Utah Windriders Association

I just don't get it,
seems every 30mph + days in Utah,
there are kiters that show up on the beach,
that end up in over their heads.

All your doing is taking away a session from kiters that have to follow you around to make sure your not in danger, at least..
or endangering access for all of us at worst.

RANT over.

Marty

easy tiger. we have all been there once before.
On another note, that launch of yours was one of the burliest one-arm things i've seen, . can't believe you held onto your board in 35+! pretty impressive.
thanks for the willard tip today. see you out early am.

swilliamson wrote:easy tiger. we have all been there once before.
On another note, that launch of yours was one of the burliest one-arm things i've seen, . can't believe you held onto your board in 35+! pretty impressive.
thanks for the willard tip today. see you out early am.

Suz, your correct that we have all been there,
but you know the guy with the foil, we were all concerned about,
if he had stayed in front of the pavilions where he started,
and then had his little kitemare, that he had,
he would have been in the kids and, or the pavilion.
Depending on injuries from that,
the State park could have then banned all kiteboarding because of that.
i.e. Deer Creek, Yuba, Willard, Sand Hollow,,ect...
You know as well as I do,
he should not have been out in that strong of wind.

The other dude, appeared to only be able to go one way,
and couldn't ride switch,
almost getting pushed into the rock jetty,
and when he came in at the other beach,
after his downwinder,
Doug drove over there, and had to clear out the swimmers
for a safe landing,
once again, endangering bystanders.

I'm sure both guys were humbled by there experiences,
but both could have caused injuries to bystanders,
THAT is my concern.

I think it is completely appropriate for Marty to bring this up. That guy apperaed to have more dollars than sense. I would never have launched at Willard in that kind of wind as a beginner kiter. Oregon liscense plates or not. We need to question every single kiter we don't know at Willard and BWB or we do risk losing access. He was also an asshole. He bitched at Mike May and yelled at Doug when he was launching him. With that Uath kiters have a reputation for being the nicest in the USA. We should keep it that way and welcome him to a superb evening at Lincoln. Let me bring up the fact that we would be ridiculed by the worldwide kiting community for launching at Willard in onshore 7m conditions. You are placing yourself at extreme risk when kiting at Willard bay. This is very serious.

I think my respond is not a popular one. But I am seeing this type of discussion more and more often. I think there is something wrong with the way kiting is being presented. Most guys seem to have too much testosterone to be able to think normally. I hate taking risk I don't understand. But most people don't understand the risk involved in kiteboarding. I know someone of you are going to say, well, they are responsible for their own decision. But let's not forget that someone's dumb mistake might cost them their life. They might not know it, but you do.

The community we have in Utah is an exception. We are friendly and concern about other people's safety (even if it is for selfish reasons). Bring up the issue of safety in other places, you are sure to have idiots jumping on everything you say. I think it is totally appropriate to flag down a beginner in dangerous condition and smack him/her in the head. You might save their life.

Well, were board shorts involved? It seems that a large percentage of riders wearing board shorts over their wetsuits suffer from CGS (Cool-Guy-Syndrome). So far studies have shown that wearing board shorts over rubber does not necessarily cause CGS, but it is an early sign that intervention may be needed. CGS is spreading at alarming rates throughout the kiting community.

If you see someone wearing board shorts over rubber, be ready, they may need our help! Unfortunately there is no cure for CGS once it sets in...

I hear the forest service has removed kiters that suffer from CGS, and relocated them to less dangerous and less crowded areas (a technique they have used with aggressive bears for years). Apparently once in seclusion the Kiters with CGS did not have any crowds to either endanger or impress with their stylish tricks, and after several sessions wearing only rubber, slight improvements have been made. Although case studies show that despite the improvements in overall attitude, Kiters suffering from CGS are still attracted to bright neon colors and sequins.

So far I feel we are fairly safe here in Utah. But once we start to see dangle balls on the leading edges of our kites, then CGS has hit an epidemic level that is irreversible.

I'm not a doctor, but I play one on TV.
Windzup,
Brian Schenck

I totally agree with educating beginners, I guess the guy had it coming just for being out there. I didn't realize he was a douche, I would have maybe yelled at him too. His wife was really nice, and just as I was making my point that he should not be out here, he got totally yarded and learned his lesson. Hope they both realized the seriousness at that point, and will ask for advice next time
in light of the usage rights issue, I'll do whatever it takes to keep our access . Can't imagine not having willard.

I can see our little beach discussion started ya ta think'n. I feel those sequined Kites coming, along
with Paisley kite cloth. ;*)

-Craig

windzup wrote:. Although case studies show that despite the improvements in overall attitude, Kiters suffering from CGS are still attracted to bright neon colors and sequins.

So far I feel we are fairly safe here in Utah. But once we start to see dangle balls on the leading edges of our kites, then CGS has hit an epidemic level that is irreversible.

I'm not a doctor, but I play one on TV.
Windzup,
Brian Schenck

The two main causes for accidents are weather and judgment. CGS clouds judgment. Newbies don't have the skill to read weather, especially Utah weather.

Most of the folks in Utah either windsurfed or knows someone who windsurfed before kiting and got pretty good understanding weather/wind. In windsurfing, a 3o mph+ gust will send you over the sail or rip it from your hands. Usually, the CGS problem stops there. In kiting, especially in Utah, it could mean you ended up on the rocks or trees. More needs to be done about the CGS issue.