Grouse Mountain Resort is a privately owned ski and summer resort, and through the long-term relationship with the Grouse Mountain Flying Team (GMFT) they allow approved pilots to fly from their mountain. When we fly we are colorful entertainment for the hundreds of thousands of visitors that come up Grouse every season.

We land at Cleveland Park, a sports field at the base of Grouse Mountain. The GMFT arranges with the District of North Vancouver to use the field and pilots pay a user fee, just like the soccer and baseball players that also use the field. The GMFT has exclusive use of the field during the summer when there are no sports games booked.

Grouse Mountain has delegated the management of all non-commercial paragliding and hang gliding to the GMFT and expects the directors of the club to ensure that everyone who flies at Grouse has an appropriate skill level, suitable equipment and valid insurance from the Hang Gliding and Paragliding Association of Canada (HPAC).

In the fall of 2008 a new Peak chairlift was built that severely restricts the available launch area. At the same time, the moving chairlift became a new hazard, not only to the pilots, but also to the guests using the chairlift. Grouse Mountain intends, in the fall of 2011, to reshape the terrain to the east of the current launch in order to improve winter skiing. The GMFT will be involved in this process to ensure that our needs are also taken into account, creating a larger launch area and improving safety.

In order to preserve this spectacular flying site in the meantime, the GMFT decided to limit access for flying to include only known advanced-skilled pilots until a more suitable launch is built. Hence, visiting pilots are currently not allowed to fly at Grouse for the 2010 season .

Local pilots who wish to join the GMFT should contact one of the GMFT directors and request to be added to the GMFT Guest Pilot list. Guest pilots are only allowed to fly while accompanied by a GMFT member. After flying for one year as a guest incident-free, a guest pilot can apply for full GMFT membership.

In order for a pilot to be added to the guest list, he/she must fulfill the following requirements:

• Current Hang Gliding & Paragliding Association of Canada (HPAC) Intermediate Rating
• Minimum of 150 flights and 50 hours airtime
• Current HPAC Insurance
• Endorsement from two GMFT members who can confirm that the candidate possesses adequate launching skills (especially forward launching in light/no-wind conditions for paraglider pilots) and that he/she is known to use good judgment and fly responsibly
• Pay a $20 guest membership fee which covers the rental of the LZ (full members pay $40)
• Equipment requirements: Glider appropriate to pilot skill level and to the limitations of the flying site (e.g. no speed-gliders or topless hang-gliders), reserve parachute and helmet