Vancouver Kiteboard Association - Looking for Info

[Guest]

Hello:

It seems the Contact Us e-mail has been temporarily cancelled, so I thought I would post my request here.

I represent a number of kiters in Vancouver, BC, Canada who have gathered to promote safe, shared-access kiteboarding in Vancouver. Shortly after kiting got started here it was banned by the City and other authorities. Our group is preparing to speak with the City this winter and part of our plan is to gather as many shared-access success stories as possible.

I noticed you have come to an agreement with the City about the shared use of Montrose Beach and I am very interested to hear about this relationship. I'm mostly interested in how the liability concerns are dealt with. For example, some of the questions I have are:

Does the City require insurance from your association?
Have there been any accidents and if so, how have you worked around the incidents with the City?
How much wind does Montrose get during the swimming season?
What are the other uses at Montrose?

BTW, I like the site, it's well-written and the articles on tech stuff and weather are particularly good. Thank you for your time, we appreciate it.

If you're ever in Van, check out skypilot.com. Clean winds,


Rob

[Guest]

Forgot to leave my e-mail.

rob-wood@telus.net

Also, I would like to give Vancouver City staff a reference to talk to in Chicago. If you feel comfortable with it, I would greatly appreciate the name and number of your contact at the City of Chicago.

Thank you for your thoughts,


Rob

[ChicagoKitesurfing]

Rob,

Does the City require insurance from your association?
- They have not required insurance as of yet.

Have there been any accidents and if so, how have you worked around the incidents with the City?
- There have been no accidents or injuries as of yet (that I am aware of). We have self-policed up until now. Granted, the Chicago beaches are very small, and extremely crowded. We have actually pursued rules with the Chicago politicos to keep it safe.

How much wind does Montrose get during the swimming season?
- The swim season is March to Sept. The winds are usually North winds and swimming is closed to swimmers at 12mph or more due to waves. This is where kiting really kicks in, so there hasn't been that much overlap.

What are the other uses at Montrose?
- Swimming, sailing, cayaking/canoeing, dogs, bird sanctuary, fishing, etc.