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Kiteboard Conditions

How much wind do you need?
This is up for debate, but generally 12mph is the lower limit to actually get up on a board. More advanced riders can ride in less, down to around 9-10 mph on some days.

When is it too windy?
The top end of the wind range varies depending on skill and gear. Normally your first kite is sized for you to use in winds from 10-15mph (this increases to 10-20mph as your kite control skills improve). To ride in winds greater than 18-20mph, you will need a second kite. Once you are able to ride upwind, you can ride in winds of 20-30 mph with smaller kites. Riding in any winds over 30mph is NOT recommended unless you are an expert rider with a very small kite. Something that beginners need to learn is that the smaller kites used in high winds are much more responsive than the kites used in lighter winds. These smaller kites are much less forgiving of simple mistakes. Oh, and waves get big in 25+ mph winds, big and mean.

What other factors go into determining a rideable day?
Wind direction and wind quality are both determining factors. If the wind is blowing offshore, meaning it blows you away from the beach, you don't go kiteboarding on Lake Michigan or the ocean no matter what your skill level. If the wind quality is poor, meaning the wind speed and direction are highly variable, flying a kite becomes difficult. We look for winds where the gusts are less than 8mph greater than the average wind speed. eg: Winds of 12-18mph work, whereas 10-20 are very challenging. You'll also want to look for open beach access, few bystanders, and no obstacles on the beach or water.

Wave action also determines a rideable day. As a beginner you will be looking for flat water (optimal) or waves under 2-3 feet. Trying to get a board on your feet when you are being hit by a 4 foot wave can be quite a challenge. Once you are an experienced kiteboarder, you can choose how large a wave you want to challenge.

Preferred Wind Directions:

Preferred wind directions.

Sideshore winds come directly parallel to the shoreline. This allows you to travel away from and back toward the beach without fear of getting blown out to sea, or back into the launching area. If you drop your kite, you don't get blown out any further from land.
Side-onshore wind is a combination of sideshore and onshore winds. If the angle toward the beach is less than 45 degrees this can be a very favorable wind direction. You can still travel away from and toward the beach, and if you drop your kite and have to swim in, the wind will be pushing you slowly toward the shore.

What do I need to avoid?
Thunderstorms, gusty winds, off-shore winds (winds that blow you away from the beach), directly on-shore winds (winds that blow you right back onto the beach), downwind obstacles, power lines, trees, other kiters, other water users, spectators, beach goers, underwater obstacles, piers, boats, pilings, winds too strong for your kite size, water too cold for your thermal protection (wetsuit), riding too far from shore... the list could go on and on. The basic solutions: know the expected weather for that day and keep your eyes and senses sharp for changes, know your locations and any dangers at those locations, know how to assess the dangers or issues at a new location, know your limits, know how to set up, launch, and land safely, know the hand signals to communicate with other kiters on and off the water, know how to "self rescue" if the wind changes directions or switches off, know how to relaunch a kite from the water, know how to determine windspeed and choose an appropriate kite. Basically, take a lesson.

Wind Directions to avoid: (arrow designates direction wind is blowing towards)

Wind directions to avoid.

Offshore winds blow from land toward the water at any angle. WE DO NOT RIDE IN OFFSHORE WINDS REGARDLESS OF HOW EXPERIENCED WE ARE. The problem is that if we drop our kite or have a mechanical failure, we would have to swim in with our kite against the wind. Needless to say, that's not a good idea.
Onshore winds blow from the water directly perpendicular to the land. Avoid this wind direction as well. The wind is continually trying to blow you further inland. Unless you can ride upwind instantly, the kite is going to blow you back onto the beach in a matter of seconds.

How often do you get to kiteboard?
This depends on a lot of factors. How flexible is your work/school schedule? If your job allows you to get a quick session in before work or lets you leave early from work when it's windy, then this won't be an issue. If you're planning on kiteboarding after work, understand that it's not unusual for the winds to die down after 6:00pm. How many days you get in also depends on your gear. If you own just one kite and one board, you won't be kiteboarding as much as someone who owns 3 kites. If it's blowing 25 knots and all you own is a 14m, you won't be kiteboarding that day. Temperatures also play a good role. If you have a wetsuit you'll get a lot more days in and the beach won't be nearly as crowded with beachgoers. Although weather has a lot to do with how much you'll be kiteboarding, many of the factors come down to you. One of our instructors logged in 135 days in the water and 20 days on the snow in one year.

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