Utah Windriders Association

Hi,
A newbie here.

I have just gotten into Surf Foiling and SUP Foiling on several trips to the ocean. I would like to try down wind SUP and surf foiling and was wondering what spots generate the best open water swells(2+ feet) on windy days and what wind directions do I need to be looking for.

I have tried looking on the forum and can't find anything.

Any assistance provided would be appreciated.

Hi Mat,

I know almost nothing about downwind SUP and surf foiling only having watched it on light wind days at the Hatchery, (or on YouTube), but.....

Your best bet for big clean swells in Utah, are on the GSL. I've seen a few 6 footers there. It takes a pretty solid 20MPH North wind
for a good 4 hours to develop that kind of swell and the water is pretty foul. The beach at most of the accessible launches is very
shallow, and you might be walking through 100s of yards of muck to get deep enough to foil.

Utah Lake is probably a better option for swells you can use (and launch to). Some muck trekking would probably be in order
for a launch, but not like the GSL. A similar weather pattern of either North or South wind should get you wind swell in the 4 foot
range if it has a chance to build for 4 or 5 hours with 25MPH winds. For that you'd want to be on the South end or the lake on a North wind
or the North end of the lake on a South wind (probably obvious).

Frankly, it's rare for the wind to blow hard enough, long enough, in Utah to develop clean swells anywhere. it's mostly
just small chop on all the lakes.

You might want to PM
John Dubock over on the Facebook page Utah Windsurfers
https://www.facebook.com/john.dubock?fr ... tion=group
Or he might respond to PM here as well. That guy is an SUP monster.

Watch for big slow moving storms with a really low pressure center .
My bet would be you'll be spending some drive time headed for Hood River.

Good luck and welcome to Utah.

-Craig

matthewblyon wrote:Hi,
A newbie here.

I have just gotten into Surf Foiling and SUP Foiling on several trips to the ocean. I would like to try down wind SUP and surf foiling and was wondering what spots generate the best open water swells(2+ feet) on windy days and what wind directions do I need to be looking for.

I have tried looking on the forum and can't find anything.

Any assistance provided would be appreciated.

In the last few years Utah lake has been too shallow to really develop a nice rolling chop. It might fill up enough this year to develop those conditions again, unfortunately in recent times, now you have to consider the risk of toxins from products of algae blooms in the mix. See Utah DEQ for updates. If it is cranking windy from the North, the chop off of Provo State Park will be about as big as it gets. Water depth seems to limit the size of the chop, so it's not necessarily larger at the south end of the lake than in the middle. By the time there is glide-able chop, the wind will be so strong you might be sailing your back more than gliding chop. It would be an interesting experiment.

Utah lake is at -2.8 feet from compromise level. http://utahlakecommission.org/water-levels/ It will raise pretty steady through spring. When the lake level is at about 2 feet over compromise or better you could try a run from Lindon Marina down to Utah Lake State Park if the North wind is cranking. Otherwise, you might be stuck in hard to escape shallows. You could come in downwind of the rock jetty at Utah lake state park. The east side of the lake is deeper right off the shore, but harder to access these days due to development and tall weeds.

I don't think you'd enjoy the GSL. I think its way too shallow these days. In the 80s I remember seeing head high chop breaking on the south side on trips to Rush lake, but that was when the lake was right up to I-80. Overall, I think you'd have more fun learning to windsurf or kite a foil board or just travelling.

Bear lake seems like its flat and not windy, then it can be really on with a strong front from the north, then its over. But my experience there is limited. Well usually just experienced calmness and marginal or less winds there.

Thanks for the responses. It seems like Utah Lake is likely the best bet.

You just need one of these. I will have them available soon at Uinta Kiting.

or plan a Gorge trip, SUP foil until you drop! Take up kite or windsurf foiling in Utah.