Kiteboarding is flying high with a planned Squamish site expansion combined with growing business opportunities and increased user numbers.
On any given sunny day the windsurfing Spit in Howe Sound is full of flapping 12-metre kites and wetsuit-clad individuals, scrambling over rocks and asking each other, "can you give me a launch?"
In between them, windsurfers are scattered, as well as an array of tourists and sightseers watching people in the freezing water on 145 centimetre boards that sail into the air attached by 25-metre strings to giant kites.
According Jean Michel Tremblay, director of finances and operations of the Squamish Windsports Society, these crowded "classic Squamish days" are the reasons behind the Society's request, which was granted, for funds from the District of Squamish to expand their area.
"Whenever it is sunny here the wind is blowing," he said. "Last year we received our first grant from the district for $50,000 to create the turnaround for safety reasons, and this year we have received another $120,000 grant for site expansion. We are going to be doubling [the size of] our rigging and set-up area as well as improving access. Instead of big sharp rocks we would like something not as hard on your feet."
Apart from the grants, the society also imposes a user fee for people who use the Spit of $15 for the day and $145 for the year, which pays for the site lease, insurance, maintenance and the costs of the Jet Ski used for retrieving people from the water.
Michelle Rudell, who was introduced to the sport a year ago, is one of two staff members employed by the Society to collect the fee and said the need for expansion was great.
"There is not enough room here," she said. "More people are getting into the sport and there is not enough room to accommodate everyone."
Tremblay, who originally moved to the area from Montreal in order to snowboard said certain aspects of kiteboarding can explain its growing popularity.
"It is new and trendy and a lot of people are trying it," he said. "It is easier to travel because the sail folds up into a back pack and the board is a lot smaller."
Tremblay said after trying the sport six years ago he never looked back because of the buzz he felt while kitesurfing.
"It is all about kiting," he said. "Overall, I like the freedom of the sport. It is like snowboarding and the sail is just another fun thing about it. When I moved to Squamish I knew it was windy every day and it became a passion."
Local businesses in Squamish are also taking advantage of the growing number of kiteboarders.The Skypilot Kite School is the first and only kiteboarding school operated out of Squamish and is owned and operated by certified instructors Alex Noke-Smith and Don Armstrong. The group began teaching lessons last summer and realized there was a demand for their service.
"We got the idea at the end of last summer and this year we went full bore," said Armstrong, a Squamish resident. "So far we have been very busy."
Armstrong said their lessons are supervised by using jet skis and added that they inform participants of safety aspects, launching, re-launching, self-rescues, as well as giving them a "feel for the wind."
A kiteboarder for the past six years, he said the sport is relatively easy to learn and would suit a variety of people."I like being in the water and being able to jump 30 to 40 feet in the air," he said."It is quite easy to learn. Anyone that likes to wakeboard, snowboard, ski and likes the rush of lots of power in the kite would like it."
Mathieu Pilon owns and operates the sole retail outlet for kiteboarding equipment in Squamish, Howe Sound Juice Co. and Kites, located on Second Avenue.Open for eight weeks, he said he also saw a need for his business in Squamish.
"I thought there needed to be a juice bar and there also needed to be a kite store so I opened both," he said.
Pilon thought the expansion of the windsurfing spit would help the sport in Squamish.
"It is for a good reason," he said. "More people are there and it will allow more people to launch, especially at high tide."
Despite the increase in popularity in the sport, Tremblay said the Squamish Wind Sports Society is in need of new members.
"We need to get organized we need more members," he said. "We have about 175 members, 70 of which are from Squamish. This is an increase of 15 per cent from last year but we would like more."
For more information about the Squamish Windsports Society visit www.squamishwindsurfing.org. For lessons visit www.skypilotkiteboarding.com.
