Gera Lario
Lombardy · Lake Como · Gera Lario; Colico is the nearest rail hub, about 5 km away
also known as Lake Como / Gera Lario, Gera Lario - La Punta
Riding essentials
Season
May–Sep
Months riders and schools name
How windy
15-18 knots
Character: thermal
Room to launch
ok
access rules on record, below
Water
mixed
23–24 °C in summerFreshwater lake conditions are flat to light chop rather than waves
Hazards
15
Reported by riders
Level
Intermediate to advanced
With a caveat: see Your level
Crowds
medium crowds · busy Jun Jul Aug
Schools
3
named at this spot
From the airport
Milan Malpensa (MXP)
Transfer times under Getting there
Breva
13:00 · 15:00 · 16:00 · 18:00
The Breva reaches the top of the lake around 13:00 and peaks between 15:00 and 16:00. The best window for kiting is roughly midday to 16:00; after that the wind swings side-offshore and turns gappy, though it can hold to 18:00 or to sunset on a good day.
The marks are the clock times the record names, laid on a 24-hour day. The bar between the first and the last covers those hours; it is not a promise of wind.
Nearbystraight-line distance
The spot
Location and conditions
Launch and skill level
Season and crowds
The wind
locals call it Breva
Direction
Direction to shore
cross-on
Dominant direction
South thermal. North and Tivano winds and post-storm northerlies happen, but they are gustier and less reliable.
Kite sizes
metres · typical quiver highlighted
The quiver, in words
For 75-85 kg on a twin-tip, an 11-12 m matches the standard 15-18 knot Breva through a July afternoon. Drop to 9-10 m on the reinforced 20-plus days, and take 13-14 m for the early build before 13:00 and for weak thermals. 10-13 m is the range most riders here actually carry.
Character
Average strength
No raw station average for Gera Lario. The figures in circulation are 7-18, 10-30, 12-22 and 15-18 knots, depending on which account you take and on whether thermals are counted.
Typical strength
15-18 knots on a normal Breva, over 20 when easterly flow reinforces it, and in rare cases brushing 30. The direction rotates about 40 degrees over the course of the day, ending the afternoon side-offshore. North winds after a front are gusty and often not worth rigging for.
Forecast
Live forecast
Month by month
- Jan
- Feb
- Mar
- Apr
- May
- Jun
- Jul
- Aug
- Sep
- Oct
- Nov
- Dec
riding season from the spot record · no wind series here is trusted enough to name a season
- Jan6
- Feb5
- Mar3
- Apr13
- May, riders' month3
- Jun, riders' month3
- Jul, riders' month5
- Aug, riders' month6
- Sep, riders' month10
- Oct2
- Nov2
- Dec13
windy days per month (3 h+ at 12 kn+)
Ringed months are the ones riders and schools name: May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep.
Our wind model misses this spot's wind
The model puts wind on only 13% of days, even in its best month, which does not match the season and the wind strength riders and schools report here. That is why the bars are hatched instead of coloured: go by the ringed months, the ones riders name.
Modelled from the operational forecast archive at 1.5–7 km (2023-2024), daylight hours only, not a ground station: it resolves thermal, lake and valley winds far better than coarse reanalysis but still tends to understate a strong local thermal.
Every figure, month by monthWindy days · Force 4+ · 12 kn or more · Knots · Wind from · Peaks at · Air · Readings
| Month | Windy days | Force 4+ | 12 kn or more | Knots | Wind from | Peaks at | Air | Readings |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 6% | 18% | 13% | 5.9 kt | ESE | 13:00 | 2.8 °C | 62 |
| Feb | 5% | 12% | 9% | 6 kt | WSW | 15:00 | 3.9 °C | 57 |
| Mar | 3% | 23% | 16% | 8.5 kt | W | 16:00 | 7.5 °C | 62 |
| Apr | 13% | 35% | 25% | 9.9 kt | WSW | 16:00 | 11.4 °C | 60 |
| May | 3% | 37% | 24% | 9.7 kt | WSW | 16:00 | 15.8 °C | 62 |
| Jun | 3% | 40% | 20% | 10.3 kt | WSW | 16:00 | 19.4 °C | 60 |
| Jul | 5% | 31% | 18% | 10 kt | WSW | 16:00 | 21.7 °C | 62 |
| Aug | 6% | 31% | 21% | 10.8 kt | WSW | 16:00 | 21.1 °C | 62 |
| Sep | 10% | 27% | 18% | 8.7 kt | WSW | 16:00 | 17.5 °C | 60 |
| Oct | 2% | 5% | 3% | 5.2 kt | W | 15:00 | 12.8 °C | 62 |
| Nov | 2% | 10% | 8% | 5.7 kt | E | 13:00 | 7.5 °C | 60 |
| Dec | 13% | 18% | 15% | 5.8 kt | E | 11:00 | 3.6 °C | 62 |
About these figuresriders' months · 2023-2024
Riders and schools name these months. The model reads lower here, and both are shown rather than averaged.
A windy day has at least three consecutive daylight hours at 12 knots or more. The typical daily max and the direction are columns of the table above, month by month. Highlighted months are the riding season from the spot record.
High-resolution weather model (modelled) · Open-Meteo historical forecast archive — best-match operational model (ICON-D2 / AROME / ICON-EU / GFS by region), not a ground station · 2023-2024
The water
Type
mixed
Standing depth
At the pratone by the Mera mouth the bottom stays shallow for roughly the first 50 m over sand, which is unusual on this lake, though stones and stray objects turn up here and there underfoot. In July and August, when the regulated lake level drops, a sandbank comes out off the launch and gives a natural flat area to start from directly on the water. Off the San Vincenzo stream mouth, a little to the south, the bottom drops away almost at once. The claim that the shallow carries roughly 300 m out is unconfirmed.
Tides
none (freshwater lake)
Temperature
Summer (°C) 23-24 typical surface-water range for Lake Como; Gera Lario August historical average reported as 24.2
Winter (°C) 5-6 typical Lake Como surface-water range; Gera Lario January historical average reported as 6.3
Wetsuit
Shorty or light suit in high summer depending on tolerance; full wetsuit in spring and autumn; winter water is cold.
Currents
No tidal current on a lake. The Mera outflow sits right beside the launch and leaves the water at the pratone noticeably murkier than elsewhere, and the river lies downwind, so drift lines matter more than flow does. How much current is actually felt during spring snowmelt or after heavy rain is still unmeasured.
Conditions
Your level
not for beginners here
The scene
What riders come here for
Launch and rules
three ways on to the water, and what each one asks of you
With a school or a boat
3 schools name this spot
On your own
Room to launch: ok
Somewhere else
6 spots nearby
Rescue
Launch
Three ways into the water.The pratoneThe pratone, the big meadow at the Mera mouth where the local watersports centre sits, is the usual one: shallow sand for about the first 50 m, murkier water from the river, and an upwind slog to get back to it once the Breva swings southwest out of the San Vincenzo valley.By the chapelThe beach by the little chapel south of the harbour is the second.San Vincenzo streamThe third is the San Vincenzo stream mouth, where the wind arrives cleaner and more direct but the bottom deepens immediately.Entry and riggingThe stone slipway near the port is treacherous with moss; the ladder is less convenient and much safer.Light poles and harbour-side fixtures sit close to where people rig, so kites go up and come down under control or not at all.
Rules & access
1 min read
Access rules drift faster than anything else we hold — check locally, and propose an edit if this has changed.
Schools that ride here
Rider tips
- Check the live local stations before you drive; generic model forecasts under-call the Breva.
- Ride the midday to 16:00 window. After that the wind veers side-offshore and gets gappy, and the upwind back to the pratone is work.
- Launch only if you can keep the kite off the light poles and leave the shore cleanly on the first tack; if you cannot, use school boat support or a pickup.
- If the Breva has already swung southwest, take the San Vincenzo stream mouth instead: cleaner and more direct, at the cost of deep water straight off the beach.
- In July and August the lake level drops and a sandbank comes out off the launch, which turns the start into a stand-up water launch rather than a beach one.
- Be picky about north wind. It is gusty and often not worth rigging for.
- Confirm the kite and windsurf zoning at the beach before rigging, particularly during the summer bathing season.
- Wear something on your feet: stones and stray objects turn up on the bottom, and the stone slipway by the port is mossy, so use the ladder.
Getting there
Airport
Milan Malpensa (MXP) and Bergamo Orio al Serio are both commonly cited for northern Lake Como access; Milan Malpensa is about 100 km away.
Route
By car, approach northern Lake Como via the SS36 and local roads; by train, travel to Colico then continue about 5 km by taxi, bicycle or local bus to Gera Lario.
Transfer (minutes)
90-120 by car from Milan-area airports in normal conditions; about 120 from Milan Malpensa by car/train.
Cost level
medium
Staying
Apartments and guesthouses, hotels and campsites, all round the north lake: Gera Lario itself, Domaso, Colico, Dongo. Camping Magic Lake at Dongo takes kite and foil guests through Lake Como Kiteboarding.
No-wind days
Pian di Spagna nature reserve and wetlands, Forte Montecchio Nord/Forte Fuentes near Colico, Menaggio-Varenna-Bellagio ferry sightseeing, hiking and cycling around Alto Lario, wakeboarding/go-karting in Colico, paragliding in the northern Lake Como area, and Milan day trips.
Photos
FAQ
When is the best time to kite at Gera Lario?
The main season runs May to September, with the Breva thermal strongest around midday to early afternoon on sunny days.
Is Gera Lario suitable for beginners?
No, the shore launch is treated as intermediate-plus because of light poles, harbor obstacles and the need to tack away immediately after launching.
What is the wind like at Gera Lario?
The Breva is a reliable south thermal reported around 12-22 knots, usually starting near noon and continuing into late afternoon; north winds are gustier and less reliable.
Are there kite schools nearby?
Yes, schools include UNHOOKED Kitesurf School, Tabo Surf Center, Boarderline Surf School, 414 Kiting and Lake Como Kiteboarding.
The bigger pictureEverything about Lake Como
Last updated: August 2026