i would rather ride in Utah than Maui

[Kenny]

I prefer the Utah kite scene to Maui's for the following reasons:
1. Utah kiters (and poleboarders) have 10 times the stoke and are 10 times more friendly than the jaded riders on Maui.
2. Snowkiting is better than water kiting.
3. I would rather ride the sweet flat water at Utah Lake or Rush than chop any day.

I realize that Utah has far fewer windy days and the wind is rarely as strong, but that helps fuel the stoke. It is nice to visit other kiting spots, but every time I do. I think that I prefer the kiting at home.

Kenny

[Carl Christensen]

there's an element of truth here people.

[RickHeninger]

What that da Nile isn't just a river in Egypt! he he... J/K I agree... Depends on the session... But actually the windsurfers I met in Maui were all really nice and friendly... I tell you Kenny, it's that Dark Side... It's dark... Use the force!

[Kenny]

Rick,

There is another reason for loving Utah kiteboarding. Let's call it the darker side of the dark side - snowkiting! Utah is ground zero for the best snowkiting on the planet. Mike Rossberg told me today that he can't wait for the snow.

I also think it is fun that kiteboarders and windsurfers can ride together here without any problems, not that it happens much but at least we all get along.

Kenny

[jason morton]

I would have to agree. I spent 3 weeks there last May kiting. Choppy as hell. I returned to Utah and had more fun kiting at rush and Utah lake. Honestly. We are so much more grateful for our windy days. I love our crew of kiters. The north flow at UL is unsurpassed. I'm more of a wind addict now than when I lived on Maui for 4 yrs. sailing hookipa everyday. I do miss surfing, however. HR and the Oregon coast are quite spectacular this time of year, but won't last long. Our kite season is just beginning. I'm still partial to the liquid form of kiting but we'll see what happens this winter. i only wish that UL blew 15mph eveynight in the spring, summer, fall. Is that too much to ask??

[Kenny]

Jason,

Can you imagine how many kiteboarders there would be if a perfect north wind blew every night at UL?

When I think back about all of the faces I have seen on the beach, I bet more than 50% of them gave up on the sport in frustration. The lack of wind and the gusty conditions have weeded out all but the most fanatical. Same is true for windsurfers.

[jason morton]

Kenny
Yes, we would have thousands of kiters and sailors at UL every evening. There's plenty of room on UL, as we all know. We probably ride 1% of the entire lake. Beach access would be the issue. We could have massive beaches created, kind of like the event site. That would be cool.

[Kenny]

Jason,

That would be cool. However, the event site was created for windsurfers, not kiters. Same thing is true on Maui. The sailors get paved parking lots, grass and showers at Kanaha Beach Park. Kiters get some sand, no showers, and a filthy dirt road yards from the island's sewer treatment plant.

Now if someone would just drop one hundred loads of sand at Lincoln, that place would be 1st class. Remember BYU beach a few years ago - Sand, side shore launch, and totally debris free? That was one sweet beach - too bad it is 6 feet underwater.

[Craig Goudie]

I thought you guys liked it "gritty" and rough ;*). You're going to
ruin your image, dewd.

-Craig

Jason,

That would be cool. However, the event site was created for windsurfers, not kiters. Same thing is true on Maui. The sailors get paved parking lots, grass and showers at Kanaha Beach Park. Kiters get some sand, no showers, and a filthy dirt road yards from the island's sewer treatment plant.

.

[RickHeninger]

Kenny...

Ty Hunter is the park manager at the Utah Lake Provo Boat Harbor... If we can get enough out cry for some beaches to be constructed, I think there is no dang !*@(#& reason that Utah Lake shouldn't have a big ol' sandy/grassy/showery/toilety/flushy so on, beach for us to enjoy... So, windsurfers and kiters writing letters to the Governor/Provo Mayor/Ty Hunter/Army Corp of Engineers... Let's start SQUEAKING... Irritatingly... Now that Geneva Steel is gone, bad chemicals shouldn't be rising as fast and these officials will probably be more likely to want us in that water! Who knows how to contact... eh, I'll google the stuff:

Governor:
http://www.utah.gov/governor/contact.html
Provo Mayor:
http://www.provo.org/mayor.mayor_main.html
Army Corp. Of Engineers (Sac. and LA offices I guess?):
http://www.usace.army.mil/howdoi/where.html
Utah Lake Parks:
http://www.stateparks.utah.gov/park_pag ... hp?id=ulsp


We should have a beach with grass and or atleast sandbags... I think that one of the problems is that when the lake recedes, it makes for a REALLY long unuseful beach... But if they build it out so that the beach is STEEPER, then when the lake recedes, the beach will still be right there... Windsurfers don't mind a steep drop, but if we could walk down sandbags off of nice grass, that'd be great... But we atleast could use some "sandbag" accessible areas on the current jetty's... But now there is almost NO "friendly entrance" into Utah Lake if you're not a boater... That is ridiculous! I don't know, this is kind of the tone I'm thinking! Too strong? he he... kidding, kind of... Maybe this should be it's own post... We gotta just keep on em'. I don't mean to come acrossed manic about crap, but I was sitting here thinking why don't we have a better access on that lake... And realized I had moss sticking my butt to my chair!

So, there ya go... start writing some letters...

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In reference to the snow kiting... Very fun! I actually have to come out of the kiting "closet" just a little bit and say that I did snowkite last year at the Snowkite Master's thing that Brian put on... It was very cool and well done by the way Brian, Brautworst on the grill to boot...

I might be saying goodbye to buying skipasses and spending it on a snowkite... Use gravity and wind rather than just gravity. I did water kite back when Kenji Yamauchi (I miss that guy tons btw) was here... I enjoyed it but admittedly too, I was quickly back on my sailboard... But kiting on the frozen fluffy water was pretty dang fun... I'm a skier and not a snowboarder, but would like to try it on a snowboard this winter... Although it was fun on skiis... I think ski's might be a little harder on the knees... But the 2.5M trainer kite that I've used with my rollerblades at the Ecenter parking lot did actually help quite a bit once I was on the snow...

[Carl Christensen]

Right Rick. I have been in touch with Ty and he says he's committed to making sure everyone gets to use the park. To that end he said he would support protecting the auxillary ramp that launches into the river so that the fishermen don't take it over completely. It sounded like he was going to place signage there to keep them from parking on it and blocking it. We have some allies in this as the hobies, lasers, sunfish and jetskis use it also.

The jetty needs to be sandbagged somewhere. If you did that on both sides one could launch in the forebay and carry your stuff right over the jetty painlessly. Then we could rig/launch off the sandy beach in the forebay itself.