Kiteboarding: How to make the best of windy days

Saskatchewan has been buffeted by strong winds for the past few weeks, but some people don’t see that as a bad thing.

Kiteboarding is a sport where you hook yourself up to a board attached to a large kite, then glide around on water, snow or even just grass. You can also jump up and let the wind carry you.

Aaron Hackel, the owner of Explore Sports in Regina, is a kiteboarding instructor and enthusiast. There isn’t much he enjoys more than taking to the sky in high winds.

“The more (wind), the better,” he said.

“Kiteboarding is a lifestyle. We follow the wind by the hour. I swear, all of us kiteboarders could be meteorologists and predict the weather better than them. We’re following the weather patterns, the different highs and lows, the systems that are coming through that will line up to be the ultimate day.”

One major advantage of kiteboarding is its flexibility and adaptability. Hackel said all you need is a one-time investment in your gear and lessons, and you’re set to do it at just about any time or place.

“It’s the same gear that we use both in the summer and winter … There is no downtime for kiteboarding. The only downtime we have is when there is no wind, but as you know from living here, we live in a windy province,” he said.

While it might seem like a bit of an intimidating prospect, Hackel assures kiteboarding is an activity anyone can get into. Even his two sons, ages eight and 11, love kiteboarding.

“It’s as extreme as you want to make it,” Hackel said. “At a professional level, guys can jump over 100 feet, taking off right from the water.

“Most guys here are jumping anywhere between 30 and 50 feet and doing some mega-loops up there, so they’re really flying. But it doesn’t really need to be that way: You can just go out on a surfboard and never leave the water at all. You can just be cruising along and enjoying the ride.”

It seems he couldn’t have found a better spot in the world to enjoy his hobby.