2023 US Pre World Cup - Monroe

United States of America, Monroe (Utah)

09/09 - 16/09/2023
United States of America, Monroe (Utah)
Type
PWCA Class 1 - Pre World Cup Tour
Season
2023

  • Saturday, 9 September, 2023 to Saturday, 16 September, 2023

Local website : airtribune.com/red-rocks-wide-open/info/details

Event info:
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Reliable weather. Big Air. Bigger vistas. Some of the most incredible and stunning flying in the Intermountain West if not the world! 4 launches that take different wind directions. HUGE XC potential through some of Utah’s most incredible natural wonders. Welcome to the Red Rocks Wide Open! This is a USHPA National Championship series AND FAI Cat 2 AND Pre-PWC sanctioned event that promises strong conditions and long tasks that take advantage of remote, tall mountain ranges and high-desert flatlands. Participants should be very comfortable with flying in strong thermals at high altitudes (most take-offs are over 11,000 feet). Oxygen is highly recommended (tank refills will be available for $5 each during the comp and practice day, and a discount will be available to purchase your own O2 kit). Garmin InReach or other satellite tracker with messaging capability is mandatory. The top 15 NTSS pilots will receive a $50 USD discount on the event fee. International pilots ranked in the top 400 in the WPRS will receive a $125 USD discount on the entry fee. NEW for 23': If you wish to provide your own retrieve the fee is discounted $175 USD (about 30%). Please note- you MUST provide all transport if taking this option, we cannot be used as the backup, and retrieves can be exceedingly long and difficult in this part of the world, so only do this option if you are absolutely sure you have it covered!

Competition Results

Observer

Bill Hughes

Flying Site

Monroe has 4 world-class launches. Monroe Peak is the main launch, at an altitude of 11,171 feet and faces SW. It is an astonishing 6,000' above the valley floor! HUGE distances have been flown from Monroe (over 300 km). A list of the top flights.

Another nearby launch is COVE. Cove is a local favorite for getting incredible restitution glass-offs of well over 15,000 feet even in October! Cove has launches from N, W and S.

Mt Edna, one of the most stunning take offs in the Rockies is the highest drive-up launch in Utah, with various launches that take nearly all winds between 11,500 and 11,700 feet.

Junction, a SE facing launch where HUGE XC flights (several over 300km) go down nearly every year.

We can also use Whale and Horse Heaven, which are good launches further north if we have conditions that warrant moving the comp to a different site for the day. In summary- we have a lot of different launch options to accommodate challenging or adverse weather conditions!

Central Utah has the most reliable flying weather in the Intermountain West. CUASA, the local club hosts an annual fly-in at the end of September every year and it is nearly always flyable every day. We are hosting this event right after the monsoon, when OD becomes much less of an issue and yet the days are still long and XC potential is still fantastic. The fall colors will be setting in and the terrain is nothing short of mind-boggling. Expect long and varied tasks (FAI triangles, downwinders, and out and backs) that utilize the most of every day.

Selection And Entry

Selection and Registration
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Your registration requires approval that you meet the minimum Pilot Entry Requirements for this event. Please refer to the 2022 USHPA rule book. All pilots must be USHPA members (foreign pilots can get a one month temp membership for $6 USD), and CUASA club members (one month temp memberships are $10 USD). PLEASE NOTE: The Red Rocks Wide Open has a high pilot standard! No Exceptions! Full details about the registration process and eligibility criteria can be found here

This is an FAI category 2 event (as well as US Nationals). Per FAI cat 2 requirements, 25% of spots will be held for international pilots, which will be chosen by WPRS ranking.

Entry fee is $575 USD. The top 15 US NTSS pilots will receive a $50 USD discount. Foreign pilots who are ranked in the top 400 in the WPRS will receive a $125 USD discount. Rankings as of April 1, 2023 will be used. NEW for 23': If you wish to provide your own retrieve the fee is discounted $175 USD (about 30%). Please note- you MUST provide all transport if taking this option, the organization cannot be used as the backup. Retrieves can be exceedingly long and difficult in this part of the world, only do this option if you know you have it covered.

Minimum qualifications: P4 or International equivalent. You can expect strong conditions in Monroe, very high altitudes and at times when we fly downwind, potentially limited places to land. If you do not have a P4 or international equivalent please contact the race organization with your flying background if you feel the Red Rocks Wide Open suits your ability.

Approved pilots will be invited to pay for each competition according to pilot rank (see below). Your place at a competition is not confirmed until we have received your payment for the competition. The Pilot Lists show the current status of your registration.

Pilots are listed for each competition in ranked order and confirmed entry to the competition will be prioritised based on rank.

Pilots will be ranked for the competition as follows:

US pilots will be ranked by date/time of registration (NOT date/time of payment).
Pilots of other nations will be ranked by their current WPRS position.

US pilots will be listed first, followed by pilots of all other nations by rank. (Please press the green Org CIVL button on the top, right of the Participants page to see the correct order for selection/ US pilots will be invited to pay first in ranked order, followed by pilots of other nations one week later, also in ranked order). The Panel reserves the right to award places out of ranking order. They also reserve the right to award wildcards where they feel it is appropriate.

Automatic Qualification:

Top 25 + 5 women on NTSS
33 Top ranked international pilots based on WPRS
37 spots allocated to USA based on WPRS points

Remaining place allocation rules:
10% of places are reserved for female pilots until 100 days prior to the start of the event.
25 pilots in order of registration
Any unused international spots will be allocated to US pilots 75 days prior to the event based on sign up date.

IMPORTANT: When you register for a competition, if you do not enter your ‘correct’ FAI and CIVL numbers then you will not be ranked correctly. Note: if you are a US pilot your FAI number is USUALLY your USHPA pilot number (without letters). Your CIVL number you can look up with the link on the Registration page. Also when you register you will be required to enter your ‘FAI Sporting Licence Nationality’. This is not another nationality you happen to hold, nor is it where you were born, or where you currently live, but is the country that issued your Sporting Licence (‘United States’ for USHPA issued licences).

Once a competition is full, pilots will be added to the waiting list and then if a place becomes available it will be offered to the next highest ranked pilot on the list. The pilot will receive an email from us inviting them to pay their entry fee and will have 5 days to do so before the place is offered to the next highest ranked pilot on the list.

Refund policy

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REFUNDS 2023 policy
Any pilot who cancels their registration will be given a refund as follows:

- Cancellation date more than 60 days before competition start date: 50% refund
- Cancellation date between 60 and 30 days before competition start date: 30% refund
- Cancellation date less than 30 days before competition start date: 0% refund

Inability to attend due to Covid related travel reasons is not a reason for a refund of an amount greater than the above percentages and stated times. Please ensure you have adequate travel insurance to cover any last minute cancellations.

Cancellation of a Competition by the Organization ie Covid19 interference etc:
In the event the organizers deem it necessary to cancel, relocate, or reschedule the competition you will be entitled to a partial refund. This will be on the scale as follows:
- Up to 45 days before the first official event day: 100% less a $50 admin charge
- 45 to 0 days before the first official event day: An amount equivalent to the amount paid less the amount spent by the organisation in preparations up to that time.

After the start of the competition any refunds will be at the sole discretion of the organizers.

The organizers will not be liable for any costs incurred by anyone attending, or intending to attend the event, or any consequential losses arising from the cancellation, relocation, or rescheduling of the event.

General Schedule

Saturday September 9th, 2023
Official Training day. Transport to launch provided, retrieve from main LZ provided. No official task set.
1600-1900- Official Registration and equipment inspection
1930 Mandatory Safety and Race Briefing

Sunday September 10th- Saturday September 16th
Contest Flying days

Saturday September 16th
1900- Prize Giving, Closing Ceremonies, BBQ for pilots and family/friends and an EPIC Party!

Daily Schedule

07:00 - Headquarters open
08:00 - Transport to take-off
09:30 - Meet Director / Task and Safety Committee meetings
10:00 - Pilots briefing / Previous task official results / Task definition
10:30 - Take-off window opens
16:30 - Scoring office opens
20:00 - Provisional results

Accommodation

There is too much to do around Monroe to list here. On weather days there are several close national parks- Zion, Bryce Canyon, Escalante, National Reef Monument...Mountain biking is amazing, hiking, museums...but probably you'll just want to rest from going HUGE!

For accommodation, there are several hotels and motels in the Richfield area, lots of great AirBNB's in Monroe (10 mins from Richfield by car) or Joseph (5 min by car). We recommend the Quality Inn in Richfield if you prefer a car. There are also many RV parks and camping areas.

Normative

Contacts:
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Transportation

To get to Monroe from out of state or overseas you would fly to the Salt Lake City international Airport (SLC) and then arrange a car rental to drive to Monroe, or schedule a shuttle through us ($75 pp from SLC to Monroe). We recommend getting a car and having days before and after the comp to explore this incredible area!



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