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Author: Subject: Lake Travis, Texas
Houston AirHead
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[*] posted on 8-9-2009 at 03:48 PM
Lake Travis, Texas


this lake looks AMAZING for kiteboarding, i wanted to post this and see if any one has ever been out there before.
Dylan i know your from Austin, have you kited this lake?

is about 30 miles north of Austin.

Pictures on google make it look like some lost lagoon built for kiteboarding.



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dylanj423
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[*] posted on 8-9-2009 at 09:19 PM


lots of boat traffic, i wouldnt even try... others have, but i wouldnt... between the drinkers, the recreational boaters, the wakboarders, waterskiers, and all other obstacles, i would think a kitesurfer would be a dangerous addition to the mix...

i have kited lake pflugerville... small, but good for our purpose... canyon lake was a decent spot... and lake belton was nice, too, but the launch/land was tight, and i was afraid of being blown downwind... downwind at some of these lakes is TERRIBLE news

there is a very helpful site and forum that addresses kite surfing in central texas... some good guys, very friendly and helpful... central texas kiteboarding association, or something like that

but why would you go there when you have the wonderfully smooth coastal wind here??



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[*] posted on 8-9-2009 at 10:59 PM


It's a little better now that the lake level is so low. There's also less boat traffic because all the ramps are closed, but there's still peeps with boat docks and the boat rental places that let you know that it's ok to drink while driving the boat :crazy:

There are no free places to hop on the lake unless you know someone who lives in a house with access to the private 'beaches'. The best place to go to is Windy Point which charges $8/car to get in.

The best wind direction is SE and the best place to launch at Windy Point is the South East tip. You can launch going side off and have a lagoon to catch you, or can launch going left which puts you onshore and you can kite away from the shoreline (winds permitting, of course). If you can go upwind to the sometimes island, you'll find the waters are butters smoth right up against it. Also along the shores of the lake, there's more exposed shoreline nowadays, so that puts more distance between your kite and the cliffs/trees that surround the lake in some parts, but lots of places are still sheer cliffs.

The best lake in this area is going to be Lake Pflugerville.
No motorized watercrafts allowed.
Surrounded by flatter lands
Small enough to walk back to your launch
Surrounded by a hike and bike trail
Peeps (not necessarily kiters) always around if the worst happens and you need someone to call 911

But like Dylan said, why would you bother with Central Texas lakes when you have the smooth wind and open spaces over there?


Btw, I live 7 miles from Lake Travis and have only bothered kiting there once.. I'd rather ride Lake Pflugerville every time ;)



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[*] posted on 9-9-2009 at 11:56 AM


Yeah, first thanks for that information. The coast is always a great place to go to for smooth winds when landboarding and chopp conditions. But the reality is during the summer time the water temps get into the upper 80's and thats like the perfect coastle petri dish. I never can enjoy my self when im in that water unless im wearing nothing short of a bio-hazard suit. Ive swam at canyon lake before and to me that water was so amazing, you can beat its cold- crytsal clear conditions worry free of jelly fish, a sting ray barb through the ankle, shark bites, Vibrio bacteria ,salmonila god knows what else....

I guess i could just be a germafphobe , i dunno. All of Austins/san marcos areas water is just top notch quality. And i want to finally ride my skimmer in flat conditions, i dont even mind if the wind is gusty, i learned in gusty weather. But to land board on the coast in
free port you need SSE, SE S, SSW SW, and those conditions are starting to trickle down to few and far between . Thats the only time i really go to the coast now a days is to landboard. I still want to ride in the chop though, i think im going to get a wetsuit and maybe finally a Twin Tip or directional so i can quit borrowing other peoples boards. I would love to ride the ole skimmer all the time in the chop but you have to face the fact that you end up in the water allot when doing tricks and riding in general.
id rather be in a fresh clean clear lake more than the chocolate milk gulf coast



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[*] posted on 9-9-2009 at 12:17 PM


Yeah, it's actually kinda refreshing to crash in lakewater.. I always get surprised by the clean taste and the lack of burning sensation in my eyes/nose/throat, heh.

I wasn't trying to ward you away from giving our lakes a shot -by all means if you see a front comin thru, make the drive and keep an eye on our local forums to see who will be kiting and where. Feel free to shoot me a u2u if you ever make the drive if you want to meet up =)



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Rides:
2011 Best Profanity 134, Cabrinha Kiteskate, Cabrinha Nugget, 2k9 Cabrinha Plasma 146x50, 2k9 Flexifoil Delta 139x41.5, 2011 Slingshot Darko 135x41, Slingshot Scud, Tona wakeskate, Flexifoil Flexdeck, MBS Pro 90, MBS Ambush x 2, some oldskool buggy
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[*] posted on 9-9-2009 at 03:03 PM


yeah yeah for sure. It would be great to kite with some locals. Ive got a few kite buddies on the coast, im going to toss around the idea of planning a trip for a night or two. So when i head that way i will def send you a U2U.



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action jackson
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[*] posted on 9-9-2009 at 04:15 PM


Canyon is like kiting a piece of swiss cheese, but the water is sweet tasting! Started kiting there in 1999.Richard and me started Central Texas Kiteboarding Assc. to protect our launching rights at Canyon Lake. Wow where has the past 10 yrs gone!...........aj



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[*] posted on 9-9-2009 at 04:39 PM


Thats amazing. Your lucky to of been there in the early stages of the sport. Hats off! I just joined the centraltexaskiteforum, i just posted to under my name houston airhead. Im looking to get out to the lake pflugerville in the next few weeks if there is wind. Im only about 2-3 hours drive away.



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