Brace

Mount Brace in the Taconic Range of New York State is a friendly, active paragliding community's mountain — a west-facing launch with an open grassy area surrounded by forgiving low bushes and trees. The site is top-landable with the usual risks. Access requires membership in the Brace Mountain club (monthly or annual), plus digital daily sign-in. Low-airtime pilots need supervision for their initial flights — the club actively supports this. Conditions are variable: often stable blue days that still allow good XC flying, and occasionally spectacular days with working cumulus that don't overdevelop — 100 km+ flights are possible.

Launch & conditions

Open grassy launch with some rocks, surrounded by forgiving bushes and low trees (kind about launch failures but slow to untangle). Top-landable with the usual risks. In cross wind, this is a P4 launch — fly straight out and gain clearance quickly.

Getting there & local rules

Two hikes: a hard ascent up the front (west) side starting 2 km from the LZ (500 m vertical with a brief steep rock section and a beautiful waterfall), or an easier back hike that requires a 40-minute drive from the LZ to the trailhead. HGs manage a combination of 4WD access and hand-carry to launch.

Local rules & hazards

Brace Mountain club membership required (monthly or annual), plus digital daily sign-in before flying. Low-airtime pilots MUST be supervised for initial flights — the club supports this; read the Survival Guide. Cross-wind days: P4-level launch skills required.

Check conditions before you fly

A forecast for the valley is not a forecast for the launch. Before heading to Brace, read the wind and thermals for the site itself, confirm the day's rules with the local club, and remember the standing rule — when in doubt, don't launch. In the free OutDare app you can open Brace with a 7-day forecast built from high-resolution weather models, see who else has been flying, and get there with offline maps.