Kiteboarding 2015

Well it finally happened. After two years of frustration and multiple trips to windy places wondering if I'm ever going to get the hang of it, I can finally kiteboard independently! Riding upwind easily, going wherever I want on the water at any tack angle, and basic transitions. I am super stoked to have stuck with it because now I have an awesome water-based activity to do in the summer that rivals mountain biking (especially with impending forest closures this summer and the possible decline of snowsports). I can finally kite in Squamish.

The days of riding bikes in the morning and kiting in the afternoon are finally here!

I know a handful of people who surf but no advanced riders who kiteboard. How many of you are kiters?

I've been to Nitinat, Squamish, Salinas Bay (Costa Rica) and La Ventana (Baja). I've heard good things about Cabarete (Dominican), South Padre Island, Hatteras and Boracay (Philippines). Anyone been anywhere else good around Christmas?

Let's chat.

Hey Craw! Awesome! Kiting was a bitch to flip the switch, but after the mandatory suffer session - it rocks! I'm in Squamish - hitting the spit after work mid week and later in the day on weekends. Picking and choosing.

These days my riding is finished before 9:00 am and truck is always packed for an spur of a moment kite session.

Manzanita in Oregon is a destination to check out - mach 30 + winds, huge downwinder that is fully shuttlable. PEI was a trip - friendliest kiters on the globe. I'm the only kiter in my house right now (rug rats and not keen wife) so christmas kiting vacations are hard won events.

Shoot me a PM if you're at the spit, we can drink a beer post session.

Yeah those first attempts and lessons (50-odd hours?) were so fraught with frustration. I almost gave up a few times. But I got little tastes of the magic, just like mountain biking, and once one thing worked I got to the next and the next. The same surge, the same blasting over rough surfaces, harnessing secret energies. I got little tastes of it with surfing but damn the paddling and waiting is frustrating. With kiting you're just charging from the second you get going. It's like the very best of riding powder except way more reliable and there's more than enough for everyone!

I'm aiming to go up Monday afternoon. Not sure if I'll get another chance later in the week.

I've been using this tool to gauge conditions: http://wtfbc.ca/temp.php
The Squamish Windsports site has shown some weird stuff for the last few days. Were you there? Was the site accurate?

Yeah I have a friend right now who's waffling and has invested significant $ and time - but she's seen the light.

Squamish Spit has been down since the 27th. But we're thermal so as long as it's sunny, less than 35C in Vancouver - it's on. I had a great session last night - launched at 5:30 and landed at 7:00. 12m kite and depower at 50% (I'm 155). Only five kiters in the water. The estuary was full of holes, but out by the mid stack it was dreamy - steady and small rollers - no chop.

Have fun on Monday - mid week is where it's at.

Belligham is really fun too. Shallow, flat and warm.

Yeah I have a friend right now who's waffling and has invested significant $ and time - but she's seen the light.

Squamish Spit has been down since the 27th. But we're thermal so as long as it's sunny, less than 35C in Vancouver - it's on. I had a great session last night - launched at 5:30 and landed at 7:00. 12m kite and depower at 50% (I'm 155). Only five kiters in the water. The estuary was full of holes, but out by the mid stack it was dreamy - steady and small rollers - no chop.

Have fun on Monday - mid week is where it's at.

Belligham is really fun too. Shallow, flat and warm.

What do you weigh?
At Nitinat most people were running 7-9s this week and I was marginally overpowered on my 12 (but I'm 6'6", 215lbs) and it was awesome.

When is Bellingham good?

I'm not a kite boarder but I fell in love with the Philippines and would go again in a heartbeat.

I'm a robust 155lbs and my go-to kite in Squamish is a super grunty Air Rush Flow 8.5 (good in wind high teens to upper 20's). I fly my 12 about five times a year - usually now when it's banger hot - which tames the inversion. Most guys are fly 9 or 10's when I'm on the 8.5.

I've been to Belligham twice (90minutes from squamish -pretty close). Both times in June and sunny weekends. I think it's as predicable as Nitnat or Squamish but not positive. Water is knee to waist deep and mirror flat. Good for working on tricks - it's easy to relaunch and fetch your kite.

I still have yet to make the mission to Nitnat - maybe this summer… how was it?

I picked it up in Mexico this past winter. San Carlos has great wind AND mountain biking.

Wife says I need to sell all my gear (2014 Liquidforce envy 9m) since lugging it around on my bike is pissing her off. Hopefully we end up back in Mexico or Costa Rica this winter and I can pick it up again.

Here is a trip report I did from cycling and kiting CUBA for two months: http://kiteboardbc.com/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=1[HTML_REMOVED]t=11274

Good online resources for kiting include kiteboardbc.com , wtfbc.ca , kiteforum.com and seabreeze.au.

If interested in a full set of gear for $600 I can ship it to Heckler. Lemme know.

If interested in a full set of gear for $600 I can ship it to Heckler. Lemme know.

damn, if I knew anyone around here that was into kiteboarding so I had someone to go with I'd snap that up in a heartbeat. Looks like a ton of fun just don't know how/where to get started around here.

https://www.facebook.com/squamishwinds?fref=nf

Little note from the Spit staff.

Wicked session tonight - 25k - less than 12 kiters after 5:00.

Some good drama with a couple of surf board dudes wrapping lines. Fun Times In Squamish!

"Last edited by Gotham at 9:27 AM"

Kicked out of the tent early, eh? Ship it and I'll make sure it doesn't dry out.

I admire your sticktoitedness…
When i moved to the Philippines i figured i need an adrenaline sport to keep me going since i didnt know of a moutainbike scene and the heat would kill me riding.
Brought a new Naish cult 12 meter with me. I took lessons in Boracay, sadly it was off season with light winds and my kite was not big enough to really have a good go at it, to cheap to rent a bigger one.
To add to my failure picking up kite boarding my home town was all rock and rarly had an onshore breeze…at least i was smart enough not to try to learn there and kill myself. But for a few years while touring around i will bring my gear hoping to find the right conditions close by for learning…never found the right combination of conditions for learning even though i had no problems flying the kite. Onshore, good wind, nice big sandy beach, got 2 of the three conditions many times….so frustrating, eventually got out of shape and gave up :(

For sale, 2010 Naish cult full set up lol.

For sale, 2010 Naish cult full set up lol.

Just gotta pick it up from Cebu??

Just gotta pick it up from Cebu??

It's in Vancouver minus the board, had no luck trying to sell it there. It's more of a forgiving wave kite than a fast turning freestyle.
I should unpack it and see how it looks from being stored a few years.