Alberta Kiteboarding Association

02/10/2021

Here’s a awesome challenge worth checking out!

https://www.facebook.com/ABSnowKite

We are excited to announce the first Alberta Snow Kite Challenge starting February 26 running throug

06/03/2020

This last weekend was a busy one at Parkland Beach on Gull Lake. This area continues to attract more and more kiters due to its smooth wind and ease of access. The swimmers area is not marked yet and as a result there were a lot of kiters coming right up to the beach. There were instances of some beginners crashing their kites close to the shore. The problem is that there were also a lot of families playing in the water. Having talked to a bunch of you, I know I wasn’t the only one concerned with this.

There have been formal complaints to the community this week and there is a real risk of kite access being shut down for us unless we change how things work between beach users and kiters. I have talked with one of the people filing a complaint and their concerns are valid. After discussion with other local kiters, I’m putting out some suggested guidelines we can use to self police and inform the kite community about this particular launch area.

These changes will include having a designated kite launch and land area, an entry and exist point to the lake, and a minimum safe distance from the swimmers or the swim area.

Included is a photo with the layout of the recommended areas.

Kite Launch and Land Area:
This area will stay mostly the same. Keep kites west or north of the sand/beach area on the grass. It’s highly recommended that beginner kiters stay down wind, so that in the event of an incident, kites will crash in the open grassy field with less chance of harming any people. Once a kite has been landed, wrap up your lines and secure your kite. If you are changing kite sizes and it’s a busy day, please pack up the kite you’re not using to save space for others.

Water Access:
From now on everyone should be entering and exiting the water down wind of the beach and swim area. Follow the grass line to the water and walk out and around the swim area (if the swim area markers are out).
People leaving the beach have right of way over people coming into the beach. Doing this will reduce risk to beach users in the event of a kite going down.

Safe kiting distances:
Everyone is expected not to kite in the swim area. This includes having your kite go over top of the swim area at anytime. If the swim area is not marked, or people are swimming past the markers, allow at least 2 kite lengths to the nearest swimmer. Beach users always have the right of way!

01/29/2018

Hey Alberta! Lots of folks have been asking when the next event and races are going to take place. So thought I’d give you guys a little update of what’s going on.

Most of you know me, Josh Barker, who has been directing this association for some time now. We’ve had some awesome events and great times on the snow and water. Last winter I was training pretty hard for some big races and was unlucky enough to cause a relapse of Lyme disease that I had in remission and fought to get there for a number of years. So, I’ve got quite a bit on my plate with my health and feel bad I haven’t been able to do more for all of you.

Looking forward, my health will improve and the events will be more frequent. But until that time please bare with me and I’ll do what I can do. If any one is interested in helping run something or has a fun little grass roots idea I’ll do my best to be there or support it how ever possible. The sprit of kiteboarding here is not under an association or any other group. It’s the people that make it so awesome and the AKA has always tried to add fuel to that fire. All the best to all of you and we’ll see you out there!
Please message me with any questions and concerns and I’ll get back to you as quickly as possible.

Sincerely Josh Barker

03/23/2017

Nice edit from Mike of last years Provincial snow kite race!

Great time at Gull Lake on a light wind day! Kiteboarding Canada

01/30/2017

Due to the poor snow conditions the Cooking Lake Endurance has been postponed until conditions improve. Sorry for any inconveniences this my cause. Once we get some decent coverage again we'll post a new event date with as much notice as possible.

We may still try a beer league course race before then if we can find a favourable safe spot with a good wind direction.

Play safe out there Alberta

01/22/2017

Tough snow and difficult wind made for some gritty racing today. Big thanks to everyone who came out and made it happen. Wasn't the easiest day of kiting for any of us, but we still managed to get off 3 races before the sun set. Sorry not many photos today. So if you have some, please post them!

01/08/2017

It was bitter cold out there today! But that wasn't enough to hold back the energy of all the riders that braved it. Snow and wind conditions were good, leaving things wide open for some excellent battles on the course.
Big thanks to all the riders and volunteers that came out and made another race a great success. Thanks to Byron at Alberta Bluetooth Torques for hooking us up with some prizes.
Here's a few pictures from the day and results. But please post more pictures if you have some.
Already looking forward to the next one!!

11/21/2016

Winter is coming!

Snow kite racing will be back in Alberta again this winter! Still working on some events and some dates this winter. But this is what we know so far.

Last year the AKA beer league series was a huge success! So the plan is to keep the good times going. These races are geared towards training and learning all about how to race with a little less of a formal program. The races will be run on a regular basis during the winter. Expect them to start in the new year and go till the snow runs out. Races will cost $20 each to cover expenses. They will be announced on the page the week before they run. So keep checking back for more details on these races.

The Cooking Lake Endurance race will be back yet again and is quickly becoming the hardest endurance kite race in Canada (possibly North America)! Last years course was extremely challenging and expect things to step up even more so this year with more distance being added to the course. This is one you will want to train for should be a real fun event. More details will be released in the new year. But the tentative date will be February 4th or 5th.

There are a few others exciting things in the works that will be announced as soon as possible so stay tuned for more details. See you on the snow!

09/16/2016

Anyone headed out this weekend should come to Keho. The crew at the ranch are putting on a bit of a throw down and a after party. Come out and join in the fun!!

Here's a copy and paste of the original post about Saturday:

Expression Session Saturday!

Looks like it's going to be an epic weekend at Keho. I thought it might be a great time to host an Expression Session in the butter at the Kite Ranch. So here's the scoop:

430 free registration/riders meeting at the kite ranch launch

5 pm start.
Launch at the Ranch
Judging panel position will be on the sand bar.
We will ask all kiters to please rotate through the butter and give everyone a chance to express!
Photographers welcome.
Judging will be based on overall impression.
We will choose a random judging panel (feel free to bribe the judges)

As an added bonus, it has come to my attention that we may (heavy emphasis on the word "may")have a decent sized crew from some un-named province east of us coming to enjoy our company this weekend. Let it be known that I'm throwing down the challenge!

Competition is purely for bragging rights but on behalf of the Ranch and High As A Kite, I am going to toss in 2 WMFG 1.0T pumps (One for guys and one for girls) as prizes. Any of you other local kite companies want to toss something into the pool, let me know.

Weather permitting, fire pit will be burning Saturday night at the ranch. All are welcome! Feel free to pitch your tent because Sunday is looking good too!

07/26/2016

Hydrofoil is on the rise here in Alberta. Think we had over ten riders on them at OMD last weekend. Anyone that's looking to push themselves a little and interested in trying out a race should consider coming out the FORK hydrofoil regatta in Kingston Ontario from the 19th to the 21st of August. A few of us have already confirmed that we will be there. It would be great to see more Albertans representing! You don't need to be a expert, you just need to be willing to try. It's also a great opportunity to bring the Canadian hydrofoil community together and push.

https://www.facebook.com/events/100661940360626/?ti=icl

07/25/2016

Big thanks to everyone who came out to the Oldman Dam Jam last weekend! The weather was excellent and the wind delivered! It was awesome to share the stoke with so many kiters at the same place. Hope to see you all again soon!

07/24/2016

Awesome day at the Oldman Dam Jam! Over 50 kiters and great conditions. Let's hope tomorrow blows too!