Thermalling Clinics

What?

The Thermalling / Intro to XC Clinic is designed to bridge the gap between getting your Basic Rating (P2) and becoming a confident cross country pilot. In this course pilots learn how to:

Thermal
Use other pilots for information
Understand the micro-meteorology at Tiger Mt.
Assess risk and fly within your skill set
Fly better through increased efficiency
Use your instruments effectively

Who?

The next level clinic is designed for beginner and intermediate pilots who have a solid understanding of the basics (launching / landing) and are ready to progress to more advanced topics like thermaling and cross country decisions.

Where?

The Next Level Clinic is held at Tiger Mountain in Issaquah, Washington. Tiger offers consistent thermal flying and a short turnaround time between laps, enabling clients to get 4-5 flights on a typical day! It is the perfect training arena and we are often rewarded with a beautiful glass off at the end of the day.

Format

The structure is a 5 day clinic, Monday - Friday: 3 days of flying, 1 day of ground school and 1 rest day.

Ground School

On the ground school day, we will work on ground handling techniques with safe launches being the primary focus. Our personal, 1 on 1 feedback will help solidify your ground game which allows us to put more attention on thermaling later in the course..

Flying Days

On flying days, we cover theory each morning before we fly and then provide everyone with in air coaching over the radio. We fly with you to help refine your skills and decision making in flight. We also give everyone a tandem flight which has proven to be a highlight from past clients.

2025 Schedule

Week 1: August 4 - 8

Week 2: August 11 - 15

Week 3: August 18- 22

Pricing

The price for the clinic is $1,195. This includes:

Rides to launch on 3 flying days (we will be shuttling pilots up all day)
1 Tandem Flight
In-air coaching
1 day of personalized ground school

Please email nwparagliding@gmail.com for more information or to reserve your spot!

Clay Blackiston

I gained so much confidence from the P2+ clinic this past week with Matt Senior and Austin Cox. It really is a missing step between P2 and "the next level". I feel so much more confident in the air now. Matty and Austin were such a calming and informative presence on radio while flying. I also asked about 45 questions per day and they never once rolled their eyes at me. So much positivity and encouragement! If you're considering doing a clinic in the future, especially with these two, don't even think twice just do it- you won't regret it!

Brian Olsen

Highly recommend! It was like getting not only an intro to thermal and xc flying, but also the keys to Tiger!

Chandler Haberlack

I want to thank Matty and Austin for hosting such a kick a** clinic. I highly recommend anyone who wants to try and progress in this sport to take the clinic next year. You'll be blown away with how much you learn and the confidence you'll get in your flying ability.