Surfing Lake Champlain

By Caroline Patten

It’s 5:05am, and the WhatsApp group dings with a message from Gary K of South Hero: “It's blowing solid. Dawn patrol or miss it.” A quick swipe to Sailflow confirms his report – the breeze is up, reading 19 gusting to 24 knots at the Colchester Reef meter, and wind enthusiasts all around Lake Champlain are starting to chatter about where they are going to link up for a session that morning.

After loading up the car and making the trip up to Whites Beach, everyone's ready to start rigging & hitting the water for what looks to be a stellar morning on the lake. The normal crew is here and getting their gear rigged up. Gary has already logged a 20 mile sunrise session. “Nicely lit seven meter kitefoil session” (kites come in a variety of sizes ranging from 4-17 meters). Wings, foil boards, and kites quickly start to come together and inflate along the beach.

Off in the distance, a few brightly colored specs appear on the water. It looks like three or four wingfoilers heading downwind from the Burlington Surf Club. They are near the end of a downwinder, a point-to-point route surfed with the wind at your back. With a powerful southerly that’s been blowing overnight, the waves are likely six foot swells out in the broad lake, though they stay much smaller inside the bay.

The windsports scene has always had a home on Lake Champlain, but in recent years, it has grown, evolving alongside improvements in equipment. These equipment developments have made the water accessible to far more people. Wing foiling is the latest trend, alongside disciplines like kitesurfing and parawing foiling.

If you haven't seen a foil before, take a stroll down by the lake on the next windy day. If you pass the Burlington Surf Club, you'll notice them – masts sticking down from the base of a board with a stingray-shaped hydrofoil at the bottom. These foils efficiently glide through the water, using the energy of the waves to lift the rider completely off the surface. By eliminating drag, foils allow wind enthusiasts to ride in much lighter breezes and tap into the energy below the surface of the waves. For those of us on Lake Champlain, adding foiling to the mix has exponentially increased the number of rideable days we get each year. 

The feeling of surfing on foil is something truly unique and difficult to capture in words, but when you get locked into a swell and flag out the sail, the free carve sensation is most closely related to untouched, bottomless powder turns going downhill on a snowboard or skis. Or, if you've ever experienced the feel of a planing sailboat, it feels similar to that – but with more style and expression in turns and movements.

“The beauty of winging on Lake Champlain is all about the freedom it opens up,” says Justin Coplan of Charlotte. “Once you reach a level of competency, it opens up water access points you wouldn't think of taking a kite out of. The ease of setup allows for quick-strike sessions.”

The innovation in the gear also drastically widens the window of when you can safely and enjoyably get out. Justin notes, “The range enables you to go in upper-end winds that you wouldn't consider sailing in. All of this combines for more high-quality time on the water with the same prep work as going for a bike ride.”

This accessibility is opening doors for an entirely new demographic of waterpeople who never previously considered themselves wind athletes. “Coming from a background with no windsports and very little watersports, including a fear of water, this sport was a huge hurdle for me!” Jess Voyer of Essex shares. “But with the help of friends, the best windsport community, and lots of swearing, it has quickly become one of my favorite things to do, ever.”

Jess's experience speaks to the welcoming, tightly-knit community growing around the Vermont shores. “Lake Champlain is an amazing place for wingfoiling, and if I can do it, anyone can,” Jess adds. “But watch out, or you'll soon find yourself checking the wind like it's your day job!”

There is truly nothing like being out on Lake Champlain on a beautiful southerly day when the wind is up. The water can get too rough for most lake boats, meaning the local wind community practically has the entire lake to themselves on a big day, shared only with a handful of sailors. The backdrop offers epic views of the mountains, and a total disconnect from the stressors on land. 

The Surf Club offers lessons and e-foil demos, where you can get a taste for the sensation and community. There are also a few private individuals who teach lessons, whether it's e-foiling on the Waterbury Reservoir in Waterbury Center or kiting out at Delta Park in Colchester. 

Whether you use these new tools and toys to execute a few-hour downwinder from Charlotte Beach up to South Hero, or you prefer a quick launch from the Burlington waterfront, you are guaranteed to find a welcoming community and an incredible scene on the water. If you are interested in getting in on the fun, check out the Vermont Kiteboarding group on Facebook, or swing by Wnd&Wvs (they also facilitate some used gear sales!).

Caroline Patten (molahoods@gmail.com) is an apparel designer, maker, and founder of Vermont-based Mola Hoods. Specializing in high-performance outdoor gear, she champions ethical, slow-fashion manufacturing. When not behind a sewing machine, she's wingfoiling, kitesurfing, backcountry snowboarding, or mountain biking.