While preparing a paragliding trip for Valle de Bravo in 2005, Jay Mace wondered just how accurate a global model forecast might be able to predict the soaring conditions for a spot as small as the Mesa at Valle de Bravo. Sally Benson quickly got to work and whipped up some skew-T plots of the model output gridded data for a point close to our flying destination. We knew there were other attempts out there for the sail plane pilots who were using a much finer grid output for just the US--so why not try a point 'off the grid' so to speak, with a globel model?

As we played in the warm Mexican sun, Sally kept generating a series of plots made available over the internet.