Paragliding
Piekiniers Mast
Swartland, Western Cape
Today
Flyable2 stars — Flyable795m soarable · 11 km/h WSW
Best window this week
Sat 22 · 14h00 · 👍 2 stars · 1,039m tops
Soarable tops — 7-day
Reference lines show historical 75th and 95th percentile for Piekiniers Mast.
▸Detailed forecast table
| Time | Stars | Tops (m) | Sfc Wind | BL Wind | BL Top | BL Ht (m) | Thermal (m/s) | BL Cloud % | Sun % | Temp (°C) | Dewpt (°C) | Rain (mm) | Pres (hPa) | Student |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thu 20Clear | Stars | Tops (m) | Sfc Wind | BL Wind | BL Top | BL Ht (m) | Thermal (m/s) | BL Cloud % | Sun % | Temp (°C) | Dewpt (°C) | Rain (mm) | Pres (hPa) | Student |
| 08h | — | 475 | 9 SE | 7 SE | 7 SE | 483 | 0.0 | 0% | 68% | 8.1 | 5.4 | 0 | 1026 | — |
| 11h | — | 475 | 7 SSW | 4 S | 4 ESE | 717 | 1.0 | 0% | 93% | 14.6 | 5.9 | 0 | 1025 | — |
| 14h | — | 818 | 15 S | 13 S | 6 SW | 1086 | 2.0 | 0% | 95% | 17.3 | 7.9 | 0 | 1023 | — |
| 17h | — | 475 | 17 S | 20 S | 19 SSE | 919 | 1.0 | 0% | 87% | 16.2 | 8.4 | 0 | 1022 | — |
| Fri 21Clear | Stars | Tops (m) | Sfc Wind | BL Wind | BL Top | BL Ht (m) | Thermal (m/s) | BL Cloud % | Sun % | Temp (°C) | Dewpt (°C) | Rain (mm) | Pres (hPa) | Student |
| 08h | — | 475 | 6 ENE | 6 ENE | 6 ENE | 483 | 0.0 | 0% | 71% | 9.4 | 5.7 | 0 | 1020 | — |
| 11h | 🤔 | 475 | 4 SW | 0 WNW | 4 NNE | 684 | 1.0 | 0% | 95% | 18.7 | 6.1 | 0 | 1019 | — |
| 14h | 👍 | 795 | 11 WSW | 4 W | 9 NNE | 1095 | 2.0 | 0% | 98% | 21.4 | 7 | 0 | 1016 | — |
| 17h | — | 475 | 11 S | 11 S | 7 SSW | 792 | 1.0 | 0% | 99% | 19.6 | 10.6 | 0 | 1015 | — |
| Sat 22Clear | Stars | Tops (m) | Sfc Wind | BL Wind | BL Top | BL Ht (m) | Thermal (m/s) | BL Cloud % | Sun % | Temp (°C) | Dewpt (°C) | Rain (mm) | Pres (hPa) | Student |
| 08h | — | 475 | 7 NNE | 6 NNE | 6 NNE | 483 | 0.0 | 52% | 44% | 8.3 | 7.3 | 0 | 1025 | — |
| 11h | 👍 | 865 | 9 SW | 7 S | 17 S | 1169 | 2.0 | 0% | 95% | 14.2 | 6.4 | 0 | 1027 | — |
| 14h | 👍 | 1,039 | 13 SW | 13 SSW | 17 S | 1377 | 2.0 | 0% | 98% | 16.8 | 7.3 | 0 | 1025 | — |
| 17h | — | 760 | 15 S | 13 S | 9 S | 1459 | 1.0 | 37% | 100% | 16.2 | 8.8 | 0 | 1025 | — |
| Sun 23Clear | Stars | Tops (m) | Sfc Wind | BL Wind | BL Top | BL Ht (m) | Thermal (m/s) | BL Cloud % | Sun % | Temp (°C) | Dewpt (°C) | Rain (mm) | Pres (hPa) | Student |
| 08h | — | 475 | 6 ESE | 6 ESE | 6 ESE | 483 | 0.0 | 5% | 72% | 8.7 | 6.8 | 0 | 1028 | — |
| 11h | — | 530 | 7 SSW | 2 S | 2 ENE | 748 | 1.0 | 0% | 95% | 16.3 | 8 | 0 | 1027 | — |
| 14h | — | 798 | 11 SSW | 4 S | 9 NNE | 1076 | 2.0 | 0% | 98% | 19.8 | 8.1 | 0 | 1024 | — |
| 17h | — | 475 | 13 S | 15 S | 13 SSE | 778 | 1.0 | 0% | 100% | 18.5 | 10.7 | 0 | 1024 | — |
| Mon 24Clear | Stars | Tops (m) | Sfc Wind | BL Wind | BL Top | BL Ht (m) | Thermal (m/s) | BL Cloud % | Sun % | Temp (°C) | Dewpt (°C) | Rain (mm) | Pres (hPa) | Student |
| 08h | — | 522 | 13 SSE | 13 S | 13 SSE | 562 | 0.0 | 0% | 66% | 15.1 | 2.6 | 0 | 1023 | — |
| 11h | — | 522 | 9 SE | 7 SE | 7 S | 742 | 1.0 | 0% | 95% | 21.4 | 4.9 | 0 | 1023 | — |
| 14h | — | 715 | 17 S | 15 S | 13 SSE | 958 | 1.0 | 0% | 98% | 23.8 | 3.1 | 0 | 1021 | — |
| 17h | — | 522 | 26 S | 28 S | 30 S | 740 | 0.0 | 0% | 100% | 22.4 | 7.9 | 0 | 1020 | — |
| Tue 25Clear | Stars | Tops (m) | Sfc Wind | BL Wind | BL Top | BL Ht (m) | Thermal (m/s) | BL Cloud % | Sun % | Temp (°C) | Dewpt (°C) | Rain (mm) | Pres (hPa) | Student |
| 08h | — | 522 | 6 N | 7 NW | 7 NW | 530 | 0.0 | 0% | 68% | 18.1 | 0.5 | 0 | 1020 | — |
| 11h | — | 522 | 4 E | 6 NE | 11 NNE | 929 | 1.0 | 0% | 95% | 26.9 | 0.2 | 0 | — | — |
| 14h | — | 1,138 | 9 NNE | 13 N | 19 N | 1599 | 2.0 | 0% | 98% | 29.6 | 0.3 | 0 | 1017 | — |
| 17h | — | 522 | 13 SSE | 11 SSE | 13 SSE | 656 | 0.0 | 0% | 100% | 28.6 | 4.7 | 0 | — | — |
| Wed 26Clear | Stars | Tops (m) | Sfc Wind | BL Wind | BL Top | BL Ht (m) | Thermal (m/s) | BL Cloud % | Sun % | Temp (°C) | Dewpt (°C) | Rain (mm) | Pres (hPa) | Student |
| 08h | — | 207 | 17 NE | 33 NE | 48 NNE | 426 | 0.0 | 0% | 67% | 22.1 | 0.6 | 0 | — | — |
| 11h | — | 207 | 35 N | 44 N | 52 N | 755 | 1.0 | 0% | 95% | 34.1 | -1.1 | 0 | — | — |
| 14h | — | 1,057 | 24 NNW | 31 NNW | 37 NW | 1642 | 2.0 | 0% | 98% | 35.9 | -0.7 | 0 | — | — |
| 17h | — | 207 | 13 W | 17 W | 22 WNW | 561 | 0.0 | 0% | 100% | 30.7 | 5.2 | 0 | — | — |
A low thermic site at the N7's Piekernierskloof Pass, at the northern end of the Porterville valley.
Notice something outdated on this page? Let Ria know →Hazards & cautions
Not suitable in southerly winds, which put the site in rotor; an alternative gum-tree launch nearby is the better option in that case.
Launch & landing
Launch from a gently sloped bowl of knee-high fynbos (reverse launch works best) — about 150m above the pass (500m ASL, 2900m ceiling). Land in the clear farmland below the pass.
Access
Via the N7 north of Piketberg, over the Piekernierskloof Pass; an alternative launch is reached via a farm track shortly after cresting the pass.
Flying conditions
Wind recommendation
NW-SW
Flyable directions
SW, WSW, W, WNW, NW
Wind speed range
0–18 km/h
Student site
No
Quick facts
- Grade
- Basic
- Region
- Swartland
- Distance from Cape Town
- 154 km (straight-line)
- Coordinates
- -32.6073°S, 18.9317°E
Want to train at a site like this?
See Beginner CourseReady to fly?
Your first solo flight is three sessions away. The beginner course is available year-round — gear, sites, and SAHPA registration all included.
Or call +27 78 095 8136