South Wind at Utah Lake

[Bill Freedman]

I am new to kiting and been waiting for a good opportunity to kite at UT Lake. It seems like there is a lot of south wind which I understand is not good for Lincoln Beach or other South launches.

Isn't there something on the north side of Utah Lake that would allow kiters an opportunity to take advantage of those south days?

Thanks,
Bill

[Travis Cook]

I've wondered the same and hopefully someone with more experience than me will comment. But it seems like if there is anything it would be either an on-shore wind, water launch and landing or nothing safe for a beginner if you cant get/stay up wind. I cant think of any beaches or launches or anything. I know that wind suffers hit mile marker 18 on the west side n south days but I don't know if any kiters haves tried it.

Last observation: every time there is good south wind that hits DC it rarely is good enough in the valley or on utah lake. It is a rare day when the south on utah lake is good enough to even kite. So the canyon plus the thermals must make DC kite able when UL is not.

I've done Lindon beach a few times but it isn't very safe for a lot of reasons. There is another thread here about the čraziness of kiting lindon. My two cents as a relatively new kiters here in UT county.

[Kenny]

I have been kiting in Utah for 10 years. I am not aware of a safe launch on the north end of Utah Lake when the wind is blowing from the south. When the wind is from the south, kiters in the know make the drive to other locations - Mona, Deercreek, and Willard. That being said, all three of those locations are not great launches for a beginner. Frankly, your options are pretty limited as a beginning water kiter in Utah. Utah Lake Lincoln Beach is the best location. Rush Lake used to be the spot for beginners. However, it is now just a small puddle in the spring and gone by June.

My recommendation for beginning kiters is to put as much time as possible on the snow.

[Craig Goudie]

HI Bill,

Unfortunately, with the topography, even when NOAA says there will be South wind in the UL area
in the 15-20 range (good enough for your 12M Kite), there really isn't enough wind to Kite there. In
order to get a good South wind at UL Launches, You need an approaching front from the West,
with a deep low behind it and a Southwest to Northeast Jetstream, with the upper atmosphere
pretty well coupled to the surface (Spring or Fall). If all those factors line up perfectly, the SLC
valley report for wind will typically be 25-35 MPH and UL Launches will get 15-30 South winds.
Additional factors include the fact the the South winds are almost always gustier than North, and it's
just not a great place (for beginner Kiters) on a South wind. Mile Marker 19 on the West side of the
lake is not a great Kite launch, because it's filled with low trees and scrub all along the shoreline
(not an issue for Windsurfers). Your best bet for a good North day at UL is the clearing wind
after a frontal passage (a dry front is even better). You'd think today would be a good shot at
that since the front will go through, and the air will be drying, but........ this year, the prevailing
winds aloft have been staying South even after the front passes, and that mutes the North wind
at UL.

In past years, I have seen October UL develop a small thermal itself which pumps the wind up
at most of the launches an hour or so before dusk in the 14M range from the North on most days when
the air is clear and dry, with a high pressure over Nevada, and the Jet from North to South. It's a
blissfully steady wind. This year has been a wind anomaly (for me), so we'll have to see what happens.

Unless you get really lucky today, there's not much potential for North wind at UL for the next 3 days.

-Craig

I am new to kiting and been waiting for a good opportunity to kite at UT Lake. It seems like there is a lot of south wind which I understand is not good for Lincoln Beach or other South launches.

Isn't there something on the north side of Utah Lake that would allow kiters an opportunity to take advantage of those south days?

Thanks,
Bill

[Bill Freedman]

Thank you all for the feedback. Wow, you really need a masters in meteorology to figure this sport out. Yesterday evening I was driving back to UC from SLC and the wind had turned completely north and looked like it was ripping. Even the big flags were stiff. I was so tempted to run out to LB but I had too many kid responsibilities. I was moderately surprised there were no ride reports from LB today on the board.

Again, thank you all for the support. This is a great community.

Kite and board in the back of the car. Still waiting... ..... .........

[Craig Goudie]

The Kiters here in Utah and I'll broaden the category to Windriders, and then to Watermen, and then to Outdoorsmen (or
Outdoorswomen), are like nowhere else I've ever recreated (and I've recreated in a lot of places!). There's a huge amount
of stoke, but coupled with a lack of ego you just don't get anywhere else. It makes for an almost family like quality
(families have internal negotiations too), that really benefits the entire community.

I hope the North winds return for you soon (maybe tonight if you're lucky ;*) )

-Craig

Again, thank you all for the support. This is a great community.

Kite and board in the back of the car. Still waiting... ..... .........

[Bill Freedman]

I was looking at the NOAA report and they do turn North West at around 6pm but only at 5 MPH so I am not sure it will be enough.

Little Bro in the Family,
Bill

[Kenny]

Bill,

A north wind always blows stronger at the point and just south to the Thanksgiving Point area due to the Venturi Effect, but diminishes further south. It is too bad that the developers of Thanksgiving Point didn't build a lake instead of a golf course! Fortunately, you don't need a Master's Degree in Meteorology because we have Craig to give us a daily forecast.

Figuring out the north wind at UL is not super tricky most of the time (at least the day of). We look for wind above 10 mph with a N or NW direction (consistent NE is no good) for a good solid 2 hours at the Bluffdale meter to generate a rideable breeze at UL. Most riders check the Bluffdale meter religiously to see if it is going to blow or not. The problem we face this time of year as the days get shorter is that all to often the wind arrives about the time the sun is going down. We are going into the shoulder months of October and November where you get fewer and fewer days on the water due to cold temps and shorter days. Some years we get an early snowfall and we are able to snowkite in early November. Keep your fingers crossed that it happens again this year.

Thanks for asking about launching on a south wind at Utah Lake. We have had some safety issues at Lindon recently with some near misses. Unfortunately, a bad incident at Lindon has the potential to shutdown kiteboarding on the entire lake. That would be a real shame. As Craig mentioned, the south wind at UL can be very gusty and inconsistent. I have seen the wind pick up from 15 mph to 35 mph in less than a minute. That is flag the kite out, yard sale wind and it has happened many times.

See you out there!

Kenny

[RickHeninger]

Ask and ye shall receive!

Bill,

One thing I will say is that we're lucky to have people like Craig Goudie and Kenny Farnsworth who give their time and efforts to share their acquired knowledge with us!

You don't have to have a masters degree, you just need to BE a master! Thx master weather gurus.