By Gagandeep Ghuman
Published: April.6, 2012
It was the first time Steve had come to Nexen beach to ride the famous Squamish winds on his kiteboard, but he didn’t seem too happy about it.
“It looks easy, but launching from here isn’t. You have to play a lot of little tricks,” he said.
Even if he played those tricks, there was a chance he could break his line, or get his kite entangled with something, or in a worst case scenario, get hurt by the strong onshore winds.
Yet, experienced kiteboarders like Steve are opting to come to Nexen Beach from the Spit to launch their kiteboards.
And more will follow kiteboarders, windsurfers, and spectator pack the Spit during the busy summer season.
There can be as many as 300 kiteboarders, windsurfers, and speactators on busy weekends at the Spit.
It makes Jamie Martin fearful.
“We are becoming dangerously overcrowded over there at the Spit,” says Martin, the vice-president of Squamish Windsport Society.
“There is just not enough space for everyone, it’s hard to manage the kites, and people can get quite irritable. It can be a chaos.”
That ‘chaos,’ however, can be a good thing for Squamish.”
Ever since the sport of kiteboarding was ‘invented’ ten years ago, Squamish’s popularity as a destination for the sport has quite literally soared.
Seeing the crowds swell, the Squamish Kiteboarding Society expanded the spit twice a few years ago, once with a grant of 50,000 from the district.
But even with that expansion, only five people can launch their kites from the spit at any given point. More experienced kiteboarders will go to the Nexen Beach, but others have no option but to wait.
Then, there’s the other complication: Simply put, people who kiteboard and windsuf have money and they know other places where they can do this with better amenities.
“These are the same people who buy season passes at Whistler. Whistler has 20 cm of powder, but we have 20 knots of the best wind. I hear too much negative talk about the wind, but it could be one of our biggest assets as it is in other communities,” Martin says.
One such town that is tapping into that asset is Port Alberni on Vancouver Island.
Port Alberni has made good use of its inlet to advertise the town as a destination for windsurfers. A few years ago, Jamie Martin got a call from one of councillors of Port Alberni, asking if he would be able to help them with a kite beach they were building.
“They are in a same situation, they are trying to make a transition from being an industrial town to being a tourist town. They too have a great spot for windsurfing and kite boarding and they are probably going to beat us with their facility,” he says.
Martin says there is a temporary fix: Ceate a spit on the Nexen Beach. That would take some pressure off the spit, and bring people through our town.
“They would hang out at our coffee shops, restaurants and shops and hit the water when old faithful starts to blow. When all done they would end up back at our town on the way through,” he said.
He’s hoping that with the help of volunteers and he hopes to get the support of Tourism Squamish, and the district to do so.
And if the council or Tourism Squamish believes in the town’s own brand, they will.
Eric Andersen says
Port Alberni is NOT “trying to make a transition from being an industrial town to being a tourist town” — and neither is Squamish, to my knowledge. What both communities are seeking to do is diversify their economies — not displace industry or say no to its present contributions and potential growth. Port Alberni’s “Marine Mall” project, for example, seeks to attract new investment in marine-related industrial enterprises. Industrial activity on at least one side of the Mamquam Blind Channel waterway adjacent Nexen peninsula here is going to grow. Wind sports should be encouraged …but will need to also accommodate the fact (and the safety issues that may arise from it) that the lower Blind Channel is a commercial transportation (as well as recreational boating) waterway — which is unlikely ever to change. Presumably this dialogue regarding respective needs and potential solutions is taking place around the table of the Squamish Estuary Management Committee.
Kim Stegeman-Lowe says
I can empathize with the Squamish Windsports Society and I agree 100% w/ Eric’s post. From Squamish Terminals’ perspective access to our Terminal and Safety are our priorities. It is important that Squamish Terminals’ be part of the ongoing dialogue to ensure a win/win for all stakeholders of the waterfront and our community.
Diane Sherlock says
would be great for tourism if something could be worked out.Squamish downtown needs some help in the way of people frequenting the restaurants and coffee shops
Jeff Norman says
Any opportunity to bring both kiters and spectators through the downtown core should be encouraged. Squamish will not be returning to being an industrial town as it has been in the past. Industrial growth in areas close to the water that have other value whether recreational or residential should be discouraged as there is plenty of land with less valuable attributes elsewhere in the district
KeenKiter says
It would be absolutely amazing to have a spit constructed at Nexen. Would be a great windsports location. I am sure that most of the out-of-towners currently head to the spit and straight home again. Having them come through town would be great for the businesses and the downtown vibe. This has to be a no-brainer Squamish council!
Squamish says
like to see the schools pay a lease on using the spit to conduct their business for free – SWS should be all over that, collecting lease fees to put towards the spit – wonder what district of squamish would say if they knew that profitable kite schools where conducting their profitable business with out paying any sort of tax or fee – think it could put SWS in jeopardy with the District as they lease the land for a small fee?
AK says
Ok so wrecking a perfectly good beach for more advanced windsurfers/kiters and building an artificial spit for a lot of $$$ is the right thing to do???
I don’ t think so. But what needs to be done at Nexen is:
1. Needs to be cleaned up and planted like a park. This will bring people there naturally, even those that don’ t windsurf.
2. Make a windsurf launch/rigging are using the natural landscape that is there already.
3. Mark it as a Black run/Advanced only kiters area and impose a hefty fee for rescue.
4. It is fine for windsurfers as they use a smaller sq ft area on and off the water.
Vision: Imagine coming down to a great park with your kids to watch the windsurfers on the water. Grass, trees, natural beach for kids to play. Windsurf area/rigging/launching off to the East side where it is safer. Some amenities would be nice like proper change rms/shower/washrms. But let’ s leave it natural like the Chief and not ruin it. Currently, there is a lot of erosion.
eileen says
Its getting “Danger oul sy” overcrowded? way to go, Squamish Reporter… 3 typo’s in one ad!