beginners at the sandbar

wakeup · Since 11 Sep 2005 328 Posts always Obsessed

there is a flat water pool to the north end of the bar that is full of logs, logs downwind and pretty shallow water.
it is not safe

that is why a group of us chose that as our primary riding space
not cause we are stupid(but maybe we are)
cause we want to stay out of everyone elses way

next thing we know there are newbies riding in this area, getting lofted toward logs, and yanked all over the place

i will never tell anyone where to ride, but this pool is a dangerous place
if you are a beginner or novice or even intermediate, stay away, especially if it is crowded

the mouth of the hood is a much better kiddie pool for your first rides with maybe one or two logs to dodge and lots of shallow sandy water to walk back upwind with your kite in the air

we don't want to see people getting slammed into hard objects
it is bad publicity

pdxmonkeyboy · Tue May 01, 07 7:44 am

beginners at the sand bar? WHAT?? you must be mistaken.
Wink

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

I agree totally... the current sandbar config is actually really nice, it gives room for both a newbie pond and advanced pond. One reason the logs are actually a good thing, they promote less kooky behavior. I guess I'd feel bad seeing some newbie slam his kite into a pile of logs, but better the logs than me.

tekko · Since 20 Feb 2006 376 Posts White Salmon Liquid Force

I just want to add to what Joby said and to clarify our intentions.

We are in no way trying to tell anyone where to ride- or don't ride here or there.

We have just gone out of our way to put together a little place to ride, which after much investigation is indeed the least kiter friendly area at the sandbar.

We have done this for multiple reasons including:
-Removing ourselves from the Event Site/ NW Sandbar area to lighten congestion and make it more beginner friendly.
-Choosing an area too dangerous for most, to stay out of everyone's way when learning tricks and constantly dropping kites.
-Choosing an area already loaded with obstacles, so that our sliders, etc aren't seen as creating obstacles in an otherwise clean friendly area.

The pool in question is directly out in front of spit parking lot. It has huge wood pile above and below, not to mention all of the wood just below the surface.

I have been riding no fins... Joby has been riding small fins, but broke one off on a log below the surface yesterday.

We are just posting this so that people seeing us riding there don't get a false sense of security, just because they see other kiters there. Anyone coming in with 2" fins, racing through the flatwater is likely to catch a fin, crash in shallow sand/ logs and drop their kite downwind into a log pile.

If you do decide to play in the pool of consequences, otherwise known as the'boneyard' or 'the dump' please be aware of the other riders and the rotation. There is not enough room for a bunch of people in the pool, yet many can ride in and out if you get in the rotation of going into the channel to get back upwind and coming in one at a time. If you come in, watch for a bit and you will see people throwing tricks, sliding. dropping kites in a couple spots, which in seeing you can anticipate how to not put yourself in harms way and getting hit by a kite as it crashes.

For those who are learning and in the pool parking your kite like a telephone pole... you are putting yourself into a dangerous position, and more importantly, endangering all of us that are there. On sat I had to ride up on dry sand more than a few times due to misplaced beginners choking off the ability to move a kite and maneuver around these obstacles. One kite parked at 12 walking back up through the pool literally cancels it for anyone else, as there is no way to fly a kite either coming in or going out, forcing everyone else into a potentially dangerous situation.

Please realize that we are a small group of riders going out of our way to reduce traffic and danger at the sandbar for everyone else by choosing the least friendly area to play in. Like PKH said... it is like Disney World out there this year and plenty of space for everyone and every style. It is just good to have an idea of what is where. As Joby mentioned... the pool downind of the last big log pile, at the mouth of the Hood has wide open sand and very little debris.. making it a GREAT place for beginners and those coming in downwind from the top bar.

Lets all just try to be aware of each other out there and the conditions that we are riding in.

Onad · Tue May 01, 07 12:19 pm

Sounds like a great agenda item for the upcoming CGKA meeting?
>> Documenting and communicating this information to the general kitesurfing public (many are whom are outside the reach of the NWkite forum).

How about putting up a sign/map at the sandbar that details out the riding areas? Kite schools could also have small maps to hand out to students...

My 2 cents… ~D

stringy · Since 23 Jun 2006 1738 Posts vancouver XTreme Poster

Hein · Since 08 Mar 2005 1314 Posts Possessed

UNHOOK ZONE

kind of like Kodak point at the Hatch.

jonah · Since 20 Jul 2006 169 Posts Hood River Stoked

Plus, I heard there are sharks in that pool!! Wink

joking aside, I want to have that butter-flat water to myself as much as the next guy. But let's also realize there are very few places to learn in the Gorge.

The downwind area by the Hood River is also good, but if you're still learning to stay upwind, you never know if you'll end up riding so far downwind that you can't touch ground and walk back up. Lyle and this lagoon are some of the best places to learn staying upwind. From my experiences, the lagoon has about the same amount of underwater debris as other spots in the Gorge where you can touch ground.

The one truly dangerous aspect of the lagoon is the downwind trees. For that reason, I would not recommend it to someone who does not have kite control down, and is getting body dragged. But I would recommend it to people who are learning to stay upwind and work on turns. Also, I would only recommend it when the water is at its absolute highest, so depth is closer to 2ft and you can ride with about two kite-line lengths to the downwind trees.

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

The best place to learn in the Gorge is not at the sandbar but in the open water with jetski support. 3 seater jetski's are getting cheaper all the time, you can find good ones including trailer for $3k now.

Think about it: infinite space on the water, the whole gorge is open to you with a ski. No worrying about staying upwind, or getting stranded. Nothing to run into, nobody to run into. It takes all the fear and risk out of learning to kite. Kiting is not about standing up on land, its about being in the water. Thus learning to kite by being on land doesn't make much sense.

You also burn so much energy tromping around on the sand or in the shallows walking upwind. You won't have any energy left to kite after all of that. With a jetski you can go downwind for miles if you want.

Find someone who is also learning, buy the ski together. Support each other (one flies the kite, the other rides the ski.) When your kiting and staying upwind on a regular basis, you could probably sell the ski to close what you paid for it.

Only two things you need to know about doing this: 1) Always have the ski off when you are anywhere near the kite or lines, especially if its in the water. Suck up the lines and you will be swimming your ski in. 2) Take real lessons first, learn launching and landing. You will need those skills so you can launch the kite from land.

I've seen people progress in one weekend from barely body dragging to staying upwind with jetski support. Its really the magic tool for learning in this sport.

jonah · Since 20 Jul 2006 169 Posts Hood River Stoked

Hell yah... jet ski is the way to do it. I've been getting closer and closer to buying one all the time. Not just for teaching, but to access the spots that are otherwise not reachable by car. I gotta think there are some sweet unexplored spots out there... anyone know of some sandbars that are not car accessible??