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Bingen

Bingen is a paragliding flying site at 687 m elevation, in the Washington region of the United States. The launch faces E, SE, SW and W. This page consolidates multi-model weather forecasts, the GO / CAUTION / NO-GO flyability score, the vertical windgram and the thermal emagram so pilots can plan their flight in one place.

Wind and orientation. Bingen flies in E, SE, SW and W winds, meaning the airflow must come head-on into the launch. Any component outside that window triggers CAUTION or NO-GO depending on intensity. The launch is rated safe up to 43 km/h sustained wind, beyond which ParaRidge switches to NO-GO. The hourly forecast table and the vertical windgram both show wind direction and speed at takeoff altitude, hour by hour, for the next five days.

Weather model and forecast. For Bingen, ParaRidge auto-selects the best-available model (HRDPS, GDPS or GFS in North America; AROME, ICON-D2 or ECMWF in Europe), then surfaces hourly forecasts for today and the next four days. The windgram stacks the vertical wind profile of every hour into one chart; the emagram reveals cloud base, thermal ceiling and the instability band — the three pieces of information needed to estimate whether the day is flyable and how long the thermals will last.

How to read the GO / CAUTION / NO-GO verdict. ParaRidge cross-references the forecast wind direction against the launch's orientation window, the wind speed against the safety limit, and the gust speed against the maximum threshold. GO means every check passes; CAUTION that at least one threshold is borderline (you stay pilot in command); NO-GO that the direction is wrong or the wind exceeds the window. The reasons are always spelled out — no opaque score, no magic. At Bingen as anywhere else, the final go decision remains the pilot's, after local briefing and direct observation.

Current wind at Hood River/Jernstedt Arfld (station 9 km away): 0 km/h N, gusts 0 km/h — read at 03:35 UTC, data by winds.mobi.

Fly your own decision

Spot info is community-sourced and may be outdated. The weather shown is a numerical model, not real-time observed conditions — actual wind on launch can differ. Landing-zone details (surface, obstacles, access, livestock) must be verified locally before every flight. Always cross-check with local clubs and pilots. ParaRidge is not responsible for any incident.

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ThermalRidgeHike & Fly

Bingen

687 mUnited States›Washington
—Not rated yet·0 votes
Takeoff

main

687 m · E / SE / SW / W

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Landing

No landing zone is registered for this spot yet.

Description of Site: Overlooking the Columbia River Gorge, Bingen is Gorgeous. A deluxe manicured grass LZ at the Bingen Marina from a 2100' sled ride with soaring potential with a reasonable drive around makes this one of the gorge's premier sites. With south and west launches it works best sunny & calm, but also works in very light east or west winds (under 10 mph). On good thermal days, gains of 2500' are common with XC potential to the east. if there is a wind, westerlies are best from the Intermediate west launch, east winds tend to be rough and unpredictable making for crosswind launches and tumbling air at the south launch. Unfortunately, Bingen bisects the high wind windsurfing capitol of North America and private property. If there are whitecaps on the river at Bingen Marina or a wind line is moving from the west, it is blown out. Like all other Gorge sites, pilots must keep a sharp eye on the river for the streaks of dull looking water and whitecapswarning signs of the Gorge locomotive, The Wind. Park across the road from the log cabin. The trail starts walking downhill and turns back uphill as it goes around the property owned by the log cabin. Please do not cut across their property as it only takes 1 minute longer to go around (if that) As you approach the gate at the cattle fence, please remember to close it and latch the chain behind you. The hike up to the South launch is 5 -10 minutes from the car. You'll see a large flat launch area west of a large lone oak tree. This launch is suitable only in East or South winds. (most likely East) Make sure you have visited the LZ prior to going to the launch as the Columbia River Gorge is famous for higher winds in the LZ. If it's windy and you can't kite the LZ, don't launch off the top. If the wind is out of the west, continue along the trail for another 15 minutes and you'll end up at the west launch. This is a great launch for spring thermal and ridge soaring. Keep in mind from this launch, you cannot see the LZ. Make sure you keep an eye on the water as wind moves in from the west like a freight train. If you can see white caps 4 miles away near the hatchery, then you need to top land or get down fast. Keeping an eye on the river is critical. Bingen: thermal, ridge soaring, hike & fly site in Washington, USA. Elevation 687 m.

Forecast · ECMWF

NESW
Takeoff

No flyability data

687 m

Live now · station

Model· fine-mesh → global

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Which model should I pick?

Fine-mesh models (1–3 km: HRDPS, AROME, ICON-D2, HRRR) resolve terrain and thermals well, but only reach +1 to +2 days. Use them for the day you actually fly.

Coarse-mesh models (10–25 km: GDPS, ARPEGE, ECMWF, GFS) miss valley detail but reach +3 to +10 days. Use them to scout a window 3+ days out, then re-check on a fine-mesh model the day before.

Advanced analysis
Fine mesh — accurate here · ★ recommendedRegional — trendGlobal — big picture

Day · Windgram / Emagram

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NESW

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Takeoff

No flyability data

788 m

20 km