Nearby Lac du Bourget - Cap des Ceselets 3 km · Bout du Lac - Doussard 27 km · Plage d'Albigny 31 km · straight-line distance
On the clock
17:00 · 18:00 · 21:00
Late afternoon. It usually fills between 17:00 and 18:00 and runs to around 21:00, and in a clear light westerly flow it can start mid-afternoon and hold to late evening. A session is 1-4 hours.
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.
The wind
locals call it Traverse
Direction
Kite sizes
metres · typical quiver highlighted
Character
thermal
fills in: Late afternoon. It usually fills between 17:00 and 18:00 and runs to around 21:00, and in a clear light westerly flow it can start mid-afternoon and hold to late evening. A session is 1-4 hours.
Typical strength
8-20 knots, with gusts up to 25 knots in normal Traverse; rare violent events can be much stronger and should not be treated as normal kite conditions.
The quiver, in words
Nothing local is published, so this is indicative from the Traverse's own range rather than measured practice. For 75-85 kg the Traverse is a big-kite wind: 12-14 m while it is filling in at 8-14 knots, 10-12 m once it settles at 15-20, and 9 m only in the gusty top end near 25. Foilers cover the same evening on 7-9 m and get on the water an hour before anyone else.
Direction to shore
Variable around the Aix waterfront. The Traverse runs west to east and fans out in a SW-to-NW arc over the southern lake.
Dominant direction
West thermal; it comes in SW north of Aix and NW toward the south of the sector. South wind is unstable and a different thing altogether.
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
- Jan13
- Feb4
- Mar10
- Apr, riders' month8
- May, riders' month8
- Jun, riders' month3
- Jul, riders' month0
- Aug, riders' month3
- Sep, riders' month8
- Oct5
- Nov13
- Dec2
windy days per month (3 h+ at 12 kn+)
Ringed months are the ones riders and schools name: Apr, May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep.
The model is wrong here
The model reads 13% of days at its best month, which does not sit with the season and the wind strength this record states. The figures are kept and drawn as hatching so no wind colour can be read off them, and the ringed months are the ones riders name.
| Month | Windy days | Force 4+ | 12 kn or more | Knots | From | Peaks at | Air | Readings |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 13% | 23% | 19% | 7.6 kt | N | 14:00 | 3.9°C | 62 |
| Feb | 4% | 14% | 11% | 6.5 kt | NNW | 15:00 | 6.2°C | 57 |
| Mar | 10% | 18% | 15% | 8 kt | NNW | 14:00 | 9°C | 62 |
| Apr | 8% | 25% | 17% | 8.4 kt | N | 16:00 | 10.9°C | 60 |
| May | 8% | 21% | 19% | 8.8 kt | N | 16:00 | 16.1°C | 62 |
| Jun | 3% | 30% | 18% | 8.9 kt | NW | 15:00 | 20.8°C | 60 |
| Jul | 0% | 18% | 13% | 7.1 kt | NW | 16:00 | 23.1°C | 62 |
| Aug | 3% | 18% | 10% | 7.6 kt | NW | 16:00 | 23.6°C | 62 |
| Sep | 8% | 18% | 15% | 7.4 kt | N | 17:00 | 18.2°C | 60 |
| Oct | 5% | 18% | 13% | 6.9 kt | NNE | 15:00 | 15.7°C | 62 |
| Nov | 13% | 32% | 25% | 8.2 kt | N | 14:00 | 8.9°C | 60 |
| Dec | 2% | 13% | 8% | 5.7 kt | N | 14:00 | 5.1°C | 62 |
riders' months
Riders and schools name these months. The model reads lower here, and both are shown rather than averaged.
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. 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
freshwater lake
Standing depth
No standing depth anywhere; the lake is deep, up to 145 m, and you are treading water as soon as you leave the beach.
Tides
No tide effect on this inland lake.
Temperature
22.5°C summer · 6.5°C winter
Wetsuit
Wetsuit recommended even in summer; cold-water self-rescue preparation is important.
Your level
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
No school names this spot
Nobody has been recorded teaching or running a boat here.
On your own
Room to launch: Limited and technical launch area near Grand Port parking; summer beach crowds make parking and setup harder.
Somewhere else
Lac du Bourget - Cap des Ceselets, 3 km
Every spot within 40 km is on the map at the top of this page, with its distance under it.
Rescue
Launch
Urban lakefront launch at the Grand Port / Aix-les-Bains sector used when the Traverse sets up over the southern part of Lac du Bourget.
Space
Limited and technical launch area near Grand Port parking; summer beach crowds make parking and setup harder.
Rules & access
Access rules drift faster than anything else we hold — check locally, and propose an edit if this has changed.
Rider tips
- Plan for the 17:00-21:00 window and have a plan B; the Traverse triggers on its own terms and some evenings it never comes.
- If storm cells are building over the lake, stay on the beach: the gust front is not the Traverse and it will not behave like it.
- Carry fins, wear a wetsuit even in July and dress for a long swim; the lake is 145 m deep and there is no boat.
- Rig in the small area by the Grand Port parking, get the kite up and go, then land and pack the same way; the beach is packed in summer and the club expects a quick turnaround.
- Keep speed above 5 knots and any jumping beyond the yellow 200 m buoy line; inside it is a slow, no-jump zone.
Getting there
Airport
Chambéry-Savoie / Aix-les-Bains (CMF) is nearest; Geneva (GVA) and Lyon (LYS) are larger alternatives.
Route
Aix-les-Bains is reachable by train and road; the spot is at Grand Port with parking nearby.
Transfer
About 15 minutes from Chambéry airport to Aix-les-Bains; 60-90 minutes from Geneva or Lyon depending on traffic.
Cost level
medium
Staying
Aix-les-Bains has lakefront hotels, city hotels and apartments; nearby Chambéry and Le Bourget-du-Lac add options.
No-wind days
Thermal spas, lake swimming, paddling, sailing, cycling, hiking around the Épine massif, Mont Revard, La Chambotte and the Bauges.
Photos
FAQ
When is the best time?
The Traverse usually sets up in late afternoon, roughly 17:00 to 21:00, and is most frequent from June to September.
Is it suitable for beginners?
No, the spot is rated advanced because the wind is irregular, can drop suddenly, and there is no safety boat on site.
What is the wind like?
The Traverse blows west to east at 8-20 knots with gusts to 25 knots, but it is very local and can last from one to four hours.
Are there rules?
As of 2026 the spot is open all year; local etiquette requires clearing lines quickly and riding faster than 5 knots or jumping only beyond the yellow 200 m buoy line.
Last updated: August 2026