One of the coolest things about riding at Pismo is doing a downwinder where you can play in the waves without worrying about getting back upwind.
Tkb is stoked to announce that State Parks has approved a downwind vehicle for the 16th Annual XBA Kitexpo! On Friday and Saturday, April 13 and 14 only from 2p until 4:30p, Tkb /XBA will have a 15 passenger van ready to pick you up down by the bathrooms BEFORE the other beach access entrance at Pier Ave, where you start to see houses again from the beach. Please take note of the NO KITING PAST PIER AVE/POLE 6 RULE March 1-Sept 30 due to snowy plovers or you risk getting a hefty ticket! You can kite in the water but you cannot exit the water or fly your kite over the beach. Official rules at https://nebula.wsimg.com/46729eef5eed1560c1d5ab14a13ef69f?AccessKeyId=CC79776E70AA351B5F52&disposition=0&alloworigin=1
The Downwind Service will be part of the $20 Expo Fee which also gets you a ‘raffle’ ticket (Sat night and Sun morning) and 3 days of demoing from 14 brands. As this is a new addition to Kitexpo, please bear with us for any hiccups that may occur this first year”¦.
RIDER REQUIREMENTS (updated 4/10/18)
- Must be solid intermediate or better rider able to go upwind, self rescue, self land and self launch*
- Must have a buddy when going downwind
- Must clear with the brand the gear you are taking downwind. They will give you a silicon bracelet to wear. Only riders with this bracelet on will be picked up in the van.
- Must attend downwind meeting at registration 12p for briefing, show buddy, and sign waiver (must attend meeting and sign waiver each day if you plan to do both days)
- Upon landing, must deflate leading edge only (make sure struts are closed:-) and roll up kite neatly, detatch bar and roll up lines and wrap all inside your harness so we can accommodate as many as possible in the van.
- Must have special silicone wristband given to you by brand to receive ride in Downwind Van (you will get more at the downwind meeting).
DOWWIND TIPS AND INSTRUCTIONS ON HOW TO LAND
UPDATED 4/10/18:
The Downwind Van will run on Friday and Saturday only starting at 2p until 4p only. Pickups will be scheduled every 30 minutes (2p, 2:30p, 3p, 3:30p, 4p). If we cannot pickup total pickup on one of the runs, we will run more frequent runs. If no one is left at the downwind meeting spot, when the van takes off, the next van pickup with run as scheduled.
- Do not go too far on the outside. It’s often washing machine conditions out there and the fun of downwinding at Pismo is riding in the waves and the super smooth flat water in between them.
- This is a mini downwinder that is just under 2 miles long (1.9) so you will definitely not want to go straight downwind (10 minutes or less). Locals often ride upwind to the Pier and downwind back to their cars:-)
- Look for either a participating brand, Tkb or XBA flag or banner. This is the landing area where we will have a self landing/launcher tool if no one is around to help you out.
- Organizers reserve the right to cancel the downwind service if they deem conditions are unsafe (wind, swell, tide, etc). We will make this call at the daily Downwind Meeting.
…AND DON’T FORGET – FRIDAY IS TACO NIGHT ON THE BEACH!
We’ll have SLO’s best taco food truck coming to serve up some gourmet tacos complete with rice, beans, a drink and salsa bar, with drinks and music afterwards at Fin’s, just steps from the event site. Reservations are mandatory for this dinner. See https://evite.me/HD76GpdWX4 and be sure to click on the ”˜message from the host’ ”” reply in your response what you want for dinner”¦ meat or vegetarian! All reservations and payments are due by Tuesday April 10. Space is limited so get your tickets early.
Complete event info at https://www.thekiteboarder.com/2018/04/16th-annual-xba-kitexpo/