Schools crowding the HR sandbar

genek · Since 21 Jul 2006 2165 Posts East Po KGB

Did anyone else notice how much space the schools were taking up at the sandbar on Saturday? I counted three instructors with students going around the edge of the sandbar at one point. All of their kites were down quite frequently as you'd imagine. Given the buffer zone between all of them and the fact that their kites are down so much they take up about 500ft (if not more). I think they were cutting off about half the sandbar from the channel at one point making it impossible to ride in and out unless you were further downwind by the Hood River mouth or really close to the event site. Combine that with a pretty crowded day and the place can quickly become a clusterf#$k. This is only going to get worse as the season ramps up and the weather gets nicer (more kiters and more students learning). I'm sure all the other riders from experts to beginners working on staying upwind were bothered by this blockade in a high traffic area. It probably made it hard for some less experienced people to even make it back to the launch since the most direct path back was blocked off for a while. I don't get why the schools can take whatever they want from the sandbar regardless of the other 50-150+ people who pay parking fees and taxes and want to use this common resource for fun not profit. Seems like this is bad for everyone from the students to the riders. I have trouble believing that the Port is so deep in the pocket of the schools that they can't work out a more balanced solution. It seems more likely that the problems just haven't been communicated properly to them. Would it be possible for the CGKA to address this issue? I'm sure I'm not the only kiter out there spending $$$ in Hood River who thinks this is a problem.

Thanks for listening.

forrest · Tue Jun 03, 08 9:44 am

It seems like, because of the high water and depth of the pro-pool/kiddie-pool the schools aren't taking their students out to the NW side of the Sandbar where they're supposed to. This coupled with a few people teaching their friends created the problem you've noticed.

One thing to keep in mind is some instructors seem to abide by the established rules and others don't so lets not have a "we hate the schools" thread... Lets find a solution.

I'll bring this up in the next CGKA meeting which is scheduled for June 13th. This meeting will be open to the public and I encourage anyone who has an issue to attend and give public comment at the beginning of the meeting.

pdxmonkeyboy · Tue Jun 03, 08 9:52 am

Here we go again.

I swear one night I am going to start a "year on NWkite thread" so those that are new will know what to expect thread wise depending on the season.

registered · Since 12 Jul 2005 1319 Posts tsunami Sandbagger

I agree ...

someone should figue out how many times the leash thing comes up ......

quarterly.... annually.

evolution Wink

genek · Since 21 Jul 2006 2165 Posts East Po KGB

forrest · Tue Jun 03, 08 10:11 am

Yea, this particular issue is about the schools not being where they said they would be. Seems like the schools feel like they're providing a better product to the student in teaching them in the shallow water to make them feel safe, but I feel they're establishing really bad habits with the people they're teaching. This is in addition to them eating up all the room.

KidCorporate · Since 10 Jul 2007 563 Posts Addicted

Honestly, how can anyone expect to be able to teach with conditions the way they are right now? I told my noob buddy to not even bother coming out until the water goes down, he'd just get frustrated.

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

bulae99 · Since 12 Jul 2006 1691 Posts I give out bad advice.

Do you remember the year before the big beach? We had to hot launch from the inside of the kite spit and it sucked bad. I like to put myself in others shoes when I complain and if I'm an instructor trying like hell to make a buck then I'm going to choose the safest place I can to make it happen. Fact is that the water levels are low and people are trying to pay the bills. I don't see any of the instructors or schools getting rich off of kiting lessons. This thread has the potential to endear us to the learning public who may seach the subject listed and find us to be less than fuzzy warm kiters. Personally I like to be really nice to anyone attempting to kite. Maybe it's because folks were really nice to me here, and at Siletz, and the other places I talked to kiters. Bottom line is that if you are there first the space is yours. As it becomes more and more crowded with instructors and students it may become necessary to use your social skills to ask for a window to launch and or land. I think the thing to remember is that those instructors are in fact making our site and all sites more safe by just teaching their students the proper IKO/Pasa process. Sure it's a pain but the water levels will go down and we will more than likely have more sand to launch from. My O is to keep the area safe we need to be the freindly place to learn to kite. You attract more bees with honey...

pkh · Since 27 Feb 2005 6548 Posts Couve / Hood Site Lackey

how about an anagram?

JKITES

magicmaker · Since 29 Oct 2006 895 Posts da Hood Opinionated

i haven't really noticed the schools too much, one thing i did notice is some people teaching friends and actually 1 instructor from a school, basically what they were doing was standing right around the logs and other debris that you have to get and ride upwind of, if you launch on the western most part of the sandbar we have now at high water. i've marked on the attached picture in red, where the people were standing preventing both people from going out and coming in. creating a real traffic problem if you ask me Mad

what this person teaching his friend and the instructor were doing (at different times) was basically, what i thought, looked like they were conducting their lesson right there. i was in the process of getting out, was somewhat struggling to stay upwind just above the logs and debris in the wind shadow, and two people are standing out there with 1 kite at 12 oclock. preventing me from being able to do a powerstroke to stay upwind and get out. instead i had to get off my board and walk upwind to get around these people. i know not that bad, if it wasn't crowded, but when it is this has a cascading effect hte people behind me cannot get out, they have to wait for me to walk upwind as opposed to me getting out cleanly and quickly, all the while people are backing up trying to get in. I just dont anywhere in this area is a good place to park your kite or stand around because this is probably the busiest section of water around the sandbar. The tiny little neck where 99% of people go in and out with the water as high as it is. I'm just asking for people to please not spend too much time in this area.

i think this problem is/was worse than any schools taking up room as it makes an already congested area even worse. and man alive, it sure seems like running the gauntlet as it is to get in or out; we dont need people standing in that area not moving in or out. thanks.

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

pdxmonkeyboy · Tue Jun 03, 08 3:25 pm

Jackasss Kiters Insure That Everyone Suffers ?

Is that it?

jcohenx · Since 28 Aug 2007 248 Posts Portland Stoked

Hi folks;

I was one of those kite students in HR on Saturday and Sunday. If I may, I'd like to comment.

1. At the beginning of each session, we rigged and inflated our kites at the school, not on the beach or near the other experienced kiters. We fastened our bridles to the bar lines, inflated the struts, then either hand carried or jet skied out to the sandbar to inflate the leading edge and complete the launch process. On the way in, my instructor rode the kite up to the beach and landed it himself or we deflated the leading edge, rolled it up, and took the jet ski back to the school.

2. I can certainly account for the many times I put the kite in the water. However, each time I relaunched the kite and practiced take offs with the board, my instructor was very cautious of other kiters in the area. For example, the instructor had me wait with my kite parked near neutral when a kiter was anywhere within about 100 yards and looking to ride past, that included both experienced kiters planing past us and perhaps less experienced kiters struggling with some of the a.m. gusts on Sunday. With only one exception where I did get a little too close to tommahawking a guy (about 15 feet and the kite never hit the water) I don't think another kiter was near me the whole weekend that didn't want to be there.

3. My lessons were all early morning lessons, I chose this time slot specifically because I knew how crowded the sandbar can get on a weekend. My lessons began at around 11:00 on Saturday after the rain came through and 10:30 on Sunday. We ended both days around 1:30. Saturday, from 11 to at least 12, I think there were fewer than 5 other kites in the water or on the beach. Sunday, there was definitely a 12:00 rush hour when a lot of kiters launched at once but most of them came and went I didn't see them again until after my lesson was over.

I guess in closing I would say that my instructor and I really made an effort to not cause trouble for anybody. Then or in the future, if anybody thinks I'm causing a traffic jam or just being a total kook, please just come up and say so. In return, please remember that everyone was a noob at one time in their lives doing something and that prompt, constructive criticism will be more effective than complaint after the fact.

Just my 2 cents.

jc

Ike · Since 12 Mar 2008 216 Posts Central Oregon Stoked

At least they are takeing lessons, just imagine if they were out there without instruction.

mschulz · Since 29 May 2007 530 Posts Reno, NV Addicted

With the high water, we would be pulling them out of the dam grates.

forrest · Tue Jun 03, 08 3:59 pm

Hey JC, It's not your fault. When I first came to the Sandbar I did just like you, hired a school to show me the ropes even though I had completed several lessons. They took me right out into the middle of everyone where there was waist deep water. We stayed for 2 hours while people zoomed around us. They even told me that's where the beginners are supposed to go. I continued to kite in this area each weekend which resulted in me nearly hitting several kiters/people not knowing that I needed to get over the idea that shallow water upwind of land where I could stand was safer. This was in 2005 and the school has been out of business for a couple years now.

I know there are some school folks on this forum, do you guys have anything to say?