The Sawatch Range - Glider Flies Above Twelve of the Highest Peaks of the Contiguous United States

A glider pilot flies over a Dozen 14ers in Colorado's Sawatch Range in an ongoing bid to tackle the "14er Challenge", an effort to join a handful of aviators who have flown an airplane without engine over all the 53 highest mountains in Colorado.
The flight took place on September 4, 2020 in ideal mountain soaring conditions from Boulder Municipal Airport (KBDU). The glider is a Ventus 2cxT high-performance sailplane from Schempp-Hirth with a wingspan of 18 meters. It was loaded with about 100 liters of water ballast to improve its high speed performance. The flight track is here: www.onlinecont...
Accomplishing the 14er challenge safely takes exceptional soaring conditions - strong thermals, the presence of cumulus clouds, high cloud bases, light to modest winds, and no risk of thunderstorms across wide parts of Colorado and multiple mountain ranges. Conditions like this are rare and accomplishing the entire 14er challenge tends to be a multi-year effort spanning multiple soaring seasons. Only a handful of pilots have accomplished the feat to date.
A list of all the 14ers in Colorado and a link to my flight traces for the 14ers that I have already "bagged" can be found at: chessintheair.....