44 Incredible Hot Air Balloons Lift Off During Boise’s Second Great Launch [GALLERY]

If you made it to the final launch of this year's Spirit of Boise Balloon Classic, you were treated to a sight that few have seen in Boise before! 

We didn't know the pilots were cooking up this treat until we got to Ann Morrison Park and heard Spirit of Boise Balloon Classic announcer Jim Bock say that the pilots were going to attempt a "Great Launch." During a great launch, pilots inflate their balloons and then wait for the command to launch. Every balloon on the launch field attempts to slowly leave the ground at the same time.

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According to Bock, 2021's "Great Launch" was only the second time in history that conditions in Boise were right on the final day of the Spirit of Boise Balloon Classic were right to go for the mass ascension. The last successful "Great Launch in Boise" took place in 2014.

The pilots nailed the launch and hundreds of families were treated to one of the most colorful shows that Boise has seen in the 30 year history of the Spirit of Boise Balloon Classic. Thanks to Boise being a place where pilots can often find "Box Winds" that allow them to influence which direction their balloon flies, many of the pilots landed very close to where they launched from inside Ann Morrison Park.

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Sunday's "Great Launch" was the final launch of this year's festival. Weather conditions allowed the pilots to fly during every scheduled launch this year!

If you missed Sunday's great launch, here are some of the photos we snapped at the park!