AN A320 PIC RPT ON BEING VECTORED TOO CLOSE TO TERRAIN AND HAVING TO EXECUTE AN ILS APCH TO A N RWY WITH A 25 KT TAILWIND AT RNO; NV.

Narrative

A LAST MIN CHANGE OF RWYS FROM RWY 16R TO RWY 34R AT RNO. AFTER PASSING VIKES INTXN; APCH CLRED FLT TO 9000 FT MSL; THE IAF ALT; AND VECTORED US INSIDE WAGGE IAF. THIS CAUSED US TO PASS DIRECTLY OVER A 7864 FT PEAK WHICH TRIGGERED 'TERRAIN; TERRAIN' CAUTION. WE HAD THE PEAK VISUALLY BENEATH US AND DSNDED TO 9000 FT AND WERE CLRED FOR THE APCH. WE INTERCEPTED THE FINAL APCH COURSE WELL ABOVE THE STEP-DOWN ALTS WITH THE TERRAIN CAUTION STILL ACTIVATED. WENT IFR FOR 10-15 SECONDS ON COURSE TO RWY 34L. BEING HESITANT TO DSND WITH THE TERRAIN CAUTION ON THE GPWS; BROKE OUT WAY TOO HIGH TO SAFELY EFFECT A LNDG. PROCEEDED VFR TO A DOWNWIND AND LANDED SAFELY. SEVERAL THINGS CONTRIBUTED TO OUR GAR: 1) APCH CTL VECTORING US INSIDE THE IAF WITH A 60 DEG INTERCEPT HDG. 2) 35 KT TAILWIND ON FINAL -- 25 KTS AT 50 FT ON SUBSEQUENT LNDG. 3) BEING UNABLE TO SILENCE THE GPWS TERRAIN CAUTION ON FINAL APCH EVEN THOUGH ABOVE THE STEPDOWN ALTS. I THINK THE TWR WAS IN ERROR SWITCHING RWYS. THE PREVAILING WIND WAS S ALL THE TIME. AFTER OUR LNDG; THE TWR IMMEDIATELY SWITCHED BACK TO S APCHS. ON OUR LNDG THEY CALLED THE WIND 320 DEGS AT 9 KTS; A READING WHICH WAS TAKEN AT THE N END OF THE FIELD. THE S END READING WAS 180 DEGS AT 20-25 KTS.