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Kiteboarding with Explore Sports

By: Alex Cunningham
Tourism Saskatchewan Travel Blogger

What a rush! I never thought I was an adrenaline junkie until recently…now I understand the whole kiteboarding addiction that seems to be sweeping the prairies.

Saskatchewan is an ideal year-round destination for kiteboarders. On the prairies we tend to have a lot of wide open space and wind; most curse at the thought of it, but not kiteboarders – they worship it! If there are 20km/h winds in the forecast they are ready to drop everything and find a spot to kite. Whether they are hitting the snow or one of our over 100,000 lakes in the summer; our province offers a plethora of kiting destinations ripe for the picking.

If you’ve never heard of kiteboarding before it is likely best understood as a mix of “windsurfing, wakeboarding and surfing with the aerial possibilities of paragliding”. Sounds intense, right? I’m pretty sure this is exactly why I was chosen from our travel blogging team to be the sacrificial lamb.  They must have thought that since I am “height challenged” my centre of gravity would keep me from flailing about. However, that’s not the case when you’re attached to an 11 foot kite even in light wind (as you can see in the video below).

That being said, I had a blast! My instructor, Gord, was an enthusiastic and patient teacher; which is exactly what I needed to help build a bit of courage up. I would strongly encourage people interested in kiting to have a lesson before trying this sport on their own. So, give Explore Sports a call and have a lesson with a certified instructor.

Check out more pictures from my kiteboarding adventure on our Tumblr blog: www.tourismsaskatchewan.tumblr.com

That’s all for now folks. Till our next adventure!