Fontainebleau

The water area of La Grande Paroisse is a large inland lake with developed banks in places and areas reserved for recreational activities. For kitesurfing, it is essential to clearly distinguish the sectors dedicated to the cable ski and WAM Park activities from the free navigation area. Launching is done from small grassy or sandy beaches, depending on the chosen access, with enough space to rig and launch the kite in good conditions if attendance is low.

The spot works with almost all wind orientations, except for North, which creates turbulent and unpleasant conditions. The lake being quite open, one can find side-shore or side-on orientations on at least part of the banks, which is more comfortable for kitesurfing. A wind from the West to Southwest is generally well exploitable, providing a mostly regular wind for an inland body of water.

The water area is rather flat to choppy with a small choppy swell when the wind strengthens. There is no tide here, so no variation in water level related to tidal changes, but the lake level can slightly change depending on the season and water management. The navigation area is generally clear, without reefs or rocks, but one must remain attentive to pontoons, buoys, cable ski cables, and other users (wakeboard, paddle, pedal boats) on the WAM Park side.

The most comfortable area for kitesurfing is located outside the cable ski circuit and inflatable structures. It is important to visually identify the authorized or tolerated area for kites and to communicate with locals if possible. Takeoff is preferably done with assistance, as the banks are not always wide and there may be traffic. With stronger winds, the typical gusts of inland bodies of water require good control of the kite and a safety margin in distance from the shore.