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Spot de St-Sulpice - Plage du Laviau

St-Sulpice - Plage du Laviau kitesurf spot

Switzerland · Vaud

46.51 | 6.54

Overview

Along with Préverenges, the St-Sulpice spot is the ideal location for south-west orientation (typical depression orientation) on Lake Geneva. The beach is a mix of sand and grass, and the typical wind comes in side shore, making this spot rather accessible for intermediate kiters (just out of school).
 The Vaudaire (wind coming from Valais) can also reach here, which is very rare, so it's really cool to ride in Vaudaire conditions.
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St-Sulpice - Plage du Laviau: when to go?

The season runs from April to June, peaking in April: 16 rideable days a month and 180 hours of usable wind, at 19 °C. The low point is February, at 11.3 days.

The spot is only open from 01/09 to 15/06.

Rideable days per month

J F M A M J J A S O N D

Wind strength when it is rideable

Closed month 16-22 knots · 73% 22-30 knots · 26% 30-40 knots · 1%

When the spot works, wind sits mostly between 16 and 22 knots — 73% of rideable hours. Big-kite territory. The coldest month is January, at 6 °C. The wettest month is September, with 54 mm. Bar height is the month's rideable days; the split shows how its wind hours break down by strength.

Monthly averages — St-Sulpice - Plage du Laviau — averaged over 3 years of records
Month Rideable days Usable wind Temperature Rain
January 18.3 141 h 6 °C 21 mm
February 11.3 88 h 8 °C 17 mm
March 13.3 118 h 11 °C 22 mm
April 17.7 180 h 13 °C 38 mm
May 15.7 166 h 20 °C 39 mm
June 15.3 138 h 25 °C 49 mm
July closed 16.0 150 h 27 °C 62 mm
August closed 12.7 126 h 27 °C 31 mm
September 14.0 135 h 21 °C 54 mm
October 12.0 97 h 17 °C 53 mm
November 15.7 124 h 10 °C 42 mm
December 12.0 91 h 6 °C 28 mm

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Technical details of St-Sulpice - Plage du Laviau spot

Spot currently open :-)
Spot functioning map
Spot functioning
To launch
Position yourself in front of the exit channel and launch with the help of an assistant, with the kite pointing offshore. Once the kite is up (but not at zenith, always above the water), grab your board (left at the edge of the east) and head offshore without delay. The exit channel is authorized for navigation. Priority to those going offshore over those coming back in.
While riding
Do not come back toward shore to navigate in the swimming area (yellow buoys), it's simply forbidden. There are also, upwind, in the direction of Préverenges and just above the spot, two bird protection zones. It is strictly forbidden to approach within 300m of these areas. So if you want to ride in the Préverenges-Morges bay, stay well offshore.
 
 If the wind drops and you drift, in the village of St-Sulpice, there is a large CGN landing dock. Just below it, you can easily land your kite in the water and pack up. Then a path goes back along the lake to the spot.
To return
Come back by riding very gently or by being towed through the channel. Once on land, it's safer to move under the trees and land your kite pointing offshore (the same way as for launching). Doing the opposite ensures wind lulls and can be dangerous for other users and for your equipment, so avoid it.
Spot opening date
  • Open: from 01/09 to 15/06

Spot closed from June 15 to August 31

Required level

Intermediate

Parking
A large parking lot 200m from the spot, paid 7/7. Located in a 30km/h zone, so take it easy on the gas pedal!
Wind specificities
Two main wind orientations come to this spot, the famous South-west, which comes from Geneva and is a depression wind. If the weather is clear, we call it the 'white wind' and it's very consistent, however in case of bad weather, you should always look 'upwind' to see what's coming because squalls are quite frequent and the wind can pick up suddenly. So if it's all black on the horizon and you're already well-powered, it's time to come in. If you didn't see it coming and the wind suddenly increases, stay offshore and wait for it to pass (kite down on the water and board at your feet), it never lasts very long.
 
 The other orientation is the Vaudaire (or Foehn wind), wind coming from Valais that arrives suddenly and doesn't stay very long. Guaranteed fun session!
Hazards
For launching, see details below, but like all Swiss spots, there are trees and irregular wind near the shore. The peculiarity of this spot is its small breakwater at the bottom of the spot that you shouldn't encounter if you respect the exit channel. When you come back to shore, try to land your kite and lines on firm ground, otherwise your lines will be full of algae.
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Spot forecast for St-Sulpice - Plage du Laviau
07:06 19:54
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