

What you can do:

Please visit saveboulderairport.com  
Find out why the airport is indispensable to our community and sign our short grassroots petition. It won't take you a minute.

Please help protect this irreplaceable resource!

We're pleased to announce a major upgrade to our WIFI network! Starting 3/20/2024, get ready to experience faster speeds, wider coverage, and enhanced connectivity across our facilities. Whether you're working or streaming, enjoy seamless internet access like never before.

Key Highlights:

🚀 Lightning-fast speeds for smoother browsing and downloads.

🌐 Expanded coverage to ensure connectivity in the glider & tow plane tie-downs areas.

🔒 Improved security measures for enhanced protection.

📡 It's free to SSB members.

There are two network SSIDs available:

SSB_HS 🚀 for higher speeds while you warm the SSB bench.

SSB_XR 🌐 for longer ranges and older devices. The signal reaches out to the SSB tie-down areas.

The passwords for these are printed in the shack.

Stay tuned for more details and enjoy. Prepare for other enhanced computer experiences coming your way soon!

ssb_logo2Welcome!

The Soaring Society of Boulder (SSB) is based at Boulder Municipal Airport, Colorado. It has been in continuous operation since 1959 and is run by volunteers. We provide gliders, tows, training and a great social environment to our 170+ members and their families. Our membership ranges in experience from fresh adoptees of the sport, instructors, national champions to world championship contenders. The club was just awarded two winners trophies by the Soaring Society of America for competitions in distance and speed.

If this is your first visit and you wish to review:

  • What we do
  • How to find us
  • How to join
  • How much it costs

Visit our introduction page or contact our new member coordinator with your questions.

One of our members hosts an informative vlog and resource about Boulder soaring. You can also follow members activities on FacebookFacebook.

The SSB's YouTube channel is a resource for learning about soaring. Many questions about our operations at Boulder airport are answered. These include presentations made by SSB's highly accomplished racing pilots and instructors. YouTube"