How Long??

[windzup]

How Long have you been Windsurfing?
How long have you been kiteboarding?
How long have you been snowkiting?

Anyone kiting on water before the Laginoux bros in France were?

Who was Snowkiting in Utah... back in the day.. and where?

Random thoughts that went thru my head in the last nano second. This is not for Egos or Claiming, but realistic state history.

Windzup,
Brian Schenck

[John Guay]

I started windsurfing in 1981 on Rockport and Deer Creek on the one design Windsurfer. By that time there was already an established local crowd which probably included Jim Southwick and Dimitri Milovic. Ralph Morrison was probably out there as well. There was a shop in Charleston across from Barbwire Beach. I can't remember the owners name but he knew how to waterstart and ride a shortboard which was very cool at the time. He sponsored Sunday afternoon triangle races at Island Beach which was a lot of fun! I'll bet George Ward knows the history!

[Leo Chan]

I started windsurfing in 2001 or 2002. My friend put me on a board at a lake in Kansas and taught me how to uphaul. I think it was a longboard, with narrow design. I got it going after about 15 minutes. My hands were dead tired for the next 3 days. After I moved to the east coast in 2003, I met the legendary Roger Jackson and was put on a Starboard Start. I got it going in 30 minutes and was able to tack and go upwind. The rest is history.
My friend who put me on the windsurfer is one of the few who started kiting back in the days. I started snowkiting after I came to Utah. So far, I have to say I enjoy it more than just plain old skiing.

[Heather Schenck]

I started snowkiting in Utah in 2001 when Brian and I moved up here. We spent most of our time out at Rush Lake or the fields up in Park City, I remember meeting Jon and Jeff Manwarning, Kenny, MIke Rosberg, Eric Gustafsen and Monika Masuda. Little did we all know how the sport would grow and were it would take us, I actually moved to Mount Pleasant just to be close to Skyline. And now I never want to leave the place I call home. Today is October 27th and hopefully we will get to snowkite with in the next fews days, we are so lucky to have such a long winter season

[Don Losee]

First rider to snowboard Sundance, Utah, 1977.
Gear: Sorrell Boots with Daleboot liners, early WinterStick swallow tail, purchased from Dimitri back at his old shop in SLC. I was one of his "Street Stick" kids. Me and Arney Hoge.

First Solo assent/decent of Timpanogos South Face. 1980, 6000+ vertical.
Gear: WinterStick pintail. Sorrells with the Daleboot liners., Snowshoes.

My First Windsurfing in Utah at DCIB 1980.
Gear: HyFly 12.0, RipCurl 5mil wetsuit.

My First Kitesurfing 2000, Maui, Kitebeach, Darian Smith first instructor, David (action sports Maui) Dorn “the finisher”. Gear: Wipika 6m kite, then Naish Aero in 2001.

My First SnowKiteboarding, Dec 2008, with alot of help from “Bishop” Kenny.
Gear: Naish 15m Cult, K2 Eldo 179, with Clickers.

[JimSouthwick]

The guy who had the shop in Charleston (and later in Heber City) was Scott Williams, who with his significant other at the time, Christine Willard, introduced many of us old timers to windsurfing in 1979, the year the North American Windsurfing Championships were held at DCSBB (no finals because the wind refused to cooperate from mid-week on). George Ward was, indeed, another of Utah's first windsurfers as were Paul Bradshaw and Tim Snyder.

[Mark Johnson]

Avid skier from the time I learned at Alta till My friend got me to go hike with a snowboard. When they opened Brighton to boards I was hooked.
Have been flying kites as long as I can remember (the one line type) We would take the tire off the bike and use the rim as a spool to fly them high.
Began to hear about kiteboarding here and there late 90s or so. I think it was Doug that talked about using a windsurf sail on a snowboard and a tv commercial that showed someone kiteboarding that sparked my interest. In 2001 I went on vacation to drive down the Oregon coast with my wife. We saw a few kites along the CRG. I was sold after seeing what they could do. Stopped in every shop along the way to ask questions and get info. I grabbed a mag in one of the stores, when I was home saw a small add in the back for Talon sports. Turned out that they were just up the street. I bought a Peter Lynn S arc. So I guess it was around 2001-2002 that I started playing with a kite on water and land. I had no clue on finding the right wind and was skunked time and time again. I was slow to learn without lessons, but watching and learning from others Marty,Doug, Mitch, Kenny, John, Jake ect out at Rush and SSB I started gain some skills. I am still watching and learning here in 2009. And having a blast!

[bigwavedave]

In 1969 I stopped breathing am-bionic fluid and started breathing oxygen. I can't remember the year that Alzheimers kicked in but since that I'm pretty sure I've done some of the stuff that you've mentioned. I remember my burton backhill board and thinking, "wow . . it's nice that they've finally opened the lift to snowboards so we don't have to hike all day". and more recently . . "wow . . it's nice not to have to take a lift uphill when you can ride up on the board". I also remember that I started windsurfing after pretty much EVERYONE else and sometime during the beginning my first marriage at age 28 (you do the math . . I'm too lazy!). My first wife didn't like water or Hood River . . so after 5 years I decided to upgrade to a better model. This time I was looking for one with a more concave side-cut that liked being outdoors rather than on the sofa. It took me another 5 years to find the right one but now I've got the perfect ride! I've also got a pretty decent quiver of windsurfing and snow-kiting gear.

[Kenny]

I never learned how to windsurf. I asked Mike Rossberg to teach me, but he was more interested in this new sport called kitesurfing instead. Started in March of 2000 at Rush. Started snowkiting the winter of 2000 at Rush and Swaner Preserve in PC. At that time snowkiting was more of a "fix" until we could get back on the water. All that changed when Brian discovered Skyline.

[jason morton]

windsurfing since 1989-
kiteboarding since 1998-

[Don Losee]

F ing Great photo Jason!

[Steven Nyhus]

Windsurfing since 1982. Learned at DCIB the year Scott moved down to Texas and Tom Murphy was teaching lessons and running the shop in Salt Lake. Sailed my One Design around Grays Harbor Wa. in the afternoon when I got done running my charter boat. Sailed DC and Rush in the spring and fall and taught skiing all winter at PCMR.

[Todd Jacques]

started sking in 1971.
satarted surfing in 1982.
satrted windsurfing in 1990.
started telemarking in 1991.
started kiting in 2006.

[darrenfowler]

I started windsurfing in ’83. I worked for the Outdoor Recreation Center at Weber State College where we rented all kinds of gear. I was able to get the gear for free so I took out a giant Obrien sailboard and headed up to Pineview. I thought I could easily figure it out so I didn’t bother bringing the instruction booklet. Big mistake. I had no idea that I was even supposed to keep the wind at my back.
The next time I went I did bring the book, actually got some rides, and became a wind junkie. I also started telemarking that year as well.
After college I skied bummed around a few years in Utah and Colorado (Steamboat, and Crested Butte), and I would spend the summers working construction and windsurfing, (and surfing when I lived in Seal Beach).
I spent a lot of time in the Gorge in late eighties and spent the entire summer there in ’88, not working, just sailing every day. Totally broke with no job, I came back to Salt Lake in ‘90 and moved in with my sister, got a real job and have been here ever since.
I still try to get in some skiing and sailing, and the occasional surf trip, (but I suck now)
Have not tried kiting (yet).

(P.S. I’m not still freeloading off my sister.)

[Ralph Morrison]

My first wind sport was Hobie sailing, mostly out at Rockport in 1978-79. Started windsurfing in 1980. In 1983 I bought my first short board from Scott Williams. At that time windsurfing was so popular at Deer Creek there would be a party every weekend. People would go out whether it was windy or not. 1984 was the first year I went to the Gorge. The marina was the happening place with only a few of the very brave going out at the Hatchery. 1985 I went up to watch the first Gorge pro-am and got rub elbows with guys like Robby Naish, Pete Cabrinha and Mike Waltze. The mid eighties were the big water years with Rush filling up to the size of a real lake. It used to get abnormally big swells for a lake that size. Big names like Cort Larnrd and Rhonda Smith would sail out there. On a windy day there 75 (or more) cars.

My closest claim to fame was when I was at Sulphur Creek and Tom Smart was taking pictures for an article he was writting for the Deseret News.


Peter Schrumph pointed out to me that I was famous because I'm on the front page next next to Sammy Sosa and Mark Maguire.


I resisted switching over to kiting for a few years because I still loved to windsurf. I finally broke down after watching Doug and Marty getting big air off of flat water. Marty was my mentor when I was learning and was a tremendous help.