Contact   Imprint   Advertising   Guidelines

Lake Garda or Lake Como for Kiteboarding

Forum for kitesurfers
Mo
Frequent Poster
Posts: 399
Joined: Thu Aug 08, 2002 1:00 am
Local Beach: The KiteHouse _ North Marina _ Liban Nord
Favorite Beaches: Langebaan, Ras Sudr
Style: Freestyle
Gear: DTK Mono 2020 15m, 2020 Mono 11m, 2022 Rebel SLS 12m, 2022 Rebel SLS 10m, 2021 Neo SLS 9m, 2020 Dice 9m, 2022 Dice 8m, 2022 Dice 7m, 2022 Neo SLS 5m
Brand Affiliation: Duotone
Location: Lebanon
Has thanked: 6 times
Been thanked: 8 times
Contact:

Lake Garda or Lake Como for Kiteboarding

Postby Mo » Wed Jul 11, 2018 11:07 am

Hello guys... wonder if any of you kite in either of lakes. I wonder which one is better kiteboarding experience. I am willing to travel mid August and don't know which is better and which one has better wind. What I know is that Lake Garda wind appears only in the early morning hours then it dies (6:00am to 9:00am).

Any recommendations or experiences are appreciated.

Thanks
MO

cor
Very Frequent Poster
Posts: 543
Joined: Thu Apr 10, 2014 1:20 pm
Gear: -
Brand Affiliation: None
Has thanked: 214 times
Been thanked: 161 times

Re: Lake Garda or Lake Como for Kiteboarding

Postby cor » Wed Jul 11, 2018 12:21 pm

Lake Como: August is late wind season; thermal wind not as reliable as in May to July.
Lage Garda: Very, very busy in that time of that year and you will for sure need to go with one of the taxi boats. Not a lot of launching spots around the lake.

User avatar
pmaggie
Very Frequent Poster
Posts: 861
Joined: Mon Oct 17, 2011 9:54 am
Kiting since: 2010
Local Beach: Gera Lario, Como Lake, Italy
Favorite Beaches: Lo Stagnone (Marsala, Sicily - Italy) - Soma Bay (Egipt) - Cabarete (Dom Rep.) - Kite beach (Maui)
Style: Freeride
Gear: Core XR4 11, Core Riot XR 7, Core Riot XR2 15, Flysurfer Speed 5 21, Flysurfer Sonic 3 13
Shinn Bronq 136x42, Shinn Bronq XL
Brand Affiliation: None
Location: Como Lake - Italy
Has thanked: 3 times
Been thanked: 31 times

Re: Lake Garda or Lake Como for Kiteboarding

Postby pmaggie » Wed Jul 11, 2018 3:12 pm

Hi, I'm a Como lake local. In Garda lake the wind, especially in the early morning, the wind is for sure better. The problem is that you have to book a taxi boat (and book it early during weekends!), since it's possible to kiteboard only in the southern part of the lake in the region Lombardia. In the upper part, that is Trentino region, it is forbidden. Launching sites are nearly zero, and totally crowded.
Como lake has a lighter thermal but you can freely launch in various spots, the best one Gera Lario and Colico for sure. In august no crowd at all, everyone here is on vacation, maybe some more people during weekends. I don't agree about august being end of the season, it all depends on the weather that has to be good and fresh. The bigger the difference between night and day temperature, the stronger the wind, so august can be a very good month for kiting. End of the season is mid-september to october. The problem, both in Garda and in Como lake, is the weather. Sometimes august is fantastic, sometimes it rains. This is the most risky part of the business. Anyway the region is so beautiful that in case of rain it's not a problem to enjoy your vacation anyway.

Mo
Frequent Poster
Posts: 399
Joined: Thu Aug 08, 2002 1:00 am
Local Beach: The KiteHouse _ North Marina _ Liban Nord
Favorite Beaches: Langebaan, Ras Sudr
Style: Freestyle
Gear: DTK Mono 2020 15m, 2020 Mono 11m, 2022 Rebel SLS 12m, 2022 Rebel SLS 10m, 2021 Neo SLS 9m, 2020 Dice 9m, 2022 Dice 8m, 2022 Dice 7m, 2022 Neo SLS 5m
Brand Affiliation: Duotone
Location: Lebanon
Has thanked: 6 times
Been thanked: 8 times
Contact:

Re: Lake Garda or Lake Como for Kiteboarding

Postby Mo » Thu Jul 12, 2018 1:56 pm

Thanks ....
Mo

xoen
Medium Poster
Posts: 76
Joined: Tue Nov 11, 2014 3:34 pm
Local Beach: Castelldefels, Mar bella, Riumar
Favorite Beaches: Cape Town
Style: freeride
Gear: Flysurfer Speed Lotus 15m. 2013 Cabrinha Switchblades 7,9,12 m/ Shinnster/Cabrinha Tronic/Sroka Hydrofoil
Brand Affiliation: None
Has thanked: 9 times
Been thanked: 1 time

Re: Lake Garda or Lake Como for Kiteboarding

Postby xoen » Thu Jul 12, 2018 2:11 pm

pmaggie wrote:
Wed Jul 11, 2018 3:12 pm
Hi, I'm a Como lake local. In Garda lake the wind, especially in the early morning, the wind is for sure better. The problem is that you have to book a taxi boat (and book it early during weekends!), since it's possible to kiteboard only in the southern part of the lake in the region Lombardia. In the upper part, that is Trentino region, it is forbidden. Launching sites are nearly zero, and totally crowded.
Como lake has a lighter thermal but you can freely launch in various spots, the best one Gera Lario and Colico for sure. In august no crowd at all, everyone here is on vacation, maybe some more people during weekends. I don't agree about august being end of the season, it all depends on the weather that has to be good and fresh. The bigger the difference between night and day temperature, the stronger the wind, so august can be a very good month for kiting. End of the season is mid-september to october. The problem, both in Garda and in Como lake, is the weather. Sometimes august is fantastic, sometimes it rains. This is the most risky part of the business. Anyway the region is so beautiful that in case of rain it's not a problem to enjoy your vacation anyway.
Hello,

I am considering going to ComoLake for a couple of days, beginning of august. How many knots are we talking about? I am asking, because I have many toys but limited space in the car. I could opt for my hydrofoil or a shinnster or even a TT.

Thanks

joan

User avatar
pmaggie
Very Frequent Poster
Posts: 861
Joined: Mon Oct 17, 2011 9:54 am
Kiting since: 2010
Local Beach: Gera Lario, Como Lake, Italy
Favorite Beaches: Lo Stagnone (Marsala, Sicily - Italy) - Soma Bay (Egipt) - Cabarete (Dom Rep.) - Kite beach (Maui)
Style: Freeride
Gear: Core XR4 11, Core Riot XR 7, Core Riot XR2 15, Flysurfer Speed 5 21, Flysurfer Sonic 3 13
Shinn Bronq 136x42, Shinn Bronq XL
Brand Affiliation: None
Location: Como Lake - Italy
Has thanked: 3 times
Been thanked: 31 times

Re: Lake Garda or Lake Como for Kiteboarding

Postby pmaggie » Thu Jul 12, 2018 2:52 pm

Hi Joan, consider 8 to 15/16 knots average. It happens that it's blowing 20 or 25 (yesterday) but it's not so common. In that case, you can rent a small kite or board in one of the kite centers. You can check this link:

http://www.centrometeolombardo.com/cont ... e=Stazioni

This is in the Gera Lario (my home spot) station. Please add 3-4 knots to understand the actual value since the meteo station is placed near the shore and in the middle of the lake the wind is always stronger.
Here is a webcam some miles south oi Gera in a small village called Cremia. Today it's offline but it's normally working fine:

http://www.vedetta.org/locations/webcam ... mia-lumin/

I will be in Gera the first days of august (till about the 8th), so if you are coming just contact me, it will be a pleasure to meet another Kiteforum member!

xoen
Medium Poster
Posts: 76
Joined: Tue Nov 11, 2014 3:34 pm
Local Beach: Castelldefels, Mar bella, Riumar
Favorite Beaches: Cape Town
Style: freeride
Gear: Flysurfer Speed Lotus 15m. 2013 Cabrinha Switchblades 7,9,12 m/ Shinnster/Cabrinha Tronic/Sroka Hydrofoil
Brand Affiliation: None
Has thanked: 9 times
Been thanked: 1 time

Re: Lake Garda or Lake Como for Kiteboarding

Postby xoen » Thu Jul 12, 2018 3:59 pm

pmaggie wrote:
Thu Jul 12, 2018 2:52 pm
Hi Joan, consider 8 to 15/16 knots average. It happens that it's blowing 20 or 25 (yesterday) but it's not so common. In that case, you can rent a small kite or board in one of the kite centers. You can check this link:

http://www.centrometeolombardo.com/cont ... e=Stazioni

This is in the Gera Lario (my home spot) station. Please add 3-4 knots to understand the actual value since the meteo station is placed near the shore and in the middle of the lake the wind is always stronger.
Here is a webcam some miles south oi Gera in a small village called Cremia. Today it's offline but it's normally working fine:

http://www.vedetta.org/locations/webcam ... mia-lumin/

I will be in Gera the first days of august (till about the 8th), so if you are coming just contact me, it will be a pleasure to meet another Kiteforum member!
Thanks for the info and the invitation. If I go, i will definetly contact you. It will be nice to exchange experiences! I can inform you about my home spots, in case you pay us also a visit.

thanks

User avatar
waitz
Rare Poster
Posts: 44
Joined: Mon Mar 08, 2010 3:20 pm
Local Beach: Egmond aan Zee
Favorite Beaches: Egmond aan Zee
Style: Freeride
Gear: F-One Bandit & Shadow
Brand Affiliation: None
Has thanked: 1 time
Been thanked: 0

Re: Lake Garda or Lake Como for Kiteboarding

Postby waitz » Mon Aug 23, 2021 1:23 pm

We were in Garda last year and we're planning to go to Como in the beginning of September with a camper van and kite gear.

Would you recommend Domaso or Sorico as a camping spot?

Foil
Very Frequent Poster
Posts: 1447
Joined: Mon Oct 23, 2017 7:44 pm
Kiting since: 2000
Weight: 91kg
Local Beach: New Brighton near Liverpool. Open sea with big low tide deep lagoon
and regular at Rhosneigr and Newbrough on Anglesey
Favorite Beaches: New Brighton, Rhosneigr, Fleetwood, Newbrough, Blackrock sands
lake Como (Italy) El Medano
Style: kite foiler since 2017 Ttip since 2000
Gear: My rule to gear choice is "IF IT DONT BOOST ITS NO USE"
Groove Skates 110cm 2022 editions
kraken mast systems 103k and 93k.
Kraken fuse 703k
Duotone SLS Evo's -- 11mtr/9mtr/7mtr/6mtr/ 4mtr RRD.
Duotone 2022 click bars x2,my own custom made lines fitted,
(modified lines now available for the flite99 shod duotone bars)

Bar lines made up to any length in a choice of strengths, power lines, trim lines, pigtails, leader lines, bridal lines, elasticated lines, I make and fit them all, free fit and tune service,
quick turnaround,drop me a message, find me on messenger, Colin Moore.
Brand Affiliation: None
Has thanked: 116 times
Been thanked: 324 times

Re: Lake Garda or Lake Como for Kiteboarding

Postby Foil » Mon Aug 23, 2021 7:07 pm

You can park a camper van on a small site right on the far north east side of Como, just a few yards from one of the best kitesurfing beaches, I would recommend Como, especially for kite foiling, been many times even before kite foiling was invented and it was unreliable for TTip users, unless you have a massive closed cell foil kite and huge Ttip especially the one with the small retractable dagger board, however the kite hydro foil has opened up a major part of Como for me, there are so many places a TTip cant get to, mainly due to being so poor at getting upwind and the wind shadows of which there are many on Como, on a foil you can go miles exploring and fast, enjoy racing the wind foils and fast sail boats for super long distances, if you want a change then get your kit in the car and drive to Silverplanna, in St Moritz, Switzerland, a stunning twisty drive into the hills for a few hours, high into the mountains to the famous ski resort and the massive Silverplanna lake with great facilities for all wind driven water sports, and a huge kite gear shop on site, hire centre, along with grassy set up areas a bit like Como.
Garda is a place to love or hate, far too busy for me, frustrating launch system as you have to book water taxis, parking a car is silly impossible, I hate it, made worse by one of the camp sites we parked our camper van at, right on the lake side, it was flooded like we were parked on a fast flowing river, the rain was relentless, strong wind there is strong in big numbers and the water gets super rough for Ttips,
Back to Como, A foilers dream holiday location, I recommend trying out the 2 or 3 launching spots at the north end of Como, you can sail between them to check them out,quiet even when its busy, good relaxed feeling, foiling winds are often, sometimes mid day, sometimes later in the day, the temp difference between night and day makes a big difference to the wind reliability, and a crisp dry bright sky in the morning is a sign to get ready for a good day, fingers crossed. all this and its good old Italy, wine, great food, cheese, cold beers, great people, lovely little towns all with ice cream shops, coffee shops, cafe life-sat outside right on the side of the lake, garlic smells drifting around early evening, so much to enjoy!
we are off there next year again staying again at one the fantastic Authentic Italian Agritourism hotels, check them out, quite a few of them now.
try this one a few miles from the launch sites but only a short walk to the lake side, -- https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Hotel_Rev ... bardy.html

User avatar
waitz
Rare Poster
Posts: 44
Joined: Mon Mar 08, 2010 3:20 pm
Local Beach: Egmond aan Zee
Favorite Beaches: Egmond aan Zee
Style: Freeride
Gear: F-One Bandit & Shadow
Brand Affiliation: None
Has thanked: 1 time
Been thanked: 0

Re: Lake Garda or Lake Como for Kiteboarding

Postby waitz » Mon Aug 23, 2021 9:35 pm

Wow, fabulous answer. Thank you!
We willll probably pass Silverplanna lake on our way, so we might just try it out also :-)

I'll check out camping spots on the north east side of Como as well.

You could launch from the side of the lake of Agriturismo Ca' del Lago?

Thank you
Kristian


Return to “Kitesurfing”

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: Baidu [Spider], Bing [Bot], Brent NKB, cglazier, Google [Bot], Indulang, purdyd, Slappysan, suisd12, Vivo3d, vladi elthve and 346 guests