Utah Windriders Association

Sign Sign everywhere a sign
Blocking out the scenery breaking my mind
Do this, don't do that, can't you read the sign....
"1970, Five Man Electrical Band"

Knowledge is king.
Something along this line,
may be needed at our most popular kite sites,
sometime in the future,
for bystanders to understand our sport.
Kiters info on the left, bystanders info on the right.

Lincoln
Willard
DCBWB
Lindon

yes yes and yes. How can i help?

I can make some signs
Lets just get the verbage right

Please brothers....slow the roll. The more we try to sanitize and safteitize, kiting the more we sell out our freedom to kite and play where we want. If we set a bunch of rules ..... we open ourselves up to being ruled by the man.
Do not kid yourself. Kiteboarding is way fffing dangerous. Peter I am saying it. You have been dangerous... and we did not reel you in. Because we like you... and you do not get it sometimes. Kiting is also the most freedom flowing sport in the world. And I want Peter to have the freedom to huck it where he wants to huck it.
Things are good now. DCBB is solid. We will not lose that spot. ULLB is solid. the Sheriffs down there love us and think the fisherman are wacked. If we as a organization set a bunch of posted rules, it brings a lot of eyes on us. So no more herbs on the beach....no more cold beers on the beach....F that.
The way we need to play this is, police our own. If someone shows up and it is nuking.... and all he has is a 13M.... tell him or her nicely....you can not ride here. If a kiter looks like they need some lessons .... tell them cooly .... you need to take some lessons before you come try to kite here.
Do not try to dumb down this rad sport. It is dangerous. It is all about freedom....no rules and flow.
I am so committed to this sport I started a company to provide gear to let people experience the freedom. We do not need signs with rules. We need kiters, in a friendly way say learn to kite. Or you can't kite here.
Don Losee 3BKiteboarding.com

Hey just trying to help
Communication is the key = Nothing has been done
This is the dialog hopefully we will make it better for all.
I can understand a leave it alone policy and appreciate freedom and believe me
I hate regulations and rules just as much as anyone.
What is wrong with having people understand
1. When Beach is full drift lanch
2. Pay attention to High Kite Low Kite when making passes
These are two things that I feel are important
I will admit I was a hazard when I first started.
Jason was right I probally spend more time in the water than I have kiting all I have to say is I like crashing!
I understand reservations with signage.
Lets keep the dialog going and not engage in any acts of the lessor of people of belittement or intimdation to anyone.

Question: Why do they have signs on the highway? So people do not run into eachother

It's not the kiters safety we need to be concerned about.
It will be the bystander's injury.
I like the information on the right side of the above sign.

I aslo don't think this is something to rush into.
It's going to be a long process.

This sport is only going to grow,
look how many new faces,
in just the last few years.

Getting permission from state to post sign,
opens their eyes to the potential hazards,
It's a double edge sword.

We just need to have a future plan,
It's just a matter of time.
Something will be forced on us,
The "freedom no rules" attitude, could bite us in the ass,
We just need to be prepared,
"care free" may cost us all our launches.

We don't need to slow down, or rush forward.
We just need to keep the dialogue open.

An idea..

Many Utah kiters travel for kiting,
May I suggest that while traveling,
take a photo of any launch signage around the world.
If we do need to pursue this,
we can copy the good verbage others have used.

Hawaii,
Gorge
Bay area launches
all come to mind that have words to use.

Also, wouldn't a small information sign,
be a great place to attach a flyer for local kite retailers/instructors
and utahwindriders.org, info ?

Anybody recognize this one? Like Marty said, the signs are good for the safety of by-standers, and other user groups (snowmobiles, boaters etc). As with Skyline, maybe we dont need rules so much as information and suggestions.? What do you think? Avalanche beacon is a good idea - but not mandatory. Life preserver is a good idea... etc. We've already got one kiting info sign in Utah, surely more will follow.

Tom,
We have two signs in Utah, the other one is the 'NO KITING' sign on the East side of Hwy 40 in Park City. If something happens, there will more of these signs going up. Given a choice, I prefer the signs you and Marty are suggesting. Utah Lake, DC, Willard are not Solid, Given, Forever launches, they are open until a problem occurs. Closures are happening all the time. Information and Communication will keep them open. Free spirits who go the way of the wind are fine, but people who more tethered, usually will make things better for all of us.
Jonmzee

Bring on the info. I have seen signs at the Gorge, and In San Diego where there are bystanders and beach traffic where the state has been kind enough to set aside a Launch and landing zone.

I like the idea of providing people a chance to get informed if there are no local kiters on the beach to provide info to people new to the location. Plus I have watch several members of our comunity to stoked to kite to take the time to chat with new kiters at a spot, myself included. I love sharing the stoke but chating with a non kiter about the basics when its blowing 20+ and I am rigged is not what I want to be doing......I would love to just point to the "good Info on the sign"

Don I would see a sign about kiting as a chance for me to put info under the sign about my kite school if I was still teaching. mmmmmm money maker......

I walked up to the sign at Silver strand in SD and got all the info I needed to go kiting without luanching or landing in the wrong place, some back ground on the wind direction and rip current as well as some nice info for non kiters about the sport including some tips to stay away from kites launching and landing etc.. all great info that keeps the spot safe and the launch open there are also some liability issues that a sign can help with If there is a sign telling you the spot info you have no reason to guess and make mistakes, same at the Event site all types of signs with all kinds of good info you could walk up as the first guy out rig and go kite with out cuaseing any issues!

I welcome any ideas about what info the UWA members think would be important if we do decide to look more into VISUAL AIDS at our current kite spots.

Please let the ideas flow and share your opinions, This is a important topic that needs to be discussed openly with out any judgement or flaming on this forum, share what you think about Visual Aids and what you think should be on them weather you agree with them being used or not.

Thanks
BB

Brothers,

You all have well written, thoughtful responses to this issue. My fear is that we are starting down the path that Utah hang glider pilots and paraglider pilots have gone down, and have now over regulated the point of the mountain. To many rules and to many flyers acting like "cops" take a lot of the Fun out of flying there.

Our Power is in how nice all us Utah kiters are. If we are Cool to people, who are kiting unsafely, they will respond. I do not want to let the Government to get a clue that what we are doing is so dangerous to bystanders.

Can you Freaking imagine the revolt that would happen if more government regulation was forced on Utah back-country skiers and riders? We go Kiting at the Lake or in the snowy mountains to get away from rules, regulations and government control.

Don, Kite Hippy

Point, counter point.
very healthy discussion. IMHO

Can you imagine this type of debate on kiteforum.com

"your an a hole, you don't know what the f your talking about"
response..
"we're all gonna die, if you don't do what I say, so screw you"... ha

Don,

I think your looking at Visual Aids all wroung, a sign does not have to contain rules, just information. No one wants to be a "Cop" but our sport is growing, and progression at our kite spots need to happen just like gear progressing improves the quaility off the sport so should site progression....

Foil-kite.....C-kite....Sle-kite.....Delta kite.....

Directional board....pickle fork.......Twin tip....well maybe directional again ???

Place to pump up n launch.......Kite spot......kite beach........ protected kite location with established launch and land sites....Kite destination????

Just bro bra beach would be cool if every one was bro bra but we have lots of people coming into the sport, we need to progess to countinue growth and saftey, we are not going out for a sunday drive, saftey is this issue and its not just the saftey of kiters but bystanders also, you see the numbers of people that wander onto BWB and walk around and watch not one of them have a clue we could kill them with our kites, we need to protect them also, and we need to address it ourselves and have some ideas. We need to be prepared to progress as a group, as a group I see the need for ideas, but there has to be progress and doing nothing proactive stunts progress.

Bull shit Billy
We are out there breaking the law everyday and you know what I mean. Don't try to roll so Politically Correct. We jump boats, we trespass, we jump over roads and jetties, we jib off snow covered picnic table roofs, ect. ect.... we do a ton of stuff everyday that can bring heat on us. As soon as an official sign goes up, we open up UWA and KWA to being scrutinized by the Man and answering to the Man.

No bystander has been hurt that I know of. We can keep the beaches safe as well as the snowkite spots, without new rules and new signs. It will take vigilance on the part of trained kiters....but we can do it!

If we go to the government of Utah to regulate us....the beautiful freedom of our sport will be quashed.
Kite Hippy

I think it would be wise to be careful what we are putting on this forum "The man might be watching"