Utah Kiteboarding History

[whit]

I'm moving the history of Utah Kiteboarding over to the Main Message Board. I think it is more appropriate than on the wind log. Some of the stories by Jason, MikeR, Kenny, Jon M, Marty should be CLASSIC. Many attached at the bottom.......Maybe somebody can keep a history or organize it better.

I learned to Kite in 1999 in Maui on a 2 line Wipika, Basically the only kite available at the time. Dragged through the reef, hit by my board, thrashed good, but also some very exciting rides through the Maui waves. Jason, Lou, Elliot, and Flash were ripping already.

When I came to Utah to ski for the winter, I brought my Blue Wipika and a Yellow Flexifoil Blade, both 2 line kites. I hooked up with Rossberg in the Spring of 2000 on Rush Lake. The windsurfers were amazed at the new sport, although we didn't make it look very easy....it wasn't. I was living in Eden, riding Snowbasin and kited on Pineview Res quite a few times that spring also. Rossberg has old photos from his Talon Sports pages of kiting on Rush.

Below, I will paste the previous...."History" strings. Whitney Guild
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Cool Utah history


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DeanDavis



Joined: 11 Apr 2005
Posts: 59


PostPosted: Mon Aug 28, 2006 6:52 pm Post subject: Cool Utah history Reply with quote
I always saw Kenny and Mike as the legions of our sport in Utah which is really cool since they are very respectable people. These threads give me new insight to other Utah legions: Jason (aka Masterboarder), Jon, and Jeff. Again all very cool people. I think Apri should get in there with the “pioneers” since he started in 2001 with a 9m two-line kite which he found on the internet (obviously with no schooling). I missed the legions crowd by a few years, since I started in early summer 2002 and although we were using 4 line kites by then I think I still paid my dues with my total instruction time of maybe 30 minutes as Mike set up my lines, walked me in the water and said “now body drag”. I guess if I could think of a claim to fame I’m guessing that I must have the most kite time on the water at SSB.
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jason morton



Joined: 24 May 2005
Posts: 111


PostPosted: Tue Aug 29, 2006 8:52 am Post subject: Reply with quote
Speaking of old school Utah kiters. What happened to the guy who rode the ocean rodeo kites? I forgot his name?
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jason morton



Joined: 24 May 2005
Posts: 111


PostPosted: Tue Aug 29, 2006 9:39 am Post subject: Reply with quote
Speaking of cool. A kiteboarding engineer who designs designs wind farms. That's way cool.
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DeanDavis



Joined: 11 Apr 2005
Posts: 59


PostPosted: Tue Aug 29, 2006 9:47 am Post subject: Jeff? Reply with quote
I think you are thinking about my buddy Jeff (tall 6' 4", I think bald at the time, rode a 16m Ocean Rodeo). He is a long time college (UofU) buddy of mine who grew up in SLC and then moved to Portland, OR in 2000. He was the reason I got into kiteboarding. When he moved up to Portland it finally gave me an excuse to learn to wind surf (a long time goal of mine since leaving surfing) so I headed up in the fall of 2001 to stay with him and take lessons at Hood River. We did that together for a few days and after one lesson we went over to the Hatchery to watch the really good riders. While driving over there we saw one lonely kiter on the water and it really caught Jeff's attention. I made nothing of it. I watched the wind surfers while he watched the lonely kiter. Then in the winter of 2001/2002 he hauled his 5th wheel trailer back to Utah to escape the rain (which took him a few years to get used to) and to help me with some work I was doing. It was supposed to only be a quick Utah stop before heading on to other destinations but he ended up staying with me for over 9 months. We snowboarded during the winter and then come spring that lonely kiteboarder was still on his mind. He did some more internet searching and eventually found Mike R. and talked me into laying down the cash for some gear. We meet with Mike, got our gear, and then started the steep learning curve. Jeff finished the season in Utah then headed back to Portland in October of 2002. Ironically he doesn't kite much any more. As much as OR is the mecca for windriding he missed the uncrowded, friendly atmosphere of Utah kiting.

Kenny



Joined: 11 Apr 2005
Posts: 194


PostPosted: Sun Aug 27, 2006 3:38 pm Post subject: Reply with quote
It was good to ride with Rossberg. The two of us were the first kiteboarders in Utah. We spent a lot of sessions entertaining the windsurfing crowd at Rush as we tea bagged on our two-line kites. I recall that it took me an entire summer before I could stay upwind on those silly kites.

lesvierra



Joined: 28 Jun 2005
Posts: 69
Location: Eden

PostPosted: Sun Aug 27, 2006 4:26 pm Post subject: Reply with quote
Quote:
The two of us were the first kiteboarders in Utah.

What year was that? Where did you learn and when?

mike rossberg



Joined: 10 Apr 2005
Posts: 38


PostPosted: Mon Aug 28, 2006 11:52 am Post subject: First Kites in Utah Reply with quote
Kenny and I started in the spring of 2000 on the good old Naish 2 line kite. We had 5 meter and 7.5 meter.
A guy named Jerry was kiting a little bit in the fall of 1999 on the original Wipika's. 2000 was the first year you could easily buy kites. Boy how times and kites have changed.
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Jon M



Joined: 01 Jul 2005
Posts: 46
Location: Park City, Ut

PostPosted: Mon Aug 28, 2006 1:03 pm Post subject: First Kites in Utah Reply with quote
Les,
My son Jeff and a friend, Steve, who lives in the Gorge bought our first Naish 2 line kite from Big Winds, in the Gorge, in the summer of 2000. We learned in the Gorge by trial and lots of ERROR, you name the kitemare and we've done it. We had a ski boat and on the days that the wind was to light to windsurf we played with the kite. We have basically body dragged the Columbia from Stevenson to the Dalles dam. I first met Kenny and Mike in the Spring of 2001 at Rush. I though Jeff and I were the only kiters in UT. Suprised to see two more at Rush.
JON M
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jason morton



Joined: 24 May 2005
Posts: 111


PostPosted: Mon Aug 28, 2006 4:05 pm Post subject: Reply with quote
While Mike and Kenny where the first kiteboarders in Utah, I guess I'll have to settle for the first Utahn to kiteboard. In 1998 my roommates Elliot Leboe, Lou Wainman and myself got our hands on a 5m wipika and took it down to Kanaha. We had no instruction whatsoever. Manu Bertin and Marcus Austin were the only guys kiting on Maui at the time. They didn't exactly provide any advice, nor did we ask. I guess I was one of the first guys to ever kite. Lou, Elloitt and I still did alot of windsurfing during that time. We would abuse ourselves in the morning kiting, then polesurf in the afternoon. Serious punishment ensued. I eventually decided to move back to the mainland and finish school. Didn't kite again for several years. Lou and Elliott tried to talk me into staying. Sometimes I wish I had. Both are legends. I'm a legend in my own mind. At least I can support my kite habits with my own hard earned money. JASON
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Marty



Joined: 11 Apr 2005
Posts: 189
Location: Fruit Heights

PostPosted: Mon Aug 28, 2006 4:28 pm Post subject: Reply with quote
Ya know, kiting with Jason in Oregon,
I was amazed that everyone knows Jason.

Room mates with former champions,
Drag racing with all the speed guys.

Kinda like a sparing partner for Mohamad Ali.

I gotta new name for Jason.


Jason,,,,

Masterboarder

-Marty Cool

[mike rossberg]

Whit was my hero in 2000. He has the 10' long surf board that made it look so easy. He could jump on the big board and ride across Rush and not even get wet. He was the only person that had more experience then Kenny or myself. I will dig some old pics and post them in Album this weekend.

[jason morton]

Whit is the true legend. He's been my hero since 1993, when I did my first San Carlos trip. Ripping surfer. Grew up in San Clemente. Wins longboard contests all the time. I want to hear your history, Whit. Give us the story. FYI- I was not ripping. Flash was already ripping before we had even started. He was such a weirdo, though, that we didn't want to be associated with him. Lou started out on a wakeboard from the getgo. Elliot started on a Timpone tow board he bought from Mike Waltz. Eventually sold it to "the kook" Chris Anderson. I started on a longboard. I soon moved back to the states to finish school. That was the end of my kiting for several years. I do have lots of old stories from those days.

[whit]

Jason,

I guess it was the Fall of 1998. I started on a 5 meter 2 line Wipika in Maui after being a windsurfer for 18 years. I would get dropped off at Hookipa and hours later be picked up at Kanaha. No one could go upwind yet. Then, one day Flash was seen going upwind and everyone wanted to know how he did it.

We used tow-in boards, longboards, directional kiteboards. Wakeboards were not tried until a little later. It was tough, getting body dragged down the coast, while sometimes standing on the board. I brought my Wipika back to the Mainland and flew it at San Carlos and San Diego with Gary Martin. I also had a Flexifoil, Quadrafoil and then Naish. Times sure have changed. I remember you and the Utah crew having a great time at San Carlos every spring in the mid- 90’s.

When I kited at Rush Lake and Pineview in 2000, I had over a year’s experience, but those 2 line kites didn’t allow any room for error. Lots of yank factor.
BTW I grew up in Hermosa Beach not San Clemente…..…San Diego/Utah nowadays.
Whit

[stevemayer]

I have been told that I was the first person kiteboarding on water in Utah. have to check some old photo's but think it was spring 1998 (or even 1997) on 3 meter Whipika kite (I still have the kite and bar!). I had been in Maui with Robbie Naish and his crew. My brother worked at Second Wind and hooked me up with Jimmy Lewis for a board ($900+) and Robbie sold me my first kite (before he has his brand) for like $700 with bar and 2 lines that broke almost every session I rode. I also had a 5 meter but was too afraid of the power!

Brian Kelm also had a kite later that summer. I think we went 2 or 3 times at Rush, and know I was at Utah Lake at the Windsurf spot on the West side one time but got blown down wind into the reeds pretty quick!

With a brother in Maui, most of my kite flying was there for the next few years as some of the other guys got into it here in Utah.

Steve Mayer

[whit]

Kenny and Marty......We want to know your History. When did you start kiting? How long did you windsurf before moving over to the darker side? Do you still windsurf? WG

[Marty Lowe]

Marty......We want to know your History. When did you start kiting? How long did you windsurf before moving over to the darker side? Do you still windsurf? WG

Whit.
Nothing exciting.
Windsurfing '87
Kiting '02

I windsurfed once this year at Sulphur.
But not ready to sell any WS gear yet.
(I have a brand new, never wet 6.5 Sailworks Retro)

-Marty

[Kenny]

Looks like Steve Mayer was the first kiteboarder in Utah. I assumed it was Mike and I since we spent so much time on the water with no other kiters. I do remember meeting Steve at Grantsville sometime in 2001 or 2002. I had the impression that he was from Maui. Probably because he did most of his kiting over there. I remember that Steve's kites were all really small 5 or 7M.

As far as my history goes... In the fall of 1999 I asked Mike Rossberg about learning how to windsurf. He told me about this crazy new sport called kitesurfing. We saw a promotional video and decided we needed to learn how to kiteboard. Mike and I went to the same high school and we belonged to an informal group of freestyle skiers - nothing organized just a group that would go in the backcountry and build kickers and huck airs off of Brighton's cliffs.

I have never learned how to windsurf.

My first kite was a 5M AR-3.5 from Naish. I also bought a 7.5 and a 9M. All were 2-line kites. My first board was a 7'2" Naish Directional. I can't tell you how many times the wind was either too light or too gusty. It was power on, power off, I am sure that we kept the windsurfing crowd in stitches as we got dragged all over Rush Lake. It was so hard to learn, but the huge learning curve only made Mike and I that much more fanatical.