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Kitesurfing Las Vegas!

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unlvkiting73
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Local Beach: Lake Mead Las Vegas Crawdad Cove!
Lake Mohave!
Favorite Beaches: Hunnington Beach in So. Cali or Boca in Northern Cali great kitting for begginer and smooth water riding at 6am for jet skiing!
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Kitesurfing Las Vegas!

Postby unlvkiting73 » Mon Jul 04, 2011 5:03 pm

Hey I'm still pretty new to kitesurfing, just took my first lesson last week while up in Reno.
But I live down in vegas full time. I know there is one beach on Lake Mead and one on Lake Mohave. Looking for a group of riders out. If not guess I'll be trecking down to hunnington a bunch to learn.

Thanks,

Mark. 8)

RichardM
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Re: Kitesurfing Las Vegas!

Postby RichardM » Mon Jul 04, 2011 9:04 pm

unlvkiting73 wrote:Hey I'm still pretty new to kitesurfing, just took my first lesson last week while up in Reno.
But I live down in vegas full time. I know there is one beach on Lake Mead and one on Lake Mohave. Looking for a group of riders out. If not guess I'll be trecking down to hunnington a bunch to learn.

Thanks,

Mark. 8)
Our advice is geared toward conditions found in southern California and especially the Los Angeles and Ventura counties area, however when discussing this subject with beginner students during their kiteboarding lessons, atMalibu Kitesurfing, we usually tell them:

There are 2 places at Mohave where people kite. Both are advanced spots with especially sketchy launches and frequently deadly wind.

I only kited lake Mead once. It was unpleasantly gusty, the "beach " is gravel/rock and when I came in, I saw 2 dust devils about 15' and 20'+ wide go right across where I had set up my kite. I imagine that if that had happened while my kite was there, it would have turned into the weed-eater from hell.

I suggest you learn elsewhere.

However, lake Mead is a big place and perhaps with a boat you could find better spots. Both lakes are probably safer if you can master launching from a boat, but this technique is also not something a novice should attempt.

Richard M.
Malibu Kitesurfing - since 2002
(310) - 430 - KITE (5483)
http://www.MalibuKitesurfing.NET
kfRichard@MalibuKitesurfing.NET
Last edited by RichardM on Tue Jul 05, 2011 9:57 pm, edited 1 time in total.

waynepjh
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Re: Kitesurfing Las Vegas!

Postby waynepjh » Mon Jul 04, 2011 9:44 pm

6 mile cove down at mohave is a sweet place to kite! I have seen accidents there but they have been pilot error. There is a small hill that shadows the upwind part of the launch so launch your kite on the downwind section of the beach. It can get pretty crowded on the weekend with tons of littering campers from vegas. They will park all over the beach so its good to park in a way to block off a launching area. Weekdays are mellow. Best wind is south se and can be very good. You will get lots of days kiting there! Go there and you will meet the awesome group of kiters that shred the lake!
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RichardM
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Re: Kitesurfing Las Vegas!

Postby RichardM » Mon Jul 04, 2011 10:14 pm

waynepjh wrote:6 mile cove down at mohave is a sweet place to kite! I have seen accidents there but they have been pilot error. There is a small hill that shadows the upwind part of the launch so launch your kite on the downwind section of the beach. It can get pretty crowded on the weekend with tons of littering campers from vegas. They will park all over the beach so its good to park in a way to block off a launching area. Weekdays are mellow. Best wind is south se and can be very good. You will get lots of days kiting there! Go there and you will meet the awesome group of kiters that shred the lake!
Perhaps you could post some photos of the launch area and the typical obstacles downwind. If you have any photos of kiters after their "pilot error"s, this might also be helpful to a novice considering to kite there.

You also neglected to mention what happens if you can't stay upwind.

Also, what do the rangers think of your attempt to prevent other members of the public from utilizing the small beach ?

Richard M.
Malibu Kitesurfing - since 2002
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http://www.MalibuKitesurfing.NET
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waynepjh
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Re: Kitesurfing Las Vegas!

Postby waynepjh » Tue Jul 05, 2011 3:30 am

The rangers actually help us keep the launch clear! The kiters are the ones who clean up the beach after the weekend! There is a very good relationship with the rangers. Your kiting skills must be up to par because you have to return to the beach you took off from. Its good to take some sandals attached to your harness in case you end up downwind cause the walk of shame can hurt barefoot in the desert! Enjoy mojave! Kite the shit out of that place! Ask some locals for advice! Some more lessons would be good to. There are some old posts about this place just do a search. good luck! wayne

RichardM
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Re: Kitesurfing Las Vegas!

Postby RichardM » Wed Jul 06, 2011 12:23 am

Here are 2 recent post from the thread titled “Lake Mohave” at iKitesurf.com
http://www.ikitesurf.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=17549

PostPosted: 21 Jun 2011 22:13 Post subject: Reply with quote
66,
here's a bit of info, if you can "Wade" thru it.
Search Source Entertainment circa '05
A screenplay is being tossed around now.
"Every Launch has a Jack" is the working title.
***************************************************************

I prefered to keep it on the low down unless its a close friend & expert kiter due to the fact its a sketchy and crowded launch and chose to never mentioned the place online.

Curious? Call the head ranger Lena at the Cove ranger station and ask her for the *TRUTH about how they feel about kiters, etc..

I have talked with her and several of the other rangers and their main issues are:

1. They are worried about a kid or innocent beach user getting taken out buy an out of control kiter at the Cove.

2. They want the kiters to police themselves and be safe launching, landing and near swimmers, etc.

3. Comply with the flat wake buoys adjacent to the beach.

Another issue they have is with us is "reserving" a large area during crowded times.

The unfortunate fact is that (between 7 - 10) kiters have been critically injured (several nearly killed) and airlifted from the lake and if the numbers keep up there is obvious reason for concern.

Any given summer weekend there is hundreds of beach goers, all their kids, cars, tents, awnings, motorhomes, jet skis, boats and heaps of crap that many leave behind and were not just talking about the crap all over the nasty fly infested bathrooms.

Do your fellow kiter a favor and back him up on launches and double check your and their lines, bridles and safety gear before launching and also when launching someone as sometimes on the bow kites it hard to see from a line length.

I have known D for years and was down there the day that *Jack threatened him and when J asked Jack what the problem was (after D calmly walked away not reacting to Jacks crazy threats) the only thing Jack could come up with to tell J is that "I had to listen to his music until 9pm last night"..... What a frickin joke to get that pissed off at a mellow guy because of his music! Pretty obvious that Jack has plain lost it and deserves to be relocated.

Have you ever camped at the lake in the summer and had multiple cultural music camps all on different channels blast noise all night long and temps barely go below 100 as your bit by mosquitos? Gunshots and fights are also not uncommon and i look forward to when they put up a fee station and ban vehicles from the beach.

And isnt it still daylight down there at 9 in the summer and if he was listening to loud music (which i doubt, cuz he's totally chill, into yoga and dosent drink or party and usually on the water for more hours than all of us).

I have known D for years and he is one of the nicest guys you will ever meet and he would do anything he could to help anybody and also know he hooked up a majority of the people on the beach with new kites for wholesale cost.

Myself and a other people have also had trouble with Jack and I did the same thing he did and filed a report against Jack earlier this year. I think it was a smart and easy thing for D to report him also since the rangers were there when he was threatened and nobody deserves to be treated as i observed.

I felt better after reporting him but it didnt seem to make a difference because he was still there untill recently and its GREAT now that he and his bad attitude is gone.

*Jack is an 300 lb plus alcoholic that recently started camping year round under the main trees the kiters hang around at the lake and thought he owned the place till the rangers recently made him move to the Cove due to numerous complaints. The guy hates dogs and anyone that dosent bring him "gifts" and definately needs an attitude adjustment.

The guy this year even opened numerous boxes of mothballs (he thought it would keep the rattlesnakes away) and totally fumigated out the entire area with the only available shade for over a month. Frickin' sucked!

All in all... the lake is an EXPERT ONLY location and even then several "experts" have also been airlifted out and NOT recomended for beginners. Lake Mead is even worse and Southern California is much more wide open and safe, sandy as opposed to rocks and steady predictable winds unlike that at the lake which can change in a moments notice and the price you pay may be yours or even worse some innocent beach goers life. Baja is also another awesome place to learn and in fact probably one of the best as is Baja's La Ventana during the winter months.

Lets hope the kiters love this place enough to choose to keep it safe for our future fun and leave the bad attitudes and rumors in the lake bathrooms.

Peace out...

PostPosted: 01 Jul 2011 16:24 Post subject: Reply with quote
Mr. TomMcGill.

You forgot to mention about how the Large thermals turn into water-spouts when the 35 - 40mph winds switch from the West. Good luck trying to save your gear.

Last edited by fireswitch on 01 Jul 2011 20:39; edited 1 time in total

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Re: Kitesurfing Las Vegas!

Postby spleeft » Wed Jul 06, 2011 12:10 pm

waynepjh wrote:The rangers actually help us keep the launch clear! The kiters are the ones who clean up the beach after the weekend! There is a very good relationship with the rangers. Your kiting skills must be up to par because you have to return to the beach you took off from. Its good to take some sandals attached to your harness in case you end up downwind cause the walk of shame can hurt barefoot in the desert! Enjoy mojave! Kite the shit out of that place! Ask some locals for advice! Some more lessons would be good to. There are some old posts about this place just do a search. good luck! wayne
You kite looping muther lover ..........! :snow:

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Re: Kitesurfing Las Vegas!

Postby powerpersonified » Wed Jul 06, 2011 3:55 pm

The only thing true said so far is that the place is sketchy as hell even for experts. Definitely not a beginner spot. Not one person that's commented so far is a local. There has been an influx of visitors lately that bring there friends who can't kite and crash there kites on kids and family's at the waters edge. At the rate it's going it wont be a kite spo t for long. If you kite there don't jump in cove. Don't kite the southwest. If its crowded walk over the hill to the south and launch off that beach. The place is a ticking time bomb for more problems because of carelessness

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Re: Kitesurfing Las Vegas!

Postby waynepjh » Thu Jul 07, 2011 5:42 am

Experts only? Wow! sounds like you guys are trying to keep this place to yourself!!! The critically injured kiters at the beach were all doing the same thing wrong. Standing behind a hill that triggers thermals with there kite at 12 oclock on the beach. Except for the dude that rigged his kite wrong and smacked into the winebago. I talked with one of the rangers a month ago and relations seem great, But I am not a local. I do have over 50 days there! As with ALL kite spots follow the rules and show common sense. Tread lightly! Mohave is fun!

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Re: Kitesurfing Las Vegas!

Postby katumba1 » Thu Feb 20, 2014 1:09 am

powerpersonified wrote:The only thing true said so far is that the place is sketchy as hell even for experts. Definitely not a beginner spot. Not one person that's commented so far is a local. There has been an influx of visitors lately that bring there friends who can't kite and crash there kites on kids and family's at the waters edge. At the rate it's going it wont be a kite spo t for long. If you kite there don't jump in cove. Don't kite the southwest. If its crowded walk over the hill to the south and launch off that beach. The place is a ticking time bomb for more problems because of carelessness
Bringing this back up as it hasn't been touched on in a while.

I'm local and spent many many days @ Mohave last summer/fall, and was just there for a great session three days ago Feb 16. I was basically a NOOB the first day I showed up there in beginning of Aug last year. I had taken a few lessons, but most of those were at locations w/ no wind.

A few of the other locals there showed me some tips/tricks and were very welcoming and helpful -- no attitudes. I quickly learned how to solidly go upwind (which is important for that spot), and started jumping at the end of fall.

My background is wind (sailing), so possibly I picked up the sport quicker than others. I'm definitely safety conscious, and have no ego nor anything to prove except not getting hurt.

Of the places I've been (SF Bay, Maui, Mex) i've got to say that Mohave is a very great place to kite. It is remote, and you have to be smart about your surroundings. Would gladly take anyone down there if you're coming through Vegas.

Cheers!


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