The Alberta Soaring Council operates two major soaring camps at the airfield:


  • the Cowley Summer Camp starts on a Saturday and runs for the 10 days ending the Monday of the August long weekend. The Summer Camp is the largest annual soaring event in Canada. Pilots and families are most welcome with free camping at the airfield campground. On a historical average, wave can be expected on 30% of the days.


  • the Cowley Fall Camp starts on a Saturday and runs for the 10 days ending the Monday of the (Canadian) Thanksgiving weekend, which is usually the second weekend of October. This is not a family camping affair at this time of year except for the hardy – visitors often choose motels in nearby Pincher Creek. The weather is highly variable and at the airfield elevation of 3900 feet prone to freezing at night and a fair chance of the first snowfall of the year. At times the camp has been cancelled at the last minute due to a bad weather forecast, so check ahead by e-mailing  External link opens in new tab or windowthe ASC office before committing to the trip.

2024 Cowley Camps

Summer Cowley : July 27 - August 5, 2024
Fall Cowley : October 5 - October 14, 2024

Camp Registration


  • All participants must register online to participate in the Cowley Camps. Registration form for Fall Cowley 2024 will be available soon.


Camp Account Administration


  • Introduced in 2022, Take Up Slack (TUS) will once again be used for all daily flight tracking. All deposits from Pilots will be credited to their TUS account, and all fees (registration, tows, winch, O2 refills and any other merchandise purchases) will be made from their TUS account.
  • If you don't already have a Take Up Slack profile, navigate to External link opens in new tab or windowhttps://takeupslack.com/signup/ to create one. A Link to the TUS usage video, External link opens in new tab or windowat this link please view prior to the camp if you're unfamiliar with TUS.
  • E-transfer is the preferred method of payment. No debit or credit cards. Cheques or cash will be accepted on site but e-transfers are preferred. E Transfer to: External link opens in new tab or windowpayments@soaring.ab.ca
  • Prior to attending all pilots Must Read the Cowley Guide (External link opens in new tab or windowhere)

Note: 2023 was the last year to redeem any outstanding ASC Tow Tickets or "Wimpy" stickers for credit into your TUS account. Staring in 2024, we will no longer be accepting these as a form of payment for tow fees at the Cowley Camps.

 

Camp Fees


  • Cost of registration is $100 for the week or $25 per day if you are only planning on staying a few days.
  • Tow Charges are $20 / 1000 foot.
  • Winch Launches are $14.
  • O2 refills will be $20 per fill.

Camp Schedule


  • The first Saturday of the camp will be used for camp setup, airfield maintenance and glider rigging,  etc.
  • Daily, mandatory Pilot meetings (start on the first Sunday) and held at 09:30 by the cook shack.
  • The Camp dinner is usually held on the last Saturday of the camp.

 


General Camp Information