Questions regarding advanced kiters and the Sandbar

hiker1 · Since 01 Jul 2007 125 Posts Portland Stoked

I'll start with acknowledging the many advanced kiters who have offered me a helping hand with gear and wise counsel on all aspects of kiting! The Gorge kiting community rocks! This is not to target anyone in particular, just a couple of observations. I'm a relative newb myself, just started body dragging last August and my kiting progression has taken me to about a 50% success rate riding my twin tip upwind (good to port, suck to starboard). At least I'm getting my ass out into the channel.

The SB has many obstacles already to negotiate --- newbs holding the kite at neutral and practicing water starts, doing the walk of shame along the north shore and/or messing with a downed kite, kiteboard lessons with instructor and student(s), kiters going in/out, the occasional wayward windsurfer, underwater things that hurt like hell if ya run into them, photo snappers with tripods standing right where you are coming in, and your goofy random tourists. Dealing with those SB obstacles is simply an aspect of choosing to kite the great winds that blow in these parts. All part of the learning curve.

What we can control is where we ride. If I were to draw a school zone for the SB, I'd figure the (top) NW corner to be the red channel marker and the east (top) corner as roughly where the SB meets the flow of the Hood River.

My question is regarding those riders who clearly have the skills to escape the traffic jam. Why do they mow the lawn close in? Why not just head down river?

My other question involves riders who boost huge air from the kiddie pool over the rigging area when the SB is the snatch patch. Last Wednesday, the wind quickly went from puke to nuke (35+). With all that flat water inside - folks were pulling off epic moves; yet occasionally the apex of the jump was over the heads of those rigging. In fairness, all the landings I saw were controlled and just a few flew in restricted airspace, but it seemed it would not be too hard to move the ladder farther to the inside. Establishing a little distance is safer and makes for (more relaxed) kite launching without concerns of boards flying overhead.

With Lyle access in jeopardy, the sandbar at kite beach is all begs have left. Soon I'll be riding free and clear of the school zone, but in respect for the beginners to follow, I kindly ask experienced riders to remember that begs have little turf to practice on and are freaked out enough with all the aforementioned obstacles already in place. Just asking to spread it out since your so damn good already! Very Happy

Keeping it as safe as possible also means we kiters can preserve the last best spot to learn near the Hood.

If any my observations are out of line, I'm very open to being corrected.

pdxmonkeyboy · Mon Jun 29, 09 7:54 am

My 2 cents. If I remember correctly, there is actually a great big river that flows past the sand bar. You can ride anywhere in said river but there is only one small place with decent flat water and that happens to be the kiddie pool. The flat water is ideal for throwing and landing more advanced wake style moves. (try landing blind in the chop of the main channel and you will see why).

While having people fly overhead is not all that cool or comforting to the beginner most of the area downwind of the kiddie pool is free of people and makes it a great place to crash hard and get yarded away.

Beginners can mow the lawn west of the sand bar and dry hump the event site. If your a total newb, you should have spent the extra money to take lessons with someone who has a jet ski and can take you out away from the mayhem. It almost seems that given the sheer number of kiters, this should be a requirement but whatever, not my deal.

Why do people who have the skills still deem it necessary to mow the lawn around the sand bar? I honestly have no idea.

I think it will behoove you to remember that its the sand bar and it will always be crowded and there are always vastly different skill levels there. The advanced kiters have to put up with the aforementioned instructors, newbs, zenith flyers, etc, and the beginners will just have to put up with the occasional buzzing of the tower.

tstansbury · Since 06 Jun 2006 649 Posts Rowena and P.C Addicted

their are lots of riders who prefer to have other riders around them. That is part of the reason the sandbar is packed even on days when the wind is not good their. other riders like myself don't like crowds and tend to ride mostly other launches. It is kinda like shoping at wallmart and complaining about the crowd (I go to bimart it is almost empty).

hiker1 · Since 01 Jul 2007 125 Posts Portland Stoked

Kodiak · Since 01 Aug 2005 1114 Posts Slidey

Kiters should not be boosting over people standing on the sand bar. If this happened to me I would be pissed and have words with the kiter.

If this is a case of friends boosting over other friends or photogs and they are ok with it, that is a different deal.

pkh · Since 27 Feb 2005 6549 Posts Couve / Hood Honored Founder

First, nobody owns rights to any area of the sandbar, so its wrong for me to say the kiddie pool should be for advanced riders. However, there are a couple of reasons why most of the time it makes sense:

- Advanced kiters can share a smaller space much more efficiently then beginners. It only takes one newb with his kite at noon in the middle of the kiddie pool to ruin it for everyone.

- The kiddie pool has the illusion of safety and ease of use because its shallow enough to walk around in. However its actually much more dangerous than the open waters of the Columbia.

The open river is safer because its just that, open water. Most of the incidents involing serious injury in Hood River have happened on land. That's true for all of kiteboarding.

Also the river offers an upwind current that makes it easier to stay upwind. You can even go upwind when its not even windy enough to ride, the current will push you up with your kite at noon. Its actually very difficult to stay upwind in the kiddie pool because there's no current and its so friggin shallow you are edging over wet sand a lot of the time.

After getting out of lessons anyone should feel comfortable riding into the main channel and shouldn't be using shallow water as a crutch. If you can't stay upwind in the channel you should already know how to self rescue. If you don't feel comfortable you need to take some more lessons involving open water instruction and a jetski.

And remember people aren't riding around the kiddie pool so they can show off to people on the beach, its one of the only spots in the Columbia that has flat water which makes it possible to throw advanced tricks.

Anyway hiker1 I appreciate the tone of your message, and hope that you will see where I am coming from.

pdxmonkeyboy · Mon Jun 29, 09 9:59 am

Kodiak makes a good point. Jump your friends, not strangers.

Moto · Since 03 Sep 2006 2698 Posts Still a gojo pimp! Moto Mouth

Pepi · Mon Jun 29, 09 11:36 am

I think that Hiker's point was more about the advanced kiters actually mowing the lawn and boosting over the sandbar(from the west side) and into the kiddie pool (basically over the launching area).
I don't think Hiker is attempting to make any negative point about riders in the kiddie pool(his wording looks to have been written backwards).

This being the case, it is not cool and those riders thinking that showing off by boosting over the sandbar into the kiddie pool is not a good thing to do. In many other kiting locations that have problems with aggressive riding their solution was to declare a "No Jumping" zone for 30-50yrds off the beach launch area so as to allow safe launching/landing and for everyone to have an quicker and easier time getting off of the beach, or back onto the beach.

This is kind of the polar opposite issue of beginners sitting on the sandbar with a kite at 12o'clock. The advanced kiters coming in at mach 5 and either boosting or spraying right in front of the launch spot really kills the fun for a lot of other kiters just wanting to get out away from the beach without the extra traffic jam.

Just my two cents and a possible clarification on Hikers point.

Pepi

hiker1 · Since 01 Jul 2007 125 Posts Portland Stoked

forrest · Mon Jun 29, 09 12:23 pm

Jumping over anything besides water will only cause pain and suffering for you and everyone else at some point. Just don't do it...

I need a paintball gun to remedy my problem of people jumping over the FunBox... Listen, it's not cool, no one wants you doing it, you're going to screw it up for all of us, and if you do get hurt you're going to be forever mocked. Besides, why don't you just try sliding it? (Take your fins off)

Chooch · Mon Jun 29, 09 12:31 pm **Schools...**

Ok so what if any is the rule for schools and their lessons. On several occasions I have seen instructors with their students either in the kiddie pool or on the west end of the sandbar with their kite sitting in the kiddie pool teaching relaunch taking up half the pool. This really effs everything up for those riding in the kiddie pool and has become quite an annoyance. Worst part is that those instructors are putting their students in harms way and possibly a very dangerous fetch of land and obsticals downwind.

hiker1 · Since 01 Jul 2007 125 Posts Portland Stoked

Pepi · Mon Jun 29, 09 2:38 pm **Re: Schools...**

Chooch · Mon Jun 29, 09 2:40 pm **Re: Schools...**