Tue Dec 02, 2014 10:55 am
Because of weather on the east side of the rocks, I was delayed in getting to the fly-in at Marble in September. So I asked one of the new owners if I could stay over and leave on Monday. Let me tell you--that is absolutely the quietest place on God's green earth when there's not another soul around!
But in the morning, the caretakers, Sue and Kirk, each stopped by separately to say "howdy" and reiterate that qualified pilots are welcome, any time, not just at organized fly-ins, so long as they've submitted their waivers.
Typically mid-October is as late as it's possible to fly into Marble, but this year I think it snowed earlier. In the Spring, it's best to call first to make sure that the snow's gone and that the strip isn't too soft. I have Kirk and Sue's phone number, if someone needs it come Spring.
Also, the new owners want to be notified if someone plans to fly in other than during a fly-in. So my plan is to email the owners and call Kirk and Sue, when I'm ready to go in next year.
As Matt says, from a safety standpoint, definitely treat with caution and respect. It's a high elevation airport, and in the summer DAs can get up to 10,000'. As private property, it needs to be treated with the other kind of respect, too, to encourage the owners to keep it open. My take: they're very pleasant and want to keep it open to backcountry pilots, so we should all do whatever we can to encourage them.
Cary