Alex:

The original scheme , as I recall it, was for PGs to fly the mirror image of the HG approach.

In both approaches, during the middle of the day, there can be significant lift, so by the time you get to where you’d like to make your turn on to base, you’re a high.  So sometimes it would be necessary to fly a small number of figure 8s instead of just a base leg.  On the HG side, one day I had to go out and start the approach over again from a lower altitude twice.

Somehow, in the PG pattern this has morphed into only doing figure 8s in the area defined by the Cross-Country Ranch.  I don’t fly PGs, so I can’t say whether this is easy or hard.  I do think if there was some initial control point upwind and away from the hill that was routinely rounded before going back downwind to do any remaining figure 8s then pilots wouldn’t come in as low over the trees.  I’ve watch Dusty make approaches like this any number of times.