Hood River Kiteboarding Guidelines - DRAFT

Slipin Lizard · Since 23 Sep 2005 88 Posts Hood River, Oregon

Before I ask, just wanted to say a bit about my background... still windsurfing though I'd hoped to give kiting a try last year and just never got round to it (just playing with the trainer). My buddy kites, I'm not anti-kiting at all and really feel that last spring, the whole "no pumping kites on the grass" at the Event Site was silly, because it was so quiet at the beginning of the season it just wasn't an issue.

So my first question is about the 100ft rule... is the kiting community really going to enforce that? From a windsurfing perspective, the area right in front of the Event Site often sucks, and I always head up to the White Salmon bridge... play in the swell, flat water blasting behind Wells Island. Going out and coming in to the Event Site, I've had a lot kiters "buzz" me. It actually seemed to be less frequent last year, but also the same guys doing it. I have had some really close calls. Even when I have right of way, I don't mind changing course to keep the distance, but many times the on-coming kiter keeps changing their course to maintain a collision course, and then goes by within a couple of feet. I don't understand this, and its clearly intentional. I posted ages ago, saying that we should try to maintain a 25ft gap, and was asked "what planet do you windsurf on?".

this was the thread: http://www.nwkite.com/forums/t
-486.html&highlight=geezer

Last year while sloggin, I had a kiter laughingly kite right over top of me, his lines missing the top of my mast by a foot or so, and then turn right around and do it again back the other way. I had another guy fly his kite over top of me (passed up wind of me, about 10ft away) and yelled that is was actually safer for me to be under his kite than pass upwind of him (wtf?!) I realize there's a part of kiteing that sees windsurfing as "gay" and "polesmurfing", but if we're going to share the Event Site, this kind of stuff needs to discontinue.

The other question is about launching over top of people, and again, I wonder about enforcement. There are so many safety articles, videos, and warnings from manufactuers not to launch a kite over top of anyone, and yet it happens all the time. At Viento, I've seen highly experienced kiters just launch right over top of people, actually getting lines really close to peoples heads without a word of warning. And this was when the water was low, and tons of room not 2 minutes slow walk away with the kite downwind (for those of you who don't know, there's a second little beach at Viento just east of the main beach).

I think this could be really good if we keep a safe distance and kiters don't launch over top of someone. Kiters, if ever in the situation, should ask the same of windsurfers. Windsurfers should not put people "under" their rig.

Just a heads up though for sharing the Event Site. There are some very assertive windsurfers out there, and if a kiter chooses to buzz someone, even if they think its just harmless, it can lead to a confrontation at the beach which no one wants. If you buzz a guys wife or kid and freak them out, chances are you're going to minimally get an ugle tongue lashing when you reach the shore. I really hope this all works out. It works at Roosevelt.

Nak · Fri Dec 07, 07 2:30 pm

Part of the problem is that I've seen '03 gear advertised on EBay as '06 gear... Beginners might have a hard time even knowing what year kite they have. How about:

"Safety Equipment for Beginners:
C Kites should have a 5th line safety.
Bridled kites should have a system which uses a single line as the safety.

If you are unfamiliar with the safety system on your kite and are unsure if it meets these minimum safety requirements, please obtain additional instruction prior to attempting to launch your kite. Several qualified schools are located here."

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

I'd really like to avoid getting too specific on safety gear. For one thing there is no truely 100% safe solution in kiteboarding, shit can hit the fan with pretty much any setup.

Also the same newbies that don't know 2002 from 2006 will likely not know what a 5th line or single leash line means.

This is a general guideline, its not going to solve all the problems at the sandbar, its just trying to get some basic everyday knowledge out there.

Keep it simple I think... there is a lot of information to absorb just on that small hand-out. If we wanted to have a 6 page set of guidelines and information then we could do that but I doubt anyone would read it. Very Happy

Lizard - we can't really enforce any rules, just hope that people respect each other. If you see somebody being a kook time and time again, call them on it. Its up to everybody to help self police out there. We don't want to have to turn to outside authorities to do that. I think that would pretty quickly label us all as the problem.

Slipin Lizard · Since 23 Sep 2005 88 Posts Hood River, Oregon

Understood. Well, the guidelines look really good, and hopefully it works out for everyone. It is good to see the kiting community take it upon itself to define acceptable behavior. Your efforts are appreciated.

Hein · Since 08 Mar 2005 1314 Posts Possessed

pdxmonkeyboy · Sat Dec 08, 07 5:02 pm

Slippin, I hear what your saying and I have seen the stuff you talk about go on at the sand bar. The truth of the matter is that no matter what you do or what kind of flyer you have, there are always going to be dickheads that still act like, well, dickheads.

I always give way to windsurfers and if for whatever reason I think I may have made them change course,I always give them a "sorry" or at least a smile and a wave.

For every terd buzzing you with his kite or launching upwind of you, there is also some jerk scowling at me cause I have my kiteboard sitting next to me on the event site lawn.

I am very hopefully that opening the ES to kiteboarders in the beginning of the year will be very beneficial to eliminating the stupid kiteboard -vs- windsurf debate.

Slipin Lizard · Since 23 Sep 2005 88 Posts Hood River, Oregon

jonah · Since 20 Jul 2006 169 Posts Hood River Stoked

"Board Leash = Helmet" does not communicate properly to riders who have not been educated about the issue of the dangers of a board leash. If no one has explained this to them, they are going to think "Huh.. so a Board Leash is the same as ("equal to") a helmet? .. I guess that means if I wear a board leash, then I don't need a helmet".

I agree with the message, I just think the way it's written could lead to confusion.