VANCOUVER ISLAND WINDTALK

cguygo wrote:Isn't it spring already?? My daffodils are springing up everywhere!! I have been dreaming kiteboarding lately and im pretty good!! It must be those Kook st. kiters making it look so easy. Patience is a virtue i guess!!! but I wanna go now!!

I'd wait for the lake, its the only way to learn on the island IMHO.

I have heard really good things from many people about Strong kiteboarding up at Nitinat. Great instructors and personalized lessons that suits every level of kiter. Nitinat is worth the bumpy road as it gets the best wind on the whole island!

MartyD wrote:I have heard really good things from many people about Strong kiteboarding up at Nitinat. Great instructors and personalized lessons that suits every level of kiter. Nitinat is worth the bumpy road as it gets the best wind on the whole island!

Thanks for the info. Many people recommend Strong. I cant wait to play at Nitinat. What's the water temp up there? What kind of wetsuit is needed/recommended in the summer?

Cheers

3mill is good. I use a 5 and use it all year
Even for surf.
They have some great pfd.s at the kyack
Store which give u no loss of mobility
And help as an impact vest.

Thanks for the info AC, it's new gear day. Stoked.

Glad to say that I seem to be healing up faster then I thought (Broken leg ice skating LOL)! 3 weeks in and already have over 50% of my ankle movement back! You might hear from me sooner then later! The Nat is a real cool place to hang and watch the guys do their thing. Columbia beach is the place to be as far as I know around this time of year to gawk as well. Gave a few desperate guys a launch/land out there when ever I pop in. I land Kite it Tofino. I have 2 of everything for that. Real blast and no wet-suit/dry-suit required! I would love to find someone as passionate about kiting as me and bring them out. But most of the people out there are not to keen on that idea! I too though am going to make it my personal goal this year to finally bite the bullet and get out on the water. Hoping to do lessons at the Nat and at Wild West Water Sports in P.A. I am not fooling myself just because I can ride unhooked and boost airs on land with depower foils does not mean I am good to go in the water just like that! Plus I think that just because you had a lesson in one environment does not mean your good to go and launch in the other.

Jaycraz. I am sure if you take lessons at the Nat with schools there
you would be up and riding in the first day .
The best part about Strong is teaching students , Tricks and tips
that will make there learning curb easy. and with no difficulty.
as well as beach etiquette. Meeting new friends in the sport.
as well as a great time.

Great points, AC!
Jay, we'll also look forward to seeing you here, when the thermals start blowing in our hometown of Puerto Albernio this spring.
Our windsport resident community is growing in the valley, as more people realize the beauty, adventure potential and super low real estate values of the mid-island area, to top off the fact that there's wind on our doorstep!!! Yippeee!
I drive by your construction ad in town here and am happy you are also a fellow wind addict.

In the interests of linguistic/historical precision, SB, no 'o' needed to make Puerto Alberni Spanish.
Good old Wikepedia:

Port Alberni was named for Captain Pere d'Alberní, a Spanish officer, who commanded Fort San Miguel at Nootka Sound on Vancouver Island's west coast from 1790 to 1792.

jayracz you have the right attitude, I gave a ride to one newbie kiter to the Nat who'd flown various land kites for a year or two, did lots of wakeboarding, etc, he was absolutely certain he would be riding his first weekend without needing a lesson. I think he scared/exhausted himself so badly he never came back!

Thx MF4 for the wikipedia correction.

It was a term that a bunch of us coined as we had the pontoon painting party on the warm Alberni canal last summer, since it felt more tropical than our typical windy Vancouver Island destinations. The hottest Valley on Vancouver Island brings some skookum thermal winds!

Many of our local wind community have now adopted it as Puerto Albernio (2 o's). May add our new version to the WindSport dictionary on BWD, so others know what it means and our new way of spelling it.

As I mentioned in today's local newspaper front page,
<a href="/http://www2.canada.com/albernivalleytimes/index.html" target="_blank">Times Alberni Valley, Searching for New Faces</a>
Pt Alberni is an amazing community with an image problem due to it's history. Looking ahead to a future with great potential here!

Great tips, MF4 offered to Jay about the kiting learning curve. Agreed!

Really excited about the goings on in P.A.
Noticed the WWW float was taken in, probably to keep it safe during the winter, but when is Wild West Watersports planning on going operational in Spring 2011?

Updates will be coming on Wild West Watersports. Thanks for your interest. Looking forward to spring on the windy Alberni canal!

i like your term "learning curb"
kinda where i sit a lot of days..

i was in the same boat last summer. through personal experience, i would recommend Elevation Kiteboarding on Nitinaht lake for lessons. Mark, Marie and the whole elevation team were SO helpful, in every aspect of learning, which is in stark contrast to strong kiteboarding, who didnt even return my emails....

Ouch.....