January kite destinations?

[MK]

If you could travel in January for snow kiting or kitesurfing where would you go?

[Matt V]

I am hoping that the snow clobbers the Buffalo Ridge glacial escarpment from Watertown, SD through Lake Benton, MN through Worthington, MN through Spirit Lake, IA. There is tons of snow on the NW (Watertown) side of this now, but lacking on the SE (Spirit Lake) side. This entire ridge always has wind and I think that this is the most unknown world class snowkiting area in the nation. The terrain is the best for steep of anywhere in the Midwest if you know where to look. Open treeless fields, endless WMA's typically on land too steep to have ever been farmed, and only your own tracks on the snow.

The Spirit Lake are has all of this with so many accessible options that it is the place to be once there is a good base and good topping. I have love what I have found on the NW side for terrain, but I will probably only leave home for Spirit Lake once they have the snow conditions.

Honestly, I would never travel west to Utah or Idaho except for early season or late season snowkiting. I want to make it out there sometime, but I just know that we have all of that and better (for wind) here.

[Mike B]

The Camas Valley around Fairfield Idaho. A wide open and endless snow kite paradise. Rolling hills to steep mountains with hardly a tree in sight.

Tomcat Summit - about 45 min. from Fairfield *Extra credit if you can identify the two dudes holding kites.


Find the three kiters in this photo


About 15 min. from Fairfield

[xrdave]

Hey Matt, where specifically would you recommend in the Spirit Lake area? There are a few of us in Rochester MN, and spirit lake is drivable for a day kiting trip.
Dave

[MK]

I fished this out of a post from Feb 2011: http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/maps/compass.html Nice link to a map Matt V put out indicating the WMA's. As you zoom in you can see they are all over the place. In your neck, you and Drew should be able to find all sorts of options with all the snow that forecasted being dumped there today. Please keep us informed of your discovery. My experience with WMA up here in the metro is very much what Matt has been posting about for a few years. Seems like if you have the snow down there it may just be the mecca.

[JRN]

Bonaire. Belize. Brazil?

[Matt V]

To find the best spots around Spirit Lake you need to get on the Iowa DNR public land atlas. This will show where the WMA's are located and with Google Earth in the 3D mode (just press the center scroll button on your mouse and drag to change angle) you can easily see the terrain and the steepest spots. Oddly enough, around Spirit Lake, nearly all of the good terrain is public WMA/WPA's. Further west, it is much more in favor of private land for the best spots save around Lake Benton, MN.

But I am still sure that there is a lack of snow on most of the best spots around tthe Spirit Lake area since the WMA's have such deep grass. Lots of snow is needed to fill this grass. A few days of warm temps after a 8" snow is nice too so as to make a hard base. And of course more snow on top of that is the icing on the cake to make for good exploring.

The best spot for terrain on a north wind is Christopherson Slough WMA 1 mile north of Superior, IA. Nice bowl on the far east side. This bowl has a verticle lip to it and I never could get all the way up it in '10-'11 season. But dropping or gliding off it was the highlight of the times the wind was good. Just watch it as it has a fence pretty close to it.

For all around riding and some jibing off muskrat dens, as well as some steep 15' drops and a nice dam, is Spring Run just east of Spirit Lake, IA about 1 mile. This spot pretty much works for all wind directions and has some good flat area. It is also 1 square mile so you can explore all you want. But some areas have crops planted for wildlife and present an obstacle to kite around. The terrain is all I ever need here if the wind hits the valley right. I have only kited about half of this area since I hit Christopherson when it is out of the north.

On the odd east wind, we have kited over at the Center Lake WMA just east of the north end of West Okaboji. It has a nice steep hill but you kite comes pretty close to the road directly downwind of you. Spring run is better if you do not want to risk your kite.

There are other areas around there that look really good. Cayler Prarie, the southern portions of the Spring Run complex, and the north end of Christopherson have some potential, but are either unexplored or just don't have anything special compared to the main spots.

When they get some good snow there, let me know that you are headed there. I am hopeful that the Ice Festival (Jan 25-27) will coincide with a good base and some powder. I will be there for that if conditions are right.

Post if you intend to go. There are some local kiters that love company, even if it is on a light wind day when you are stuck on the lake.

[xrdave]

Hi Matt, thanks for the info, I will keep watching for the right conditions; hope to be able to make it out there one day, and will post a message if I go.

[JRN]

We covered the "B's." How about Aruba, Alaska, & uh
...an archipeligo somewhere:?:
Maybe Cancun, Cozumel, & Curiciao? You got any D's?
Mike, Is that A P? No, not Adrian, but Alex with Chasty?
Matt, What Ice Festival?

[Mike B]

Nope. Try again Jim.

[seamonkey]

Mt. Baldy in the Big Horns near Lovell, WY. I took this pic last January. Hook up with Jackson Hole Kiters on Facebook. Great group of riders!

[bscheig]

Mike, NormanN et al

I addition to the rides I had locally last winter, I had 2 great days of riding. Last January, I had to go to Key West for a meeting and took my kites. A local instructor took his student, me and another free-rider into the “outback” northeast of Key West. A small pod of dolphins rode the bow wave of his Zodiac on our way to a tiny key on the edge of the Gulf on the north side of the keys. I kept my eye on the wind there for a while and it doesn’t look like they get a lot of strong wind. Also, Delta only allows 1 bag per passenger on the flight from Atlanta. They don’t advertize this very well, so if you want to take a lot of gear, you’ll need to ship it.

At the end of March, we went on a ski trip to CO. I took my kites again. My first day of terrain riding was on Lizard Head Pass about 10 miles east of Telluride. The snow was kind of mashed potatoes but the wind and the scenery were great.

I’ve been to Bonaire 4 times on windsurfing trips. I HAVE to back later this month for another meeting. I’m already signed up with 1 of the kiting companies. I will file a report later. The windsurfing on Bonaire is in a protected lagoon on the windward (undeveloped) side of the island. I think kiting is still frowned upon there. The kiting beaches are on the other side of the island where, I think, they get side shore winds.

Jim mentioned Aruba. I’ve been there once too. The main windsurfing and kiting area is on the lee side of the island – better be able to stay upwind or you’re gonna be saying hello to Hugo Chavez. We prefer Bonaire to Aruba: better diving, less commercialized, less tourism and better wind riding.

I have also windsurfed Cabarete and Margarita. Debby can tell you all about Cabarete. Margarita seemed to have the most reliable winds and even 6 or 8 years ago, there were as many kiters as windsurfers.

Bill

[bscheig]

Mike, NormanN et al

I addition to the rides ...


OOPS! Hit the submit button twice, must be distracted by Bonaire!

[Travii]

Any mountain terrain near Newcastle WY? We have family that we have been wanting to visit.

[Mike B]

I have been looking at the area around Newcastle for a while. Some of the areas along the western slope of the hills just East and north of Newcastle loook promising on Google Earth. They seem to get a lot of snow and it is a big snowmobile area. Stopped by there year on my way back from May kiting in the Beartooths to scout it out, and the area looked good if you can find some public land or a willing rancher. Good luck. Let us know what you find.

[JRN]

ANOTHER GUESS: Mike, was that the year that Eric P. & Denis went west for a kiting event?

[JRN]

ANOTHER GUESS: Mike, was that Tighe & Joe L?

[Mike B]

Jim -

No on Eric P. and Denis.

You are half right on your last guess. Which half? And who is the other half?

[JRN]

Is it Joe Levin's better half? I'm guessing the tall guy next to her must be T-wolf, Kevin Love, who was on IR from his pond hockey team. He had injured himself playing on Prince's broom ball team in Chanhassen that winter. I know! I was there. It is my understanding that the Prize for this trivia is a 24 M Flexifoil Silverlight. True?

[Mike B]

Jim -

The prize is almost that good. But, you still do not have any correct answers! Now you should be able to get at least one right. Keep trying and I will let you know what the prize is.