CDA/North Idaho Kiters

TheNomad · Since 12 Apr 2014 6 Posts Kook

Hello-

I am very new to kiting and would like to meet up with CDA/North Idaho kiters. I have purchased and used a Slingshot B2 trainer kite and have yet to purchase any other gear. Due to life circumstances, I cannot go to the Gorge. (wife and kids) I am looking to learn this fun and exciting sport locally.

Best regards,

TheNomad

harriet · Since 10 Jun 2007 64 Posts

Short answer is rethink your decision.
Heres the long answer;
This is not an easy place to kite at, let alone safe to learn. A tree lined beach with onshore, gusty winds, concrete walls, rocks, fences, people everywhere and a postage stamp sized launchsite is not as fun as it sounds. Wink

I have seen accomplised kiters not be able to get off the beach here, let alone seen anyone learn to kite here safely. Cant be done safely imo.
The lulls to gust ratio can be brutal. 7knots at the beach, 20 out on the lake sometimes. Lol
Brutal for learning imo. If not deadly.
Back in the day I could understand someone trying to teach themselves here, as there was little info on why someone wouldnt.
But times have changed, good lessons are available just hours away, and there is no reason to risk your safety, or risk others while you are being tossed around by a kite.
I know you said you cant travel, but you should. At least for lessons, ie; make progress going upwind, self resue, launch solo, etc.
Learning to kite with an instructor, with good wind, will save you valuable time and money, and doctor bills.
I figure I spent 2k on gear that I threw away from tree, rock, fence, and wall damage the first year. Then 30k on doctor bills from a spinal chord injury from a fall....
If you still decide this is a "Fun" thing to pick up, be careful get insurance for the worst case scenario, then ask yourself how many times you wanna put your kite in a tree, send it for repairs, put it in a tree, send it in, put it.... well, you get the point.
Sorry to sound negative, but this place sucks.
There a reason all the locals dont kite here, but choose to drive 4 hour south!
Harriet

SpaceRacer · Since 04 Nov 2007 434 Posts Obsessed

Hey Nomad,

I have to concur with Harriet. He and I kited Lake Coeur d'Alene this past week and had quite a few people see us and inquire about the sport; perhaps you were one but either way, I actually commented to Harriet that "this place takes a ton of skill and safety skills to make work and that if you can kite here, you can kite anywhere in the world" (and I have 8 years experience) lol. Because of all of the reasons that Harriet mentioned. It can be VERY difficult, dangerous, frustrating, expensive and time consuming. Truth is, it will be less expensive and less time consuming to drive 4 hours to the Gorge to get it done than to try to learn here. The only caveat is perhaps in winter...snowkiting on the Prairie when the conditions are right is a lot more user friendly than the lakes in North Idaho in summer. Take it from someone with eight years experience, who lives in CdA. Feel free to PM me and we can discuss further.

SpaceRacer

VXflyer · Since 30 Jun 2013 6 Posts Spokane, WA Kook

I agree with these other guys, CDA is a bad place to learn. That being said, I started riding about 2 years ago. Took a few lessons to get started, studied the sport a ton, by watching videos, dreaming, theorizing, contemplating. Then, I got some experience out on the snow which is way easier to learn on imo because you can go as slow you want and still learn. This would take place just west of CDA airport, in a prairie. On water you have to keep your speed up to stay on top of the water which makes initial learning a bit more difficult. I decided lake CDA was not for me, because of the all of the hazards, and being so new at the sport I did not want to take the risk.

There is however a great little lake Southwest of Spokane that I have found to work out very well. If there is wind blowing 15knots + and I am home, you will find me at Sprague Lake, just off of I-90. Its a 35minute drive, and it is well worth it. There is great little launch area setup next to a RV park there, and it has worked very well. Even for a noob like myself. The only bad part is all the goose, and seagull droppings, but as far as hazards go, I can deal with that. Plus a couple tress, but nothing like CDA. This is by far the better place to learn imo. If you drift downwind, you can always walk back, but make sure to have booties, because of terrain.

Our best winds are only going to last another month or so, I suspect. The summer time around here is pretty lame for winds. Im thinking of buying a light wind kite at some point. Trying to decide on buying an Ocean Rodeo Flight 17m, Cloud 17m, or some other strutless kite, maybe even a Fly Surfer foil. Something that will get me out riding in sub 10knot winds.

Cheers and good luck.
PM me if you have any other questions. Kiting can be a very frustrating sport to get into and understand, but dammit its fun once you get the hang of it.

Inflictor · Since 17 Aug 2013 146 Posts Stoked

CDA sounds pretty sketchy for learning, take a vacation at a good spot to learn, NOT the gorge. I suggest Floras Lake in southern Oregon with Will Brady or Andy Bolt. Great place for the whole family. I just got back from Padre Is. coaching my newbie buddies and without jet ski assisted lessons all they learned was how to self rescue or walk back to shore in the muck! Offshore winds there, big kites, lots of kooks in the way. The Gorge is a zoo too, and the sandbar winds are gusty/holey. The way to learn is on the snow if you're an accomplished skier/boarder. Bottom line is TAKE A LESSON! Way cheaper than doctor bills and busted gear. All my friends came back from Floras riding after a couple lessons. Good luck and fly that trainer until you can do it with your eyes closed!

Sella · Tue Apr 22, 14 9:30 am

The Spokane and the CDA area can work at times but you'll end up burning so much time searching for spots and then try to make sketch launches work it's very frustrating so really factor your time and energy before ruling out a little extra drive time to come ride Mecca, where there is a kite shop on every corner and a kite sitting in the back of every car.

The Gorge is loaded with great instructors and is a great place for lessons if you hook up with a jet-ski assisted outfit. End of story. Floras Lake is also excellent for lessons, a significant drive, plus once the Brady boys get you past your lessons and you're staying upwind you've "graduated" to full on kook status. Yeah!! But you still have a LONG way to go before you're proficient with dealing with tight launches or the Ocean side so you need time on the water and nothing beats the Gorge for that.

Yes, during July/August the Sandbar can be busy during the weekends, but it's roughly 26 acres in size so there is ALWAYS room and Sunday-Thursday you'll darn near have the place to yourself along with a dose of some pure kite stoke allies. Also, once you figure out the basics you won't kite around the Sandbar, you go out into the big ass river and play in the sun with miles of room.

Long story short, you need to be an intermediate rider to make Spokane/CDA work enough to get your fix in so the fastest way is take lessons, spend time in the Gorge for the water and a 4m-6m 4-line kite on the land every chance you can to hone your skills. I don't teach nor sell gear. I'm from Spokane and moved to the Gorge many years ago for kiting once the kite needle pumped me full of the good stuff. Buy a helmet and have fun. It ain't rocket science.

TheNomad · Since 12 Apr 2014 6 Posts Kook

Thanks for all the great tips! I think I will try winter kite skiing and continue to fly my trainer kite until then. Any advice on kite skiing gear?

VXflyer, are you referring to the area between Huetter and Atlas roads for winter kite skiing?

harriet · Since 10 Jun 2007 64 Posts

Be aware, VX, that the riding near the airpt is on private land.
A handfull of us have permission to ride there, but its getting a bit full from people who we have never met, and dont have permission.
Imagine this happening on your land, your generosity being taken for granted.
Our fear is the owner will take privileges away, so pls show respect. (And pls dont post location to the world. Im not trying to judge, as the stoke got the best of me years ago and I broke the "Fight Club" rules as well;) haha!
On top of it being private, the real fear is its proximity to the airpt.
Newbies can find a better spot to learn than adjacent to a runway imo... serious disaster waiting to happen there.
What ya do is find a field that is close to home, be it a soccer field, or privately owned where YOU ASK for permission to play and go log some hours.
Anyhow, I do agree fly the sh*t outta your trainer, and snowkiting can definately be a good way to start tbe addiction!

TheNomad · Since 12 Apr 2014 6 Posts Kook

Obvious question: Who is the owner?

harriet · Since 10 Jun 2007 64 Posts

TheNomad · Since 12 Apr 2014 6 Posts Kook

Thanks for all the help, everyone. What is the opinion of the Ozone Access snowkite?

LOOP · Since 08 Feb 2007 107 Posts Ore-Ida

Im sure you got the just of it here, but I figured I would put in my 2 cents anyway. The other posts are all correct. A family and kiting dont really mix well here. I have been kiting since 2007 and due to work and family, I have only been able to ride the water around Cda a couple times. I can usually break away from the fam for a promised session, but even after you are skilled, you will find yourself spending more time chasing, waiting, and hoping than you ever will riding. So its pretty hard to justify being away from my wife and kids in hopes of a good session, not to mention one of the more predictable launches fires between 7-11 in the morning, making it even tougher to line up.

However, as stated, the snowkiting is where its at. Much more predictable, closer, many more launches and ridable areas, and much easier to learn. In terms of learning, thats how I learned. After a lesson, I dialed in my skills on the snow quite a bit over the winter, then made a few trips to Roosevelt to transfer them to the water.

ikite208 · Since 17 Apr 2012 4 Posts Coeurd'Alene, Idaho Kook

I totally agree with Harriet. Cda is so inconsistent and unfriendly. I'm a local Cda kiter and have pumped up a dozen times this spring and got off shore less than a handful of times. Cda Lake is tuff with on shore winds, huge wind shadows, tiny technical launches out of public parks. We really have to be aware of the people and tourists, as our town lives for its tourism and one kitemare could shut down all our accesses. But, I cant tell a lie, I've had some really good days once I got out of the wind shadow. If your looking for consistency I think it's in your favor to head to the Columbia River or even Sprague.

I usually drive 3 1/2 hours to Roosevelt. That's the best place within a 3 1/2 hour drive. Heck, I have even gone down for the day and had a blast. I would love to carpool with others who would make the one day road trip. I would like to make a shortlist of riders that would be willing to make the trek. It's the best place for wind, but can be very lonely out there alone. There is a really cool crew of guys from the Tri-Cities area that head there often, and they usually bring down a rescue jet ski.

Sprague Lake has tons of potential. It has several places to launch from and only a hour West. The wind seems to be gusty but, every day I have been there I've got a session in. Sure the water gets weird later in the year, but I thinks is the best option in our area, and would love to hit it with a posse of riders more often.

The City Beach in Sandpoint is a great place to ride if there are Northerlys. It usually turns on around 7am and is over by 10:30 or 11am and is the best wind I have found in N. Idaho!!!. I'm usually riding with a bunch of wind surfers, but they are all super cool!

As for the winter scene, please know we have the Lone Tree, but everyone needs to remember it's private land that is farmed in the summer and only three people have permission to ride there. I've seen up to a dozen kites in the air and not one of them has permission to be on the property. This spot should not be advertised as the local spot for all to know about. I noticed a lot of beginner riders out there launching just up wind of our vehicles or the power lines. With some major close calls. Others are out there in an inch of snow tearing up the farm land. Lets ride the area with much respect to the land and keep it out of the press.

If any one wants to exchange numbers, I would love to connect and meet out at Sprague or up in Sandpoint. I only have three true kite bros, and we all work very different schedules.

Here is my email: ikte208@yahoo.com

TheNomad · Since 12 Apr 2014 6 Posts Kook

Thanks for all the great advice. I recently purchased a 4m Ozone Octane to try landboard kiting. I have been out once and it is still very difficult to learn. If anyone wants to join me that would be awesome. I usually kite near river city middle school in Post Falls. It is a very large field with lots of flat grass.

PM me if interested.

The Nomad

rhalver · Since 31 Oct 2011 3 Posts Kennewick, WA Kook

TheNomad,

I'm one of the Tri-City crew. I usually bring my red yamaha waverunner to Roosevelt and beach it there for anyone to use. It defangs the river a bit and takes the edge off of newbies' nerves. It also comes in handy when the wind dies. That being said, learn to self-rescue and practice it each season.

You can see many of the Tri-City kiters at: http://uskiteboarderassociation.com/?page_id=126.

CdA guys, do yourselves and new CdA kiters a favor and add yourselves to USKA's free "Local Kiters" list so that newbies like TheNomad can see who else kites in CdA. Go to: http://uskiteboarderassociation.com/?page_id=807. I think SpaceRacer is already listed.

Just my two cents...