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Kiteboarder airborne at the Squamish Spit with the Stawamus Chief behindAerial view of the head of Howe Sound and the Squamish estuarySquamish and the river estuary seen from the Stawamus ChiefHowe Sound from the top of the Sea to Sky GondolaHowe Sound and Squamish from the mountains above

Chapters / Canada Open, 1 of 1 remaining

Ride Squamish, keep it open

At the head of Howe Sound, summer wind pours up from the ocean into a glacier-fed river mouth, and Squamish riders have built a whole society around one rocky launch.

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83 riders call this homeKite, WingSquamish

Everything you need to know about Squamish

Live conditions

Why riders love it

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

  • The season runs mid-May to mid-September, with the best wind in midsummer. Afternoon wind is typically 15 to 30 mph and fairly steady.
  • The wind blows cross-offshore from the launch, so riders need to ride upwind and self-rescue. The launch is rocky, covered with mats in summer.
  • The river is fed by the Pemberton Icefield. A 5/4 wetsuit is standard all summer, with hood, gloves and booties early and late in the season.

Sources: MacKite

See the wind right now
Aerial view of the head of Howe Sound and the Squamish estuary

Access and rules

Local governments and environmental agencies set the terms. The chapter works with them, not around them.

  • The launch is managed by the Squamish Windsports Society, a non-profit. Riding requires a membership or pass, and riders should check the society's live spot status before going.
  • In 2022 the society ran a daily boat shuttle from May 15 to September 15 to carry members to the island launch. It had 623 members that season, and the single-pass membership rose from $180 to $280 to cover the shuttle.
  • Volunteers run jet ski rescue. Riders who get in trouble can drift into the marsh or toward industrial ships on the downwind shore.

Sources: Squamish Chief; MacKite

Help hold the launch
Squamish and the river estuary seen from the Stawamus Chief

Ecology and habitat

Protected lagoons, wetlands and the species that depend on them. Stewardship days keep launches clean inside the protected zones.

  • The Spit is a training berm built in 1970 that cut the Squamish River off from the central estuary. It is being removed to restore access for juvenile chinook and other salmon, which use the estuary as a nursery.
  • The work is led by the Squamish River Watershed Society with the Squamish Nation and requires three to five years of monitoring after construction.

Sources: Squamish Chief

Fund stewardship here
Howe Sound from the top of the Sea to Sky Gondola

Good to know

Location, facilities and history.

  • Squamish sits at the head of Howe Sound, about 90 minutes' drive from Vancouver International Airport.
  • Riders launch from the Spit area at the mouth of the Squamish River, between the river and the estuary. Road access ends about 300 metres short of the launch island.
  • The society provides bathrooms, changing facilities, a hydraulic pump, rock mats and a live wind meter at the launch.
  • Squamish Watersports, on the downtown waterfront, offers kiteboarding and wing foiling lessons, including boat-assisted lessons in a quieter part of Howe Sound.

Sources: MacKite; Explore Squamish; MacKite; Squamish Chief

Meet the riders
Howe Sound and Squamish from the mountains above

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Schools that teach on this water

Squamish Watersports

Squamish

Summer afternoon wind typically blows 15–30 mph, and most days top 20.

Source: MacKite

Know the spot

Squamish

The season runs mid-May to mid-September.

Source: MacKite; Squamish Chief

Know the spot

Squamish

Glacier-fed water means a 5/4 wetsuit all summer.

Source: MacKite

Know the spot

Why Squamish needs a chapter

Kiteboarder airborne at the Squamish Spit with the Stawamus Chief behind
Canada

Every summer afternoon, wind funnels up Howe Sound between the mountains and fills in over the mouth of the Squamish River. It is strong and steady, often over 20 mph, and it has made Squamish one of the best-known kite spots in Canada.

83riders call this home
1local schools teach on this water
Kite, Wingdisciplines riding here

Squamish chapter, World Wind Sports

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Aerial view of the head of Howe Sound and the Squamish estuary
Canada

Access here has always depended on organisation. The Squamish Windsports Society runs the launch, the rescue crew and the facilities, and riders pay to keep it going. Now the old Spit road is being removed to reopen the estuary to young salmon, and riders reach the launch by boat.

83riders call this home
1local schools teach on this water
Kite, Wingdisciplines riding here

Squamish chapter, World Wind Sports

Back this chapter
Squamish and the river estuary seen from the Stawamus Chief
Canada

A chapter can stand beside the society: helping riders support the estuary restoration rather than fight it, keeping a safe and welcoming launch, and making sure the next launch site is planned with riders at the table.

83riders call this home
1local schools teach on this water
Kite, Wingdisciplines riding here

Squamish chapter, World Wind Sports

Back this chapter

Photographer credits Back this chapter

The riders, schools and crew of Squamish

Riders from Squamish, Whistler, North Vancouver, West Vancouver, Vancouver and the schools that teach them.

See the rider directory Talk on the board
SSquamish WatersportsLocal school teaching on this waterWWSThe 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.SSquamish WatersportsLocal school teaching on this waterWWSThe 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.
Olga KudinovaLevel 4T, WhistlerIan HumphreysLevel 3K, VancouverStacy HallLevel 3M, VancouverNikki JewellLevel 3K, WhistlerTimothy ChandraLevel 3L, VANCOUVERChuck JohnsonLevel 4Q, West VancouverJuan Pablo Castaño Castano ValenciaLevel 3N, VancouverAlexander LevinLevel 3N, VancouverKarim SageevLevel 4P, VancouverMohamed AbdelhameedLevel 3N, VancouverEva TolosaLevel 3J, VancouverManuelle ChanoineLevel 2I, VancouverSophia PashchenkoLevel 3L, VancouverSean van OostwaardLevel 3K, SquamishGeoffrey ScalesLevel 4Q, VancouverMark Kalenichenko MarkLevel 2I, VancouverPedro Paulo Donadon GuedesLevel 2I, VancouverAlessandro BiavatiLevel 3N, VancouverColleen McVeighLevel 4Q, VancouverElla WilsonLevel 3N, WhistlerSamantha CastroLevel 2I, VancouverDanielle StarkmanLevel 2I, VancouverHeather LapidesLevel 3L, VancouverKarly DagysLevel 3L, SquamishKrishna Kumar GanesanLevel 2I, VancouverLuis LajousLevel 3N, VancouverTian-Ann HELevel 2I, North VancouverKatja FalconerLevel 2I, VancouverLeslie EllisLevel 2I, North VancouverRoberto BruzzeseLevel 4V, SquamishSofia UndaLevel 2H, VancouverFredric SjobergLevel 2I, WhistlerJulia BaumLevel 3K, VancouverNathan GrahamWing Foil Level 5, VancouverZeke NortonLevel 2I, VancouverDesiree FiskerLevel 2I, WhistlerMichael Iny InyLevel 3K, North vancouverTravis O’KeefeLevel 2H, VancouverAhsen AhsenLevel 1D, SquamishAntonio ArciniegaLevel 2I, VancouverOlga KudinovaLevel 4T, WhistlerIan HumphreysLevel 3K, VancouverStacy HallLevel 3M, VancouverNikki JewellLevel 3K, WhistlerTimothy ChandraLevel 3L, VANCOUVERChuck JohnsonLevel 4Q, West VancouverJuan Pablo Castaño Castano ValenciaLevel 3N, VancouverAlexander LevinLevel 3N, VancouverKarim SageevLevel 4P, VancouverMohamed AbdelhameedLevel 3N, VancouverEva TolosaLevel 3J, VancouverManuelle ChanoineLevel 2I, VancouverSophia PashchenkoLevel 3L, VancouverSean van OostwaardLevel 3K, SquamishGeoffrey ScalesLevel 4Q, VancouverMark Kalenichenko MarkLevel 2I, VancouverPedro Paulo Donadon GuedesLevel 2I, VancouverAlessandro BiavatiLevel 3N, VancouverColleen McVeighLevel 4Q, VancouverElla WilsonLevel 3N, WhistlerSamantha CastroLevel 2I, VancouverDanielle StarkmanLevel 2I, VancouverHeather LapidesLevel 3L, VancouverKarly DagysLevel 3L, SquamishKrishna Kumar GanesanLevel 2I, VancouverLuis LajousLevel 3N, VancouverTian-Ann HELevel 2I, North VancouverKatja FalconerLevel 2I, VancouverLeslie EllisLevel 2I, North VancouverRoberto BruzzeseLevel 4V, SquamishSofia UndaLevel 2H, VancouverFredric SjobergLevel 2I, WhistlerJulia BaumLevel 3K, VancouverNathan GrahamWing Foil Level 5, VancouverZeke NortonLevel 2I, VancouverDesiree FiskerLevel 2I, WhistlerMichael Iny InyLevel 3K, North vancouverTravis O’KeefeLevel 2H, VancouverAhsen AhsenLevel 1D, SquamishAntonio ArciniegaLevel 2I, Vancouver
iSportsKite, WingiWind spotSquamishiKnow thisSquamish, British Columbia, at the head of Howe Sound, about 90 minutes from Vancouver airport.iKnow thisStrong, steady summer afternoon wind; cold glacier-fed water.iKnow thisLaunch managed by the Squamish Windsports Society; membership required, boat shuttle to the island.iSportsKite, WingiWind spotSquamishiKnow thisSquamish, British Columbia, at the head of Howe Sound, about 90 minutes from Vancouver airport.iKnow thisStrong, steady summer afternoon wind; cold glacier-fed water.iKnow thisLaunch managed by the Squamish Windsports Society; membership required, boat shuttle to the island.

Live conditions

Wind right now at Squamish

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