Living Las Vegas

Real Life in the Shadow of the Strip

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Sailing on the Sand: Kite Buggying on Ivanpah Dry Lake

Last week, kite buggiers from around the globe gathered near Primm for the tenth annual Spring Break Buggy Blast. Without knowing much more than the fact that a kite buggy is a wind-propelled wheeled vehicle, I headed off the asphalt to find out why people from as far away as New Zealand and Argentina make a yearly pilgrimage to the cracked and dusty surface of Ivanpah dry lakebed.

The wind was what I would call fierce as I bumped off the edge of the parking lot next to the outlet mall and droved toward a white tent, several RVs, and a dozen cars clustered a few miles away. As I drew closer, I got my first view of a buggy, a low-slung vehicle with three wheels and seating for one.

Claxton Thompson and Dean Jordan, expert kite buggiers from Florida, filled me in a little on how man and machine join forces to harness the wind. Unlike land yachts, kite buggies don’t have a mast. The kite is attached to the pilot, not the buggy. Depending on wind speed, pilots use kites of varying sizes and design. They control them with lines that are about eighty feet long.

“Conditions are perfect today,” Dean said as the wind whipped around us. “We’ve been lucky all week.” He pointed to a man flying an enormous kite decorated with a New Zealand flag. “That’s Peter Lynn,” he said. Lynn is credited with inventing kite buggying, and his vehicle and kite designs are popular all over the world. Also in attendance was Buggy Blast founder Fran Gramkowski, who hails from New Jersey. I also met Scott Skinner, president of the Drachen Foundation, an organization dedicated to the “increase and diffusion of knowledge about kites worldwide.”

“Ready for your ride?” Dean asked, which was the first time I realized I was going to be more than a mere observer. He introduced me to Blake Pelton, a professional kite designer from Colorado. He was standing next to a buggy built for two. After explaining that under no circumstances was I to touch my feet to the ground while we were moving, I was suddenly speeding across the lake toward Interstate 15.

Now it was easy to understand why people travel halfway around the world to get to Ivanpah, and why kite buggying is growing in popularity here in Las Vegas. Not many places on earth offer thirty-five square miles of unobstructed flatness. If conditions are right, which is often the case in southern Nevada, buggies can travel up to seventy miles an hour. I topped out at about thirty with Blake, but it felt like at least a hundred. When I looked back to see that the big white tent had shrunk to a tiny dot, I was glad to hear about the safety precautions buggiers take, like carrying water and making sure somebody knows where they’ve headed.

In addition, I learned that I was traveling with a very experienced pilot. Blake got his first kite at age three, built his first kite at five, and he’s been buggying for over twenty years.

But that isn’t to say that it takes twenty years to learn the sport. “I can teach someone the basics in a few days,” he said. And as soon as we returned to headquarters, he resumed giving lessons to an eager novice.

This year’s Spring Break Buggy Blast was cut unexpectedly short by rainstorms that turned Ivanpah into a real lake. The buggiers will be back next year, but if you’re interested in learning more in the meantime, the place to head is WindPower Sports here in Las Vegas. Owner Corey Jensen is a recognized expert, and he provides equipment and support for kiters, kite buggiers, and landsailers. His Web site is excellent, too, as are all those I’ve listed in the box at the left.

What's it like to live in Las Vegas? You'll find answers here! Living Las Vegas features news and views from nine local writers who call Southern Nevada home.