Ridge Soaring FAR's

On Monday, September 30, 2013 4:32:10 AM UTC-7, Tim Hanke wrote:
We had a soaring encampment in Lake Placid, NY. We had a complaint from the Adirondack Park Rangers about a sailplane ridge soaring a particular set of mountains. The Ranger noted that the sailplane was in danger to hikers walking the ridge line. What FAR's allow the sailplane to stay a loft using the ridge as a source of lift? We stopped all ridge flying for now.

There is also this from the AIM:


7-4-6. Flights Over Charted U.S. Wildlife Refuges, Parks, and Forest Service Areas

.......

b. Pilots are requested to maintain a minimum altitude of 2,000 feet above the surface of the following: National Parks, Monuments, Seashores, Lakeshores, Recreation Areas and Scenic Riverways administered by the National Park Service, National Wildlife Refuges, Big Game Refuges, Game Ranges and Wildlife Ranges administered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and Wilderness and Primitive areas administered by the U.S. Forest Service.


Now requests aren't regulations, but it might be best to respect the requests, or they will turn into regulations.

Wondered if this would ever come up. The answer ain't pretty. And I caution everyone to think real hard before asking the FAA for clarification. Ugly can of worms.
I'd suggest the SSA rule types see if they can quietly get gliders bumped into the helicopter, PPC, or weightshift exemptions section of 91.119