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G103
Since 22 Jul 2014
52 Posts
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Thu Oct 30, 14 11:53 am Los Barilles |
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I'm headed to Los Bariles in a week and was hoping for some past experiances such as what kite size to bring, full wet suit needed, locations for beginners, and....
Thanks. |
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ldhr
Since 21 Jul 2009
1473 Posts
Hood River
XTreme Poster
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Thu Oct 30, 14 11:59 am |
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you don't say how big you are or how you are effected by cold.
on any given day you will see people who wear no wetsuits and people who wear 4 mil full suits.
same day a large guy may be on a 13m kite and small woman on a 7m.
early season is warmer and less windy than january - march.
early season nov - dec, large kites (9-14) and shorty or 3 mil wetsuits.
later season - mostly medium and large kites but expect anything. water gets colder and most people are wearing shorty or 3-4 mil suits.
if you're a beginner you'll be swimming a lot and a full suit is pretty much mandatory unless you're very comfortable in cold water.
all launch spots are equally favorable for beginners. most of the teaching occurs up wind at "north" beach.
I take a "spring" wetsuit (short sleeves/long legs 3 mil) and also have a long sleeved neoprene shirt i add to it on colder days.
i own 4 kites and i take my 3 largest to baja. Last edited by ldhr on Thu Oct 30, 14 12:09 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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Sasquatch
Since 09 Mar 2005
2062 Posts
PNW
Bigfoot
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Thu Oct 30, 14 12:03 pm |
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ldhr wrote: | you don't say how big you are or how you are effected by cold.
on any given day you will see people who wear no wetsuits and people who wear 4 mil full suits.
same day a large guy may be on a 13m kite and small woman on a 7m.
early season is warmer and less windy than january - march.
early season nov - dec, large kites (9-14) and shorty or 3 mil wetsuits.
later season - mostly medium and large kites but expect anything. water gets colder and most people are wearing shorty or 3-4 mil suits.
if you're a beginner you'll be swimming a lot and a full suit is pretty much mandatory unless you're very comfortable in cold water.
all launch spots are equally favorable for beginners. most of the teaching occurs up wind at "north" beach. |
What he said is spot on |
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Wind Slither
Since 04 Mar 2005
2575 Posts
The 503
METAL
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Thu Oct 30, 14 12:51 pm |
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Go to that restaurant bar on the corner and ask for Scooby...he'll hook you up. But be warned, $40 bucks worth will fill a suitcase!
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OG
Since 07 Jun 2011
537 Posts
Addicted
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Thu Oct 30, 14 1:55 pm |
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Ive been a few times, though never in november. Its been anywhere from 7m to 13m. The wind was typically stronger earlier in the day on the windy days, wind would start to lighten up in afternoon so most everybody seemed to be on their bigger gear by 2 or 3 in the afternoon. There are a couple of schools on the beach with the typical friendly folks to give you info on the hazards and weather. LB has quite a few 'civilians' on the beach, so if you're sketchy around others keep heading north. That being said, on the north end of the beach, between the town and the campground, is a big arroyo that we were told not to kite in front of. Apparently there is some nasty shit, like cables and fencing wire, that the arroyo has washed out that is on the bottom of the ocean in front of the arroyo.
There are a lot of rocks in the shallow zone, got some decently carved up feet from it. Seems like as you go north on the beach that the rocky stuff kicks in and gets to be something to look out for. Also, the wind seemed to be better as you go north on the beach. So, if it sounds like a pain in the ass, maybe pack some booties.
I was there once in january and we were in boardies and 1 or 2m tops. The water was just fine for me. Im usually in my 4/3 full suit in the gorge until about the end of june and then boardies and the 1m top for the rest of summer, to give you a red neck scale for my cold tolerance. If you think you'll need a full suit, I say bring it. I brought mine, just didn't use it.
I did most of my eating and drinking at the smokehouse. LB businesses seemed pretty wise about money, we spent the same dough there that we do here for a beer or a meal. So nothing was really cheap or expensive.
I think ExoKite is the name of the kite resort/school on the beach, when in doubt you can just go and buy a beer and start asking questions
Oh ya, the campground that is town that has a hotel with it also has a cheap breakfast. It was like $2 bucks for eggs/bacon/toast.
First time we just took a shuttle from airport to LB. Didn't get but 3 days of wind out of 8. Second time we rented a car. Went to LB & LV, depending on best wind. 3rd time, lots of tequila, not as much kite. So, control yourself better than i did. Post pics, include kites and boobs. L8s Last edited by OG on Sat Nov 01, 14 9:04 am; edited 1 time in total |
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knotwindy
Since 25 Sep 2011
598 Posts
Addicted
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Fri Oct 31, 14 6:12 pm |
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Last edited by knotwindy on Fri Oct 31, 14 10:32 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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knotwindy
Since 25 Sep 2011
598 Posts
Addicted
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Fri Oct 31, 14 6:12 pm |
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out today on a 10m for 4+ hours. steady as a fan
just in shorts and it was sweeeeet…..
air temp 88 and water is warm as ….. |
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Marmot
Since 08 Aug 2007
99 Posts
Lyle, WA
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Fri Oct 31, 14 8:41 pm |
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Thanks for the weather updates. Heading to LB at the end of the month. Nice to get some idea of what to expect. |
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redbeerd
Since 11 Nov 2014
8 Posts
Corvallis, OR
Kook
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Tue Nov 11, 14 10:49 am |
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My first post here. Great forum here with lots of good info and a sweet community vibe. I just booked a trip to LB for the middle of December. Looks like I picked up the kiting bug a tad late in the season and just missed the season here on the OR coast. I've been kiting on a trainer kite and land board out at Newport and Corvallis on windy days for about a month. Lots of enticing info on LB and I couldn't wait till next spring, so I decided to take a "vacation" down there and learn me some kiting at Exotikite. Thanks again to all those who posted about LB and kiting in general, it's been extremely helpful. |
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