Memorial Day Weekend @ Martinsdale Reservoir

Is it big enough that a water newbie wouldn't be in the way? I've been on snow for 5 seasons now, but still haven't had a good solid day on the water. Depending on the situation at the Beartooths, and my quiver at the time, I might be down.

Looks big enough, but if your new on the water. It may make since to find a site to launch with on-shore or slightly side-on-shore winds with the water being so cold. Last thing you want is issues getting the kite back in the air with cold water.

http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&hl=en&msa=0&msid=114753843622696726967.000480c4892bc7dc3c038&ll=46.446255,-110.27072&spn=0.032527,0.07699&t=h&z=14

True true. I just realized you're the Jerome that I know from GF. Howdy. :)

Howdy:)

Chris - Martinsdale is so launch friendly for a new-to-water-kiter. Nice grassy shallow walk-out launches along most of the N. shore of the lake. Great place to get it dialed. Only place easier is War Horse lake - between Grass Range & Winnett. The wind is spottier there although when it's on - its fantastic. Nice thing about Martinsdale is if you wind up stuck on the other side of the lake you can get a car retieval if anyone is watching.

Isn't there a really good chance it'll be crowded with fishermen & family boaters over Mem. Day? Love to go but I have to be in Hatteras instead that weekend. Damnit.

I thought Mission Lake was in Central Montana. Its half way between Great Falls and Kalispell, Right?
Just joking of course, The Martinsdale thing should happen.

I think it is the most newbie friendly spot in the state. It has shallow water near the shore. The farthest you ever have to float is about a mile. You can launch or land anywhere except the dam. It works in all wind directions and has a beautiful view of the crazy mts. Plus there is a bar a mile away!!!!

This is starting to sound really good to me Brian, I was planning on going to the Beartooth again for Memorial day, but a sweet summer outing sounds like a good time too. hmmm?

Joel, Like I said you really could do both if you had a full 4 days off. I would love it if you or T showed up with some demos. I wanna get a slider out there too. On bay is perfect for it. It would be fun. Just think about it. Hey how do I include pictures in a reply. I don't seem to have an option to do that?? I put pictures up in my orginal post. Still don't know how to put them in the body of the text??

we are still working that picture issue, The plan is to make this site more interactive and media friendly for the users,

Dude, I'm totally leaning towards the Martinsdale Idea for that weekend, I can do the Beartooth the week after when its not so crazy.

Thanks for getting the stoke for a summer event going Brian

I would be down to do one a month around the state,

joel

With the shallow snow pack so far this winter, you probably can write off the Beartooths the week after Memorial Day Weekend.

Most likely, if you want snow in May, go get it before the 31st!

Joel,
We should def do another one up on the highline at Tiber or Mission. And then possibly Flathead with Tony. We could make it a two or three part race series or something. And or the folks that show up to all of um get a t shirt or something. Kinda makes it a goal! Love it!!
B

Love the beach on Tiber and the wind on Mission... Kind of a toss up. With good wind in the forcast, I'd probably pick Tiber. :)

All I can say is I like the way this topic is leaning. I can't beleive snowkiters talking about liquid snow.

Just preparing for Post-global warming. We are going to need something to talk about

Gary:
They all see you out there ripping it up on water and think to themselves, "Hey I can do that!" What they are all unaware of is your super human strength and ability to go kiting hundreds of days per year!!!!! And Joel you know as I do that up here in MT we need snow for the reserviors to be full in the future!!!! So boo on global warming!

What's the story with camping at Martinsdale? Is the whole lakeshore public land like Tiber?

One issue with a bunch of people at Mission (other than cattle) would be everybody having to get the $20 tribal permit. Tiber's all BLM I think.

We should get on the southern Alberta forums and get a bunch of Canadians to come down. I bet there's a hundred kiters between Edmonton and Calgary.
Tony'd be PSYCHED!

Phew... My wetsuit still fits. Wearing it right now. I hope I can get out of it without a neighbor's help. My dog is looking at me funny.

Will a 4/3 suit with booties, gloves, and hood be warm enough for memorial day? I have a pretty good cold tolerance. I thought it was a 5/4 but I double checked and no dice...

4/3 should be fine. It all depends which way mother nature decides to blow. If it is norte. You will need that for sure. If it is a good WSW or SW you will be probably able to make it in a 3/2 or shorty. That is unless you are swimming a bunch. It is fairly shallow Reservoir and heats up pretty decently. And I think we should fly the canadian flag in honor of our northerly brothers. Tell tony we just need know what direction the wind is blowing and its the only flag we have. Bet that would piss off some of those redneck fishermen out there, too.

You can camp anywhere on the North side of the lake. The other side is private but they open it up to vehicles and fisherman so if somebody gets stuck we can always pick um up. Bring your own firewood though! As you can see from my picks not a lot of timber!!

Canada/US sounds great for one up by the border, Maybee mid to late May. What Holidays does Canada have?
That makes two spring events, lets do it.

Wow guys. This is the longest thread I think I have ever witnessed on MKS .....When is memorial day again? This is starting to get me REALLY pumped for summer. I miss all you Montana Kiters. I hope your shredding up some Pow for me! Can anyone in Montana offer me a job this summer. I miss that place. You guys dont know how good you got it!
AJ

AJ
Good to hear from you, what you doing now?

Alright you guys, I'm all in on this Water kiting event schedule. Let's plan one for Tiber and maybe Willow Creek/Pushkin Res. too.

Or,.......What lake has the best wind/beach/camping combo on the front range?

Tiber is so far away, I think we should have one event more centrally located that would draw more kiters, Martinsdale is pretty good, But the Front Range is about equal for everybody. Meaning kiters from: Bozangelese, GF, Zootown, Kalfornispell, HELLena and LewMT

I know Gary has kited all of them, What's the best lake on east side in the middle of the front range ?

AJ, you should come back for good. Your presence is missed....... I think we do know how good it is in Montana, That's why we all figured out how to stay here.

1 more idea for an event/get-together to toss out - maybe more towards end of summer when all the smaller lakes start to moss up. Fort Peck. Its a loooong haul for everyone. The Pines recreation area maybe? There could even be cabins for rent there. If there's 1 lake that could produce really sizeable waves it'd be Ft. Peck. Even on 14mph days the waves in the east end of the lake can be pretty large. They've traveled like 100 miles by then & the water gets deeper & deeper. The Pines is south of Glasgow where there's all these fingers extending into the lake with every conceivable wind direction doable and somewhat sheltered options if its just too honkin to hit the big water.

If it looks interesting to a good # of folks we could use my house as a sort of rally point....lots of room for folks to stay on their journey to or from.

I love the idea of Fort Peck, thanks for the offer. It is a Haul from Missoula though, 8 hrs, compared to a 6hr drive to the Gorge, Plus the fishing is really good there I here. I would think a boat is essential for a trip like that.

I stopped and looked at the big east end of Fort Peck last fall while it was gusting to well over 60. It was pretty impressive.
My take was that a boat is a must as it could be hundreds of miles of driving to get from one side to the other if you were chasing a kiter or chasing a changing wind direction.
I'm also pretty sure it's further for us to get to the dam-end of the lake than it is to get to the Gorge.
This is a damn big state.

We used go to Four Horn reservoir near Heart Butte a lot. A little closer to the front range than Mission, you can drive all the way around it like Mission, great Walleye fishing, cleaner than Mission in the heat of the summer, amazing flatwater stuff, you can camp anywhere but once again you're dealing with the reservation stuff...which isn't that big of a deal. We used to have some huge turnouts there windsurfing back in the day. Tons of fun riding mountain bikes, fishing, playing golf etc when the wind wasn't blowing.

How about lake Francis in Valier. Huge winds in the fall, camping etc..

Yeah - I do understand about the long haul....its almost 5 hrs from my house to the Pines area, 4 to The Big Arm. I have a small tiller fishing boat which could be used for rescue ...or...fishing. A bigger boat may be better though if a serious rescue circumstance came up in big waves....definitely wouldn't want to kite the east end of that lake without a boat backup available.

Understand about the distance - just thought a new & different place. Me personally has no desire to kite in the gorge despite the mecca status. I just can't wrap my head around kiting/launching/landing in crowds but then my skills suck & I'm spoiled by War Horse where there's never another soul on the water - kiters, fishers, skiers, or anyone. Once I get dialed in maybe it'll look more appealing. 1 thing about Ft Peck - you could have 1000 kiters and never get crowded - but - it is a haul.

That lake on the Res sounds good too but with low snowpack I'm wondering how Francis may hold up as summer winds on. Its all good though - just throwing it out there.

Well, in all fairness, I don't go to the Gorge for the Mecca status, the crowd, the sketchy launches or the water that makes my skin itch. I make the drive because the columbia river gorge is a wind machine and it nukes there all summer long. It's a sure thing most of the time. That's not to say Fort Peck couldn't be Montana's own Gorge. It just takes time to develop a place; to figure it out. There's more kite spots than kiters in this state. For me that's what makes this sports so exciting and feel privileged to live here.

Tony and were talking about a trip to Ft. Peck this summer, just not sure when.

I am definitely up for a trip to Fort Peck. Our buddy Chad grew up there and he is happy to help us plan a trip. He is taking his family to Florida for spring break to learn the water so I know they will be stoked to kite and show off their home turf. I think his parents even have a pontoon boat. I can't wait for summer.

Tony

The ice is completely off of Martinsdale. I rode yesterday and it was great. I hope you all come check this place out over memorial day. It a wonderful spot with some fantastic wind, launching, and space. Hope to see you all out there somewhere on the water!!!

Let me know when you're going to be there next. I might drive down just to check it out...

Chris.
750-0107

Tony and I will be there on Memorial Day Weekend For sure!

I have a whole Kiting Vacation planned that for that week. I'm excited to kick off the water season at Martinsdale and then head down to the Beartooth for a day or two, then on to the Bighorns for a day is the snow is still there, and then on to go hang out at a Dude Ranch, in Buffalo Wyoming Then on to my Step Brother's wedding in Billings. It's a lot of driving through Montana and Wyoming and kiting both water and snow.

We'll see you there!

joel

Does anyone know what kind of bouy would be the easiest and best to setup for some races. I am thinking I would need to get about 5 of them. 2 for a start stop and then 3 others for points to traverse around. Let me know what anyone thinks.

Criz I will give you a shout. Probably not this weekend but I might get back out there the first weekend in april. Kinda my way of celebrating easter. Sometimes I even get off work early and go for it around 2:30

Does anybody have any good ideas for cheap bouys I can get to anchor for setting up some races that weekend. I think it would be a hoot to do some sprints and some longer 1hr+ races.

Criz I will give you a call next time I go.

Plastic bottles/gallon milk jugs or something of the like?
I think we have several extra balls for our waterski course in one of the sheds. Anything'd work though. Helena'd be the place to find that stuff.
Maybe try Allen Kallio.

Brian, you can get in touch with Alan at Caird Boat Works in Helena at 1308 Orange Street 406 442 8009.

He's got all that stuff floating around the shop. (no pun intended)

This is the reunion post! Hey AJ! Sounds like multiple people rode water this weekend! Awesome I was still on snow at IP, but Todd rode Dailey gusting 50. For what its worth a few thoughts on Martinsdale rally: FIrst of all AWESOME spot for kiting! There are few (if any) Montana spots that are as freindly to the begginer and provides a meandering shoreline for incredible speed runs on flat water up to a mile long when full and some chop in the channel (this aint the gorge). I have been riding Martinsdale since '92 (only kiting since 2000). Martinsdale can blow from multiple directions, but really the most reliable is West. Other directions are unreliable and are hit and miss (not to say it doesn't blow other directions just the odds are against you). I am a little concerned that with El Nino the flow will be more south and Martinsdale will not go off like last summer(my wife and son got 15 days in August alone). if possible, I would try to throw in alternate location and make a call a few days before the event. The early 90's was kind of the end of popular Winsurfing at Martinsdale when 20 or more people would be out at a time We finally pushed those numbers last fall at Martinsdale (with mostly kiters I think) and there is plenty of room. Water skiing is not allowed keeping it more pristine for wind enthusiasts and fisherman. If you get coaugt down wind its an easy walk back up (as long as you are not a floating victim and can make it to shore). Since it is open range, there is alot of cattle manure and curious horses can kill your dog or stomp your gear. Not a big deal if you pay attention. I am willing to help out and can probably throw in some industry shwag and maybe some rails to slide. I am feeling the STOKE! lets do it!

Glad you are all excited for it. I agree completely w ron about Mdale loving the west. The nice thing about that location is that Deadman's is only 50 min away and then there is the Glaston lakes and and another favorite Cow poop pond by wilsal are also within an hour. i think with all of those options something will blow.

So what is the camping situation at Martinsdale ? Is there a fee? is it on State Land or BLM? I've talked to a lot of people expressing interest in coming to this event.

Also, where do you get weather info for this place?

Thanks, joel

It is all fish wild life and parks. There is no fee that I know of and you can camp anywhere on the north side of the lake. there are outhouses and a bar in town. other than that there are no facilities unless you drive 30min to White sulphur springs or harlowton. I look for west winds or east winds. you can find some weather stations in harlowton from noaa. see below for a link that I use. I just click on the noaa forcast and if it says west above 10mph then its usually a pretty good bet. If it is blowing west there then it is usually a go at martinsdale. I was out there last friday and rode a 7m. It is a big enough like to do a 4-6 mile long race.

http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/mesowest/mwmap.php?wfo=tfx&map=tfx&sort=name&list=1

Since its FWP isn't there a state lands use fee to camp overnight? Maybe not - I've never stayed there but it would be minimal anyway. Its all grass all the way around(perfect for kite launching and camping) so if you want to have a big group bonfire - bring wood.

I'd be stoked to to get some good kiting in at Martinsdale on Memorial Day weekend. I'll stay tuned to this post for further details.

Anyone from the Missoula area thinking of going who might be up for a carpool?

sorry about all the duplicate posts. I was getting a 'fatal error' message and then a spam alarm, so I didn't think my posts were getting through. oops.

No activity here for 10 days, so I'm lighting the fire again... Looking forward to this hooziewig!

Here's a public lands map for the area...

http://nris.mt.gov/gis/gisdatalib/downloads/100kpub_Ringling.pdf

Looks like it's a mix of private and state trust.

http://dnrc.mt.gov/trust/REMB/statues/recreationaluse.asp#reclicense

THIS IS NOT AN EVENT so please stop calling it that. I just want to make that clear. This is a word of mouth kiting weekend where everybody is invited. It may be an event next year but we need to see what kind of interest there is before over doing anything like a full blown event with sponors and prizes and such...Also, an event needs permits and oks and such. So be careful calling it anything besides what it is, which is a awesome chance to get together and kite an amazing lake in central Montana.
Ride hard and have fun,
B

Easy Brian, I don't think anyone is mistaking it for anything other than what it's going to be, A fun Memorial day weekend. As long as it's just for fun and there's no money being charged for entry fees or attendance or anything like that It's not an "event". There's a big difference. Maybe we should just call it the Memorial Day "thing" , or how about the "Whatyoumacallit" Camp Out and Kiter Get Together on Memorial Day Weekend, May 28-31 at Martinsdale Reservior. : ) Chris is right though, we should probably encourage people picking up a State Lands Use permit for people to be legally recreating on the area. They're pretty cheap, like 10 bucks or so.

Those Pictures you sent me look awesome by the way. Thanks,

Joel

I am planning on coming over with the new Epic Kites for people to demo. It sounds like a great weekend to get out and ride with friends on the water before the summer season gets into full swing.

By "event" I meant Memorial Day of course! I don't need any steenking prizes! Just well-charred hot dogs and sunshine. :)