A kitesurfer making a splash off the east shore of Lake Tahoe

Nevada Beach and its pier on the south-east shore of Lake Tahoe

Kings Beach State Recreation Area on the north shore of Lake Tahoe

The beach at Zephyr Cove on the Nevada side of Lake Tahoe

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Ride Lake Tahoe, keep it open

Lake Tahoe is 22 miles of cold, clear alpine water at 6,225 feet, and when the wind finds it, kiters ride it in everything from summer heat to snowstorms.

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19 riders call this homeKite, WingLake Tahoe

Everything you need to know about Lake Tahoe

Live conditions

Why riders love it

What brings people here, from the people who manage it and the people who ride it.

The wind is gusty rather than steady, which makes kite choice harder. Thin air at altitude means riders often use bigger kites, typically 11 to 15 metres.
Southwest is the prevailing direction; storm days bring strong wind, and some riders go out in snow.
The water is extremely cold, and riders wear drysuits, hoods and gloves.

Sources: Tahoe Quarterly; Bay Area Kiteboarding forum; Windfinder

See the wind right now

Access and rules

Each site sets its own rules. The chapter publishes confirmed rules as each site answers in writing, and points riders to the official page before they go.

There is no lake-wide kiteboarding policy and no dedicated kite launch that we could find. Beaches around the lake are run by several different agencies.
All non-motorized craft, kiteboards included, must be kept Clean, Drained and Dry before and after launching to stop the spread of aquatic invasive species.

Sources: Tahoe Public Beaches; no kiteboarding policy found in official material as of 2026

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Ecology and habitat

Stewardship rotates across the city's spots, so riders are known as the people who look after them.

Lake Tahoe is 1,645 feet deep at its deepest point and covers 191 square miles.
Its clarity is its signature: no large lake in the world has annual clarity greater than Tahoe's, and protecting it is the main focus of lake management.

Sources: UC Davis Tahoe Environmental Research Center

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Good to know

Location, facilities and history.

Lake Tahoe sits at an average elevation of 6,225 feet on the California and Nevada border. It is 22 miles long and 12 miles wide, with about 75 miles of shoreline.
Riders launch from public beaches around the lake, including stretches of the south shore near South Lake Tahoe.
Tahoe is considered an advanced spot because of piers, buoys, rocks, floating logs and other debris, and trees near shore where kites can get stuck.
In June 2020 paddle boarders and kayakers were blown toward the middle of the lake by high winds at South Lake Tahoe. Check the forecast before going out.

Sources: Tahoe Quarterly; CBS Sacramento; UC Davis Tahoe Environmental Research Center; Bay Area Kiteboarding forum

Meet the riders

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Lake Tahoe

Lake Tahoe covers nearly 200 square miles of open water.

Source: Tahoe Quarterly

Know the spot

Lake Tahoe

The wind here is gusty, not steady, and thin mountain air calls for bigger kites.

Source: Tahoe Quarterly

Know the spot

Lake Tahoe

The water is extremely cold: drysuits, hoods and gloves are standard kit.

Source: Tahoe Quarterly

Know the spot

Why Lake Tahoe needs a chapter

US West Coast

Lake Tahoe is one of the largest alpine lakes in North America, and storms and afternoon winds funnel across it from the Sierra. The wind is gusty rather than steady, the air is thin, and the water is cold enough that riders wear drysuits, hoods and gloves.

19riders call this home

Kite, Wingdisciplines riding here

Lake Tahoe chapter, World Wind Sports

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US West Coast

It is also an advanced spot. Piers, buoys, rocks, floating logs and shoreline trees all catch kites, and sudden wind has blown paddlers far out onto the lake. There is no kite launch set aside anywhere on the shore, and riders share crowded public beaches with everyone else.

19riders call this home

Kite, Wingdisciplines riding here

Lake Tahoe chapter, World Wind Sports

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US West Coast

A chapter gives Tahoe's riders a way to work with the beach managers around the lake, to pass on what makes the spot safe, and to help protect the clarity that makes Tahoe what it is.

19riders call this home

Kite, Wingdisciplines riding here

Lake Tahoe chapter, World Wind Sports

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The riders, schools and crew of Lake Tahoe

Riders from South Lake Tahoe, Stateline, Zephyr Cove, Incline Village, Kings Beach, Tahoe City, Truckee, Carson City, Reno and the schools that teach them.

See the rider directory Talk on the board

WWSThe chapterHolds the line on access: one standing voice with whoever manages the launch.WWSThe chapterRuns stewardship days, so the people who manage the beach see riders as an asset.WWSThe chapterRuns sponsored certification weekends, so riders are trained and self-policing.WWSThe chapterHolds the line on access: one standing voice with whoever manages the launch.WWSThe chapterRuns stewardship days, so the people who manage the beach see riders as an asset.WWSThe chapterRuns sponsored certification weekends, so riders are trained and self-policing.

Victor Garcia PerezLevel 3N, Reno

MurpheyLevel 3J, Reno

Savannah GoughLevel 3K, Reno

Zachary CowanLevel 2I, Truckee

Saurabh SharmaLevel 2I, Reno

Madison AllenLevel 2I, Reno

Dawn BrownellLevel 2H, Carson City

Nathaniel EvansLevel 2I, Reno

Eric TracyLevel 3L, Incline Village

Steven PatinLevel 1D, Reno

Alexandra PenningtonLevel 1B, Incline Village

Mike MuldoonLevel 3L, Stateline

Donald LauryCertified rider, RenoCchristopher purfeerstLevel 3N, South Lake TahoeMMurpheyLevel 3L, RenoHHank EchterLevel 3K, Carson CityFFrank CoxLevel 2I, RenoLLumi Legend GrassoLevel 2H, South Lake TahoeTTravis Kool TravisLevel 1E, Carson city

Victor Garcia PerezLevel 3N, Reno

MurpheyLevel 3J, Reno

Savannah GoughLevel 3K, Reno

Zachary CowanLevel 2I, Truckee

Saurabh SharmaLevel 2I, Reno

Madison AllenLevel 2I, Reno

Dawn BrownellLevel 2H, Carson City

Nathaniel EvansLevel 2I, Reno

Eric TracyLevel 3L, Incline Village

Steven PatinLevel 1D, Reno

Alexandra PenningtonLevel 1B, Incline Village

Mike MuldoonLevel 3L, Stateline

iSportsKite, WingiWind spotLake TahoeiKnow thisLake Tahoe, on the California and Nevada border in the Sierra Nevada.iKnow thisGusty, shifting wind and thin air; very cold water year-round.iKnow thisNo lake-wide kite rules; boards and gear must be kept Clean, Drained and Dry.iSportsKite, WingiWind spotLake TahoeiKnow thisLake Tahoe, on the California and Nevada border in the Sierra Nevada.iKnow thisGusty, shifting wind and thin air; very cold water year-round.iKnow thisNo lake-wide kite rules; boards and gear must be kept Clean, Drained and Dry.

Live conditions

Wind right now at Lake Tahoe

Full forecast

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Your gift keeps the chapter running and the beach cared for: cleanup supplies, signage, certification weekends and the costs of being the group the park can call.

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Nearby chapters

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Hood River

The river that taught a generation to ride the wind. Two launches share one shoreline here, and the line between them holds because riders keep it.

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Sherman Island

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Crissy Field

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