For anyone who has wondered about the wet and windy world of kiteboarding, you’ll have the chance to wade into the sport this weekend.
There will be a kiteboarding show as part of the Squamish Wind Festival. It happens on Sunday afternoon starting at 12:30 p.m. at Newport (formerly Nexen) Beach.
“We’re just basically going to show up and do like a fly-by,” organizer Steve Tulk said.
He says the plan is to show the many different types of kiteboarding.
“We’ll probably send out a couple of guys on twin-tip boards to do some tricks and some airs, and then we’ll probably send a couple of hydrofoil guys out, a couple of guys on surfboards and sort of show all the different aspects of it,” Tulk said.
The twin tip kiteboard, he adds, is the typical board one sees on the beach and is bi-directional, meaning it can be ridden in both directions.
“There’s like a freestyle air type of … riding, and then there’s like a wake style, which is more like wakeboarding,” Tulk said.
Here, he says kiteboarders are using the power of kite but popping off the water rather than have the kite lift the rider off the water.
Another option is to take on the winds while on a surfboard.
“Some people ride them in the chop and in the small waves we get here in Squamish,” Tulk said.
Raceboards used to be the big thing, Tulk says. They are like short windsurfers with really long fins and go really quickly. These have been taken over by hydrofoils, where the board comes out of the water, but the foil stays in the water.
“It’s incredible to watch, they don’t get any of the chop of the water,” Tulk said. “They’re just floating above the water.”
As well, some people will ride skimboards to do skateboard-style kick flips. Typically, they ride these over shallow water on a beach.
Pro kiteboarder and six-time Canadian National Champion, Sam Medysky, will also be on hand to show off his tricks.
There will be other sport demos as part of the Wind Festival.
On Saturday, from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., youth members of the Squamish Yacht Club’s sailing program will host a sailing demo. They will also be stationed on the water, just off of Lot 1. There will be hosting talks with viewers on land about racing and sailing itself.
On Sunday, the Squamish Nation will be putting on a paddling demo. The will be at Lot 1, across from O’Siyam Pavilion Park from 9:30 a.m. until noon.
Aerial Kiteboarding will have instructors at Newport Beach between noon and 2 p.m. to let people try out trainer kites.
The demos give people a chance to get a look into kiteboarding first-hand. It also serves as a bit of a preview for next month’s Kite Clash in Squamish.
Last year’s contest attracted 72 competitors, and Tulk is expecting to have at least as many taking part this year. The event happens over the Aug. 26 to 27 weekend.
Kiteboarders compete in men’s, women’s, juniors’ and masters’ categories. They come from other countries like the U.K. and the U.S., as well as from across Canada. Squamish has developed a real kiteboarding community and has even attracted top competitors. Tulk estimates as many as 600 here take part in the sport.
For info see squamishwindfestival.com.
