France
Altitude Kite Spot is located on the Plage des Eaux Douces in Crots, by the Serre-Ponçon lake in the Hautes-Alpes. It is a popular spot for kitesurfing and wingfoiling due to its fresh water and mountain scenery.
The spot offers a large grassy technical area of about 300 meters for practicing on land. The Altitude Kite school offers courses for all levels with a boat for safety in open water.
Open from May to September, the site includes a snack bar with a view of the lake to combine sport and relaxation.
The wind data shown here comes from ERA5 (via Open-Meteo) over 4 years, reprocessed to reflect realistic conditions.
👉 Average wind has been calibrated to avoid the usual underestimation of models.
👉 Gusts have been corrected by a median ratio to avoid unrealistic extreme values.
👉 Each day is summarized by the median wind (P50) observed during useful hours (8am–8pm), then classified into wind ranges.
👉 The weighted mode mixes average wind and gusts to best reflect felt wind.
flatflatThe main wind comes from the West or Northwest, side-on or side-shore relative to the east-west oriented beach, providing optimal conditions for freeride, foiling, and freestyle. It is light in the morning and gradually strengthens in the afternoon, becoming consistent in the late day thanks to the lake's thermal.
The navigation area is vast in open water, far from the steep shores. The water entry is from the grassy beach, but be cautious of water level variations: in spring, the water rises to the lawn; in summer, you have to walk on slippery rocks to reach the water.
The launch area is wide and grassy, ideal for warming up. Beginner courses start on land for piloting, then move by boat to the Savines-le-Lac bridge for tow-in and water-start. In free navigation, stay in deep water to avoid seasonal obstacles.
Ideal conditions are with a West or Northwest wind of 15 to 25 knots in the afternoon, side-on, for a flat and consistent water surface until evening.
The water surface is almost always flat, perfect for foiling and freestyle. The fresh water is turquoise but cold, even in summer, coming from the snow-capped peaks.
As a reservoir lake, there are no tides or strong sea currents. Water level variations are seasonal due to snowmelt in spring and decrease in summer, but there are no notable directional currents.
Opt for sizes from 9 to 11 m² in light to moderate thermal wind, and go down to 7-9 m² when it picks up in the late afternoon or with sustained West wind.
The thermal wind is very consistent, absent in the morning and picking up strength in the afternoon. It mainly blows from the Northwest or West, with consistent forces in the late afternoon when it adds to the lake's thermal. Beware of local storms that can make it unpredictable.
The climate of the Hautes-Alpes offers more than 300 days of sunshine per year. Temperatures are mild in summer with highs around 25-30°C during the day, but nights remain cool. The ideal season runs from April to July, before the heat makes the thermal winds less reliable.
The depth is gradual with a rocky and pebbly bottom near the shores. You can stand for a good distance in summer when the water level drops, but it quickly becomes deep in open water.
The water remains cold around 12-16°C in May-June despite the sun, and rises to 18-22°C in July-August. A 4/3 mm wetsuit is recommended throughout the season.
