Level: Intermediate, Expert
Type: Lake
Water type: Chop
Water quality: Clean
Beach type & size: Sand - Small
Identified hazards: Rocks
Beachgoer: June, July, August
Access description: by Car -
Accommodations: Toilet, Parking
View spot
Level: Intermediate, Expert
Type: Lake
Water type: Chop
Water hazards: Swimmers
Water quality: Clean
Beach type & size: Sand - Small
Identified hazards: Trees
Beachgoer: June, July, August
Access description: by Car -
Specific rules: Zones
Accommodations: Camping, Shower, Toilet, Food, Parking
View spot
Level: Expert
Type: Lake
Water type: Flat, Chop
Water hazards: Ships, Mole
Water quality: Clean
Infos: Lake conditions: flat and choppy water.
Beach type & size: Sand - Small
Infos: Small beach of stones with onshore wind (30 meters long). You have to take off your kite and jump into water at the end of the beach. To come back on shore just go upwind of the beach and land your kite. Do not be alone on this spot! But do not be more than three riders as well.
Identified hazards: Rocks, Bystanders
Beachgoer: July, August
Weather specificities: Wetsuit is necessary because north wind cools the water. Seasons for kite are not the warmest! The water is very cold in winter and warm in summer.
Wind specificities: Good wind with Northeast wind called "Bise" in Switzerland. More Northeast wind in winter, autumn and spring. There is "Bise" often when there is the "Mistral" in south of France.
Best months: April, May, September, October
Access description: by Car - Exit "Versoix" of highway from the Geneva airport. Then follow the direction of Versoix and turn right just before entering the village. There is a small park with an house called "Institut Forel" (university).
Specific rules: Other
Extra: Special rules for Lake Geneva: you need a helmet, vest, insurance, max. 25m lines, kite leash.
Accommodations: Parking
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Level: Beginner, Intermediate, Expert
Type: Lake
Water type: Shallow, Flat, Chop
Water hazards: Ships
Water quality: Clean
Beach type & size: Sand - Small
Identified hazards: Stones
Weather specificities: Nice weather in summer, too cold in winter. Wetsuit in spring and fall.
Wind type: Thermal, Frontal
Wind specificities: A frontal wind blows from SW to W. The "Bise" blows from NE and the thermal wind "Joran" blows from NW in the evenings. Best time is spring and fall.
Best months: April, May, June, July, August, September, October
Access description: by Car -
Accommodations: Parking
View spot
Level: Intermediate, Expert
Type: Lake
Water type: Shallow, Flat, Chop
Water hazards: Ships, Mole
Water quality: Clean
Identified hazards: Concrete
Weather specificities: Nice weather in summer, too cold in winter. Wetsuit in spring and fall.
Wind type: Thermal, Frontal
Wind specificities: A frontal wind blows from SW to W. The "Bise" blows from NE and the thermal wind "Joran" blows from NW in the evenings. Best time is spring and fall.
Best months: April, May, June, July, August, September, October
Access description: by Car -
Accommodations: Parking
View spot
Level: Intermediate, Expert
Type: Lake
Water type: Flat, Chop
Water hazards: Swimmers
Water quality: Clean
Infos: Flat to choppy water, depending on the wind strength. Stay out of the swimmer's zone.
Beach type & size: Sand - Small
Infos: Small sandy beach. In summer watch the people. Not much space, be careful. Unstable wind on the shore and beach, usually packed with kiters on windy days: please body drag about 50m when going in or out. Starting and landing on the small beach directly upwind from the harbour is prohibited.
Identified hazards: Trees, Bystanders
Beachgoer: June, July, August
Weather specificities: Nice weather in summer, too cold in winter. Wetsuit in spring and fall.
Wind type: Thermal, Frontal
Wind specificities: Best in north winds. If too onshore, got to Refuge. A frontal wind blows from SW to W. The "Bise" blows from NE and the thermal wind "Joran" blows from NW in the evenings. Best time is spring and fall.
Best months: April, May, June, July, August, September, October
Access description: by Car - Lac De Neuchatel (Neuenburger See). Exit A1 at Yverdon, turn right towards Yvonand for about 10km. Then follow signs to La Plage.
Specific rules: Zones, Time
Extra: Kiteboarding is now authorized in Summer, thanks to the tremendous work of the Swiss Kite Association. Please, help preserve those hard fought privileges. Stay out of the swimmer's zone at any given time. Small launch, be careful.
Nightlife: No nightlife.
Accommodations: Camping, Shower, Toilet, Food
View spot
Level: Intermediate, Expert
Type: Lake
Water type: Shallow, Flat, Chop
Water hazards: Ships, Wave breaker
Water quality: Clean
Beach type & size: Sand - Small
Beachgoer: June, July, August
Weather specificities: Nice weather in summer, too cold in winter. Wetsuit in spring and fall.
Wind type: Thermal, Frontal
Wind specificities: A frontal wind blows from SW to W. The "Bise" blows from NE and the thermal wind "Joran" blows from NW in the evenings. Best time is spring and fall.
Best months: April, May, June, July, August, September, October
Access description: by Car -
Accommodations: Shower, Toilet, Food, Parking
View spot
Level: Intermediate, Expert
Type: Lake
Water type: Shallow, Flat, Chop, Small wave
Water hazards: Swimmers, Ships, Jetskis, Rocks, Stones
Water quality: Crystal clear
Infos: Water is clear but cold. Gets choppy with increasing wind speed. The first hundred meters the water is shallow but stones are in the water, shoes are recommended.
Beach type & size: Grass, Rocks, Stones - Small
Infos: There is a grass area for rigging. The shore itself is made out of rocks which are roughly 1m high. Caution: It is not easy and safe to get in and out with a kite in the air.
Identified hazards: Rocks, Trees, Concrete, Bystanders, Fence
Beachgoer: May, June, July, August, September
Wind specificities: Caution when the wind comes from a northern direction: the wind direction and speed can change quickly and may become offshore, which will drag you out to the lake and sooner or later to France. The bay area is covered so the wind is not as strong as it gets further out.
Access description: by Car - Drive to the road "Chemin de la Duville" and you will reach a parking right at the spot.
Extra: Not sure but probably kiting is prohibited in the summer months due to swimmers and families on picnic. Respect the people and rules. If in doubt ask around.
Nightlife: Go to Geneve. It is a well known city with many clubs.
Accommodations: Toilet, Parking
View spot
Level: Beginner, Intermediate, Expert
Type: Lake
Water type: Flat, Chop
Water quality: Clean
Infos: Flat to choppy water.
Beach type & size: Sand - Medium
Infos: Sandy beach. Packed in summer.
Beachgoer: June, July, August
Weather specificities: Cold water in winter.
Wind specificities: Works in S and SW.
Access description: by Car - From Lausanne drive on 1 west to St. Sulpice. From Rue du Centre get onto Chemin du Laviau. Drive to the soccer fields and park. Walk west to the beach past the little harbor.
Extra: Be careful during summer with people on the beach and in the water.
Nightlife: In Lausanne are many good clubs, go to Lausanne Flon, talk with some people and you will find the correct club, like: Greate Escape, D Club, Loft, Mad.....it has for every kind of music etc. the right club.
Accommodations: Parking
View spot
Level: Intermediate, Expert
Type: Lake
Water type: Shallow, Flat, Chop
Water hazards: Ships
Water quality: Clean
Infos: Flat to choppy. Big shallow area.
Beach type & size: Grass - Small
Infos: No real beach, just a small area with a small creek (Eschlibach). Trees close by.
Identified hazards: Trees
Beachgoer: None
Weather specificities: Nice in summer, cold in winter. Wetsuit almost all year-round.
Wind type: Frontal
Wind specificities: Works in SW, W, NW N and NE. Best in SW, then the wind gets accelerated, about 100m from shore. At the Bodensee suddenly storms can hit. Therefore a storm warning system has been created, using orange flashing lights, and ships put up a balloon on the mast. Look out for these signals to avoid getting into problems.
Access description: by Car - From Kreuzlingen pass the railways in Berlingen, then immediately turn right. Drive 100m and park your car at the parking areas, not directly at the beach! Leave your gear and bring the car back to the parking lot. Find the beach turning left towards the lake.
Specific rules: Zones
Extra: Do not rig or get onto the private properties to the left and right of the creek. This will cause bans.
Accommodations: Shop, Parking
View spot
Level: Beginner, Intermediate, Expert
Type: Lake
Water type: Flat, Chop
Water hazards: Bridge, Rocks, Stones
Water quality: Clean
Infos: Perfectly flat water, the more wind the choppier it gets. Be careful with the rocks all along the shore when entering and exit the water.
Beach type & size: Grass - Medium
Infos: There is no sandy beach, but from the launch/land side there is a big area of grass the whole way down the lake (600m) and again 500m up on the other side where you normally arrive, if your kite drops and you are not able to relaunch again. So it's safe. There is one official entry but you can get out (back on shore) everywhere if you manage 30 cm of stones which are around at waterside. On the weekends it's normally a little bit crowded to get in. Sometimes you have to wait one minute before launching you kite. Upward from the official kite launching zone there is no way to start your kite. There are also a lot of windsurfers, so respect the zones in the water.
Identified hazards: Rocks, Bystanders
Beachgoer: July, August
Weather specificities: Air: summer 20-30C, winter 20-10C. Water: summer 10-16C, winter ice. When the summer season opens its door in May/June the water is around 12C. It's getting warmer every month till August/September. Normally it's around 15-16C. Because this spot is up in the mountains it's never to hot during summertime. It's very comfortable to be there if its getting to hot in the cities. Please pay attention to the sun. It's strong because this spot is on 1800m over ground.
Wind type: Thermal
Wind specificities: The Maloya wind is a very constant wind all year around, it blows with 3-5 Bft. The wind is thermal. This spot has only enough wind if it comes from South/Southeast, then it normally has about 4-6 Bft. Lower density of air leads to higher surface need.
Best months: May, June, July, August, September
Access description: by Car, Bus - Zurich-Chur-Julier-Silvaplana. Innsbruck-Landeck-Scuol-St. Moritz-Silvaplana. Comersee-Chiavenna-Maloja-Silvaplana. It's quite difficult to say how to get there because it's up in the mountains and about 4 hours by car from the next airport. It's a well known place. The easiest way to get there is by car. From Zurich, take the Highway A3 towards Sargans-Chur. St. Moritz is the next town. It's just 2 km away from there. First you have to drive or whatever to Chur. This is the nearest big city. From there just head on on the freeway till you see the sign direction St. Moritz. Leave the freeway and follow just the signs to St. Moritz. You have to drive over the Julier pass. If you managed this you are in Silvaplana. By train is the same. Go to Chur with the express train. If you are there you have to change the train in direction St. Moritz. The train conductor will tell you exactly which one.
Specific rules: Zones, Fees
Extra: To kite on Lake Silvaplana you have to pay a daily/weekly/season fee at the kitecenter. The lake is split into 2 areas. The underpart of the lake is just for kitesurfers. Upwards there are just windsurfers. They need a belt of 250m. If you manage quickly to go through the windsurfers more upwards, you can kite for yourself. There's also a 50m safety zone from the shore where you are not to ride except to exit the water. It will prevent you from crashing your kite on the shore (= people watching) or bumping into the rocks which are the two main dangers of the spot. People from the center are watching that every thing is going on fine on the beach and ready to help and answer questions. So be cool with them, they're there to help and also are just doing their job. Great spot for snowkiting in winter.
Nightlife: Julier Palace (nice restaurant and bar), Beach Club (pizzeria, bar - every Saturday beach party), Bar Puf (bar, disco).
Accommodations: Rooms, Camping, School, Shop, Repair, Rental, Rescue, Shower, Toilet, Food, Parking
View spot
Level: Expert
Type: Lake
Water type: Flat, Chop, Small wave
Water hazards: Ships, Mole
Water quality: Clean
Infos: Due to being a lake, the water is flat and choppy. On West wind it gets some small waves.
Beach type & size: Pebbles - Small
Infos: There is no sandy beach. There are kind of lagoons of gravel. The space to launch the kite is limited due to trees and has hazardous obstacles. Normally this beach is only used by kiteboarders. Windsurfers are starting some 200m away.
Identified hazards: Trees, Other
Beachgoer: None
Weather specificities: Air: spring 5-20C, summer 20-35C, fall 5-20. Water: spring 10-18, summer 18-24, fall 10-18. Winter too cold or frozen.
Wind type: Frontal
Wind specificities: Best wind (West) is normally in spring and fall. In summer there is thermal wind in the evening called `Bergluft`, but this wind is onshore, kiteboarding isn't suggested.
Best months: March, April, May, September, October
Access description: by Car - From Bern drive westwards towards Biel. Before Biel drive south to Ipsach and then westwards to the lake.
Specific rules: Zones
Extra: There is a no kiteboarding zone about 800m towards Biel. Due to limited space, this beach is for experts only.
Accommodations: Rooms, Shower, Toilet, Food, Parking
View spot
Level: Intermediate, Expert
Type: Lake
Water type: Flat, Chop
Water hazards: Swimmers, Ships
Water quality: Clean
Beach type & size: Grass, Pebbles - Small
Beachgoer: June, July, August
Wind type: Thermal, Frontal
Wind specificities: Best with Thermal, Bise, Northwest and West wind. The thermal wind gets a bit accelerated here due to the high mountains. Thermal wind blows often from 1-6pm. Several different winds blow on Urnersee: Fohn (S), strong (6-9 Bft) and warm wind, but also many times gusty. Fohnbise (S, before Fohn), up to 5 Bft, constant. The stronger the Fohnbise, the stronger the Fohn will be. BE carefull, the wind can quickly change to Fohn and become strong, look out for a green line on the water to see the Fohn hitting. Thermal wind (N), blows on sunny days in spring and summer with 2-4 Bft. Bise (N), cold wind, which can be nice with thermal support, strongest, if Brunnen has fog and in the Urnerland the sun shines, constant in Sisikon, gusty at the south end of the lake. Nordwestwind (N, NW) can get strong, but blows rarely, and only about 30 min before cold fronts. Westwind (W) is really rare. With rain there is never wind, just before the rain starts.
Best months: April, May, June, July, August
Access description: by Car -
Extra: Check local rules for kitesurfing.
Accommodations: Camping, Parking
View spot
Level: Intermediate, Expert
Type: Lake
Water type: Flat, Chop, Small wave
Water hazards: Swimmers, Ships
Water quality: Clean
Infos: Flat to choppy water. Small waves with onshore winds. Shallow for about 200m.
Beach type & size: Pebbles - Small
Infos: Pebble beach. Big meadow next to it. Trees along the shore.
Identified hazards: Stones, Trees
Beachgoer: None
Weather specificities: Nice in summer, cold in winter. Wetsuit almost all year-round.
Wind type: Thermal
Wind specificities: Best is with 'Bise' winds, coming from NE. Works good with NW and N to E. At the Bodensee suddenly storms can hit. Therefore a storm warning system has been created, using orange flashing lights, and ships put up a balloon on the mast. Look out for these signals to avoid getting into problems. In summer, often fierce storms will approach from the west (River Rhine and "Untersee"). Keep an eye on low dark clouds approaching from the west (Kreuzlingen/Konstanz) and on fast blinking lights (90 flashes/minute). Those storms can easily increase from 0 to 8-9 bft, so don't underestimate. On the other hand, the slow flashing lights (40 flashes/min) indicate strong winds (6+ bft), and can normally be handled with care and good lookout.
Access description: by Car - From Kreuzlingen to Scherzingen. Turn left at 'Weinkellerei Rutishauser' towards the lake and drive under a bridge and turn towards the 'Klaeranlage (ARA)'. Here you can park and walk about 100m to the 'Freibad' in front of the soccer fields.
Specific rules: Zones, Other
Extra: Do not surf in the swimmer's zone. Keep it clean. Do not park at the soccer club parking lot.
Accommodations: Shower, Toilet, Food, Parking
View spot
Level: Beginner, Intermediate, Expert
Type: Lake
Water type: Flat
Water hazards: None
Water quality: Clean
Infos: Mountain lake on 2250 m.
Beach type & size: Grass, Sand, Stones - Medium
Infos: Pay attention, one big tension electrical line on the right side of the lake.
Identified hazards: Power lines
Beachgoer: July, August, September, October
Wind type: Thermal
Best months: July, August, September, October
Specific rules: None
Nightlife: Only small nightlife in Leukerbad
Accommodations: Rooms
View spot