Mountain Soaring Courses














For visiting pilots, Southern Soaring can provide you with a personally tailored course to teach you the art of flying in the mountains! We believe we run the best mountain soaring courses in New Zealand. Why?
  • Quality one-on-one training
  • Comprehensive PowerPoint programme unique to Southern Soaring
  • State-of-the-art equipment
  • Excellent instruction
  • Good service
  • Superb price
During the 2008/2009 season we saw a 100% increase in the demand for our courses! Clients who have flown with us are recommending us to their friends - thanks guys! This season (2009/2010) we are up another 40% !!
Soaring above the summit ridge of Mount Cook in October 2008.

Every flight we do from Omarama is, in effect, a mountain flight!  Our closest soaring "hill" (Mt St Cuthbert) rises to 1563 metres (5127 feet), higher than Great Britain's tallest mountain, Ben Nevis, which is only 1343 metres!  From Mt St Cuthbert, the hills just get bigger. New Zealand's tallest mountain, Mt Cook (12,313 feet), is located to the north of where we fly.  To read about a flight to Mt Cook in October 2007, please click here.


 Alex Phillips (Lasham Gliding Club, UK) after completing a 670 km flight with Chris Rudge on 25 November 2009 at an average speed of 140 kph.


Roel de Kruyff soaring over Mt Cook in March 2009.
Scott Jones (USA) thermalling over the Ben Ohau Range during November 2008.
The Ben Ohau Range with Lake Pukaki beyond.

Southern Soaring now offers two distinct mountain soaring courses - our Classic Mountain Soaring Course and our Classic Cross Country Course!


The Classic Mountain Soaring Course

Southern Soaring's five-day Classic Mountain Soaring Course is unique for the following reasons:
  • Each course is tailored to your individual needs.
  • The course is one-on-one and you fly with Chris Rudge, the company's Chief Flying Instructor, or Mike Till, a career gliding instructor with over 10,000 hours experience! Darren Smith and Gavin Wrigley may assist from time to time. You will receive personal attention and won't feel part of a crowd
  • We have a dedicated teaching facility. That means no distractions from other pilots during "class" time!
  • We use a  digital projector with PowerPoint presentations to clearly cover the theory part of each course
  • You get to fly at the best time of day (which means we can fly early in wave if conditions are forecast to deteriorate later)
  • All subjects taught are aligned to the Gliding New Zealand training syllabus, one of the most comprehensive in the world
Climbing in mountain thermals
Stunning scenery in the upper Dingle Burn and Ahuriri.


Mount Aspiring - photo taken during a Mountain Soaring Course in January 2009.


Mounts Pollux and Castor in Aspiring National Park.
The beautiful Matukituki Valley.

The course includes daily briefings on weather and soaring techniques likely to be encountered each day. Weather permitting, practical aspects of the course will cover:
  • Ridge flying techniques
  • Advanced thermal flying
  • Speeds to fly and dolphin soaring
  • Using valley convergences
  • Entry, establishment, climbing and flying cross country in wave conditions
If we have wave conditions, we will try and include a flight to Mount Cook during the course - a real highlight for clients. We might also be able to get you up to 20,000 feet!


Heading toward Mt Cook during December 2006 with spectacular lenticulars marking the wave. The higher cloud is New Zealand's famous North-West Arch.


Dave Murcott, a British airline pilot, logged 22 hours flying during his five-day Mountain Soaring Course in mid-February 2007 with CFI Chris Rudge.

The course runs from Monday to Friday.

Here is what you get:
  • Up to 15 hours glider time (additional hours @ NZ$125.00 per hour - less than our normal rate)
  • After 20 hours flying time, glider time is free
  • Five aerotow launches from Omarama - please note that these are NOT an additional charge (a saving of over $400.00).
  • You fly with Chris Rudge, the company's CFI and most experienced pilot who has over 20 years experience flying from Omarama, or Mike Till, a career gliding instructor with over 10,000 hours total time and four seasons of flying experience at Omarama behind him. On one of the days you may fly with Darren Smith or Gavin Wrigley.
  • Theory component of course covers ridge, thermal, convergence and wave flying techniques plus oxygen systems and aviation medicine applicable to mountain flying
  • Daily briefings and debriefings in our new dedicated teaching facility
  • FREE access to weather information, coffee/tea making facilities and high-speed internet
  • Free oxygen if used
Refunds are given @NZ$125.00 per hour if 15 hours is not achieved. 

Mountain Soaring Course Cost:           NZ$4495.00

To compare our price to foreign currency, please click here.  If you have any further questions regarding our Mountain Soaring Course, please contact Chris Rudge at:

 chris.rudge@soaring.co.nz

Please be aware that booking availability is limited. We suggest booking as early as you can so that you get to fly in a week that suits you.

To book, please click on the link below (a NZ$400.00 deposit will confirm your booking):

First for 2009! Southern Soaring's Duo was the first glider to fly to Mount Cook for 2009 - photo taken on New Year's Day during a Mountain Soaring Course.

The Classic Cross Country Course

New for the 2008/2009 season, our Classic Cross Country Course covers the following subjects:
  • Goal setting
  • Route planning
  • Airspace
  • Glider preparation
  • Pilot preparation
  • Navigation
  • Decision making
  • Landouts on airstrips
  • Paddock landings
  • Landowner relations

An aerotow retrieve about to commence following a planned landout during Southern Soaring's Classic Cross Country Course in November 2008.

The course is designed as a follow-on to our Classic Mountain Soaring Course so that returning clients can learn a new set of skills. Each day we still fly in the mountains but also included in the course is an actual landout on an airstrip. This is a useful course for those who are unfamiliar with the Omarama area, have low cross-country hours, or want to fly solo in the area.

Prices and conditions are the same as for our Classic Mountain Soaring Course.