WindPowerSports - Las Vegas, USA.

April 2001

WindPowerSports is based in a fairly non-descript cluster of shops West of 'The Strip'. There are large signs advertising its presence, so it is easy to spot.

Scot Dyer is the shop owner but now spends his working days running a dental lab. Corey Jensen can also be found working in Scot's dental shop.

I turned up on a Tuesday afternoon and was greeted by Mike Walden who runs the shop.
WindPowerSports stocks a variety of products, and most of the walls and ceilings are adorned with kites. There is a workshop at the rear for repairs and custom kite building.

Mike and I chatted for a while about kiting and it soon became apparent that he knows the subject very well. He moved to Las Vegas from Hawaii a few years back and has been flying kites for over a decade. He is a kite buggying fanatic, as well as being a keen landsailer.

Mike started out buggying in 1990/91 with a Peter Lynn Classic (spoked wheels) which he bought at a trade show and proudly admits to still owning.
I asked him if he had tried kite surfing. He has, but not in the modern sense.
Back in 1991 he and a few friends tried kite surfing with Team Hawaiian kites and during that time crossed paths with Robby Naish who has a shop on Kailua beach. Mike explains that Robby took exception to their kite surfing experiments and told them to get off the beach.
Naish now sells the renowned kites for kitesurfing.

On the subject of stunt kites there seems to be a difference between the US kite flyer's preference and that of the European kite flyer.
Mike explains that the typical American tends to prefer the excitement of flying a really noisy two line delta kite that pulls so hard that they have trouble standing upright.
Europeans on the other hand prefer their kites quieter. This is due in part to local legislation that prohibits excessive noise in public areas.
Mike feels that this 'quietening down' of kites has killed their saleability somewhat.
He would often have customers coming into the shop asking to buy the same powerful noisy kite that they had just seen some guy flying in the local park. Within half an hour of buying it they could be having the same fun themselves. Trick kites may look amazing to fly, but it may take two weeks before the same person can even manage a single trick, by which time most people have got bored and put it in a cupboard.

What US kite festivals would Mike particularly recommend for the visiting European ?
His suggestions (in rank order) are :
1) Washington Long Beach
2) Berkeley
3) Santa Monica

 

 

Ever wanted to buy a new kite but your spouse / partner won't let you ?
Mike's tip for getting around this is to make sure you buy the new kite in exactly the same colours as the old one thereby making it appear that you are always using the same kite.
He said this worked for him for a while but eventually he was found out !

WindPowerSports is located about half an hours walk away from The Strip (Las Vegas Blvd), although I would recommend taking a cab if possible.
Ring ahead if you do plan to visit as sometimes the shop closes for the day if they are doing displays.

 

WindPower Sports
3111 S.Valley #A-116
Las Vegas, NV 89102

www.windpowersports.com