Advice from Rob McKenzie concerning the Banning pass, 2001/3/22

Be ... reeally reeally reeally careful going anywhere past Beaumont towards the Banning Pass. Lost 2 friends (Chuck, and Dick both died) there from winds because hang gliders can't fly fast enough to handle the strong winds that venturi there. A paraglider would be obviously even more trouble. This is why the encouragement to veer south toward Hemet. Pretend that the end of the earth is east of Beaumont.

I personally have been into the pass and landed at Cabazon. It was a pretty much zero wind late santa ana condition and I found myself directly over Beaumont still at about 7K and the windmills were all not moving at all and I drove right down the 10 for the 10 or so mile to a landing by the Dinosaur. Zero wind landing as well.

On another flight which was the end of a Santa Ana (North wind), I worked my way up the Yucaipa ridge toward little Gorgonio but at one point just as I got directly north of Oak Glen I got slammed by a wind from the NE. Apparently the Santa Ana was still blowing. I got drilled out toward the fields NE of Yucaipa just where they rise up to Oak Glen. Really trashy.

Not a lot of good experiences near the Pass. Best to just go for Hemet. You want miles, then tow up over the flats by SE Arizona or west or south Texas.