Not on your list and certainly a jump in cost for the airfare, but if it is within your means, Glide Omarama in New Zealand should definitely be on your bucket list. The people, the scenery, it's a pretty amazing experience to fly with Gavin Wills or his team of instructors in the Southern Alps.

Central and Southern CA have some thermal soaring and wave in the winter months, but the days are short and there aren't a lot of operations with extensive rental fleets like SoaringNV in Minden or Williams Soaring.




On Sunday, November 24, 2013 9:37:18 PM UTC-8, wrote:
I got my glider add-on last winter, he http://www.miamigliders.com. Great people, I recommend them 100%. There was normally some lift in the afternoon, when fair weather cumulus would build.



But variety is the spice of life, and if I go again this winter, I'm just wondering if the weather in Phoenix, Tuscon or SoCal is going to be good for soaring. Any local knowledge would be appreciated!