MapNorwayVigra (Giske), ÅlesundRoaldsandenVigra (Giske), Ålesund

Roaldsanden

Møre og Romsdal · Ålesund - Vigra/Giske · Roald / Ålesund

also known as Vigra / Roaldssanden, Roaldsand, Roaldssanden

Part of Vigra (Giske), Ålesund →

flat waterbeginner-friendlymedium crowds

On this page

The spot
Wind
Forecast
Month by month
Water
Level
The scene
Launch
Schools
Tips
Getting there
Photos
FAQ

Riding essentials

Season

no season named

Months riders and schools name

How windy

15-25 kt

Character: synoptic

Room to launch

tidal

access rules on record, below

Water

flat/chop

14.9 °C in summer

Hazards

Reported by riders

Level

Beginner to advanced

With a caveat: see Your level

BeginnerIntermediateAdvanced

Crowds

medium crowds · busy May Jun Jul Aug

Schools

named at this spot

From the airport

5 min

Vigra (AES)

When it fills in

Frontal wind, so there is no daily onset hour and no thermal to sit and wait for. A system can have it blowing at first light and gone by lunch, or fill in overnight. Plan off the forecast rather than off the clock. No local sea-breeze cycle has been confirmed.

Nearbystraight-line distance

Backup spotsWhere riders go when the wind doesn't work here.

Synesvikano page yet
Giskebrua / Brusandenno page yet
Moloen / Giskeno page yet

The spot

Roaldsanden sits on the east/northeast side of Vigra island, right beside Ålesund Airport. It belongs to the Vigra/Giske cluster, where riders move between neighbouring beaches to match the day's direction instead of waiting for one beach to switch on. The window is the NE sector: NNE, NE and ENE are the core, with E and ESE also documented.

Riding

A sandbank about 150 m off the beach holds a lagoon that stays mostly flat, which is why the local freestylers use it. The launch is long but narrow and it moves with the tide, so there is more room at low water.

Constraints

Two things constrain the place. The runway is at the south end of the beach, and Roaldsand is a protected wetland inside the Ramsar bird system, so check current local zoning before you rig. Cold water all year and rocks in places mean this is not a beach to learn on by yourself.

The wind

Direction

onshore

Direction to shore

NNE, NE and ENE are the best directions; E and ESE also work, with E onshore.

Dominant direction

Regional Vigra/Ålesund wind is synoptic/frontal, with SW-W autumn storms and N-NE more common in spring.

Kite sizes

7891011121314151617

metres · typical quiver highlighted

The quiver, in words

9-14 m is the range that covers the Vigra and Giske beaches as a group, and nothing size-specific has been published for Roaldsanden. For a 75-85 kg rider that works out at 12-14 m around 15 kt, 10-11 m in the high teens and 9 m by the mid-twenties. Regional and indicative.

Character

synoptic

When it fills in: see above ↑

Average strength

Typical strength

Riding days across the Vigra and Giske beaches run roughly 15-25 kt, a cluster figure rather than a Roaldsanden measurement. The airport's own annual mean is about 10 kt with a southwest bias, which is a reminder that the mean and the session are different numbers here.

Frontal west-coast wind. Roaldsanden is the NE-sector beach and the one used for freestyle; the rest of the Vigra cluster covers the other directions.

Ålesund/Vigra gets wind the whole year: storms from SW-W in autumn, colder northerlies in winter, mostly N-NE through spring, and plenty of light days in July-August. Nobody has published best months for Roaldsanden itself, so best_months is left empty.

Forecast

Live forecast

Windguru Windfinder Windy

Month by month

Jan58
Feb67
Mar32
Apr33
May32
Jun26
Jul23
Aug22
Sep26
Oct38
Nov19
Dec42

per cent of the month at force 4 or more

14 ktJan7°
13 ktFeb6°
9 ktMar5°
10 ktApr7°
10 ktMay10°
9 ktJun13°
9 ktJul15°
9 ktAug15°
8 ktSep15°
10 ktOct12°
9 ktNov10°
10 ktDec8°

avg knots per month · water °C below · season highlighted

Modelled from weather reanalysis on a 10–25 km grid (2022-2024), not a ground station: reliable for trade and synoptic winds, understates thermal sea breezes and valley winds.

Every figure, month by monthForce 4+ · Knots · Wind from · Air · Water

Month	Force 4+	Knots	Wind from	Air	Water
Jan	58%	13.8 kt	S	1.5 °C	6.6 °C
Feb	67%	13.2 kt	SSW	1.9 °C	5.7 °C
Mar	32%	9.4 kt	S	2.9 °C	5.4 °C
Apr	33%	9.6 kt	NE	5.3 °C	6.7 °C
May	32%	9.5 kt	WSW	10.5 °C	9.9 °C
Jun	26%	8.8 kt	W	13 °C	12.6 °C
Jul	23%	8.6 kt	WNW	14.1 °C	15 °C
Aug	22%	8.6 kt	SSW	14.4 °C	15.1 °C
Sep	26%	8.4 kt	N	11.9 °C	14.5 °C
Oct	38%	9.7 kt	S	7.4 °C	12.1 °C
Nov	19%	8.5 kt	SE	3.4 °C	9.9 °C
Dec	42%	10.2 kt	SE	0.1 °C	7.9 °C

How this is modelledmodelled · 2022-2024

A weather model's cell over this place, not a station on it. Good for comparing places, weaker for one beach.

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.

ERA5 reanalysis grid point (modelled) · Open-Meteo historical weather API — ECMWF ERA5/ERA5-Land reanalysis, not a ground station · 2022-2024

The water

Type

flat/chop

Standing depth

Shallow; long shallow sandy beaches are noted in the Roaldsand protected-area description.

Tides

Tidal launch. Beach space reportedly grows at low tide, and riders water-start the kite when the sand runs out.

Temperature

14.9 °C summer · 5 °C winter

Modelled monthly average: 5–15 °C

Wetsuit

5/3 mm from April to October; 6/5 or 5/5 mm is commonly used around Ålesund/Vigra from November to March.

Conditions

The sandbank about 150 m off the beach forms a lagoon that stays mostly flat, with no waves or shorebreak in normal conditions. In stronger or messier weather it turns to small waves and chop.

Your level

BeginnerIntermediateAdvanced

The grading is inconsistent: beginner in one place, any level in another. The narrow tidal launch, rocks in places, cold water, the runway and the nature protection all mean a beginner should ride here with local guidance.

The scene

What riders come here for

freerideintermediatefreestylebeginner practiceflat-water lagoonNE wind sessions

Who it suitsbeginner

Small but active Ålesund/Vigra kite community. The beach is known locally for freestyle and has carried Vigra Kite Festival activity.

Launch and rules

three ways on to the water, and what each one asks of you

With a school or a boat

1 school names this spot

See who they are

On your own

Room to launch: tidal

Read the access rules

Somewhere else

2 spots nearby

All 2 spots within 40 km are under Nearby

Rescue

There is no rescue service at the beach: no lifeguard, no patrol, no boat, no telephone post. Cover is what you and whoever else is on the water can do, which in cold water and a big tidal range is an argument against riding alone.

Maritime search and rescue in Norway is run by the two Joint Rescue Coordination Centres, reachable direct on 51 51 70 00 for southern Norway and 75 55 90 00 for northern Norway. Whether the local Vigra and Giske kite school runs any water cover for its own lessons is unconfirmed.

Launch

Long but narrow beach of grass and sand northeast/east of Ålesund Airport on Vigra, with more space at low tide; riders launch from the water when the beach is tight. Drive toward Ålesund Airport Vigra, follow Rv 568 past the runway, park by the school and walk down.

Hazards riders report 8 reported

Bottom

rocks in the water/on the beach
Rocks in the water in places.

Waves and currents

Narrow launch at higher tide.

Protected areas and rules

Roaldsand dyrefredningsområde/Ramsar wetland bird habitat; avoid disturbing birds and check any current protected-area restrictions.

Other

stay clear of the runway at the south end of the beach - airport proximity
Airport/runway proximity; do not kite close to the runway at the south end of the beach.
Cold water year-round.
No toilets at Roaldsanden.

Rules & access

1 min read

2026: riding zones exist and kites should stay well clear of the runway at the south end of the beach. Roaldsand is also a protected bird and wetland site established in 1988 and part of the Giske Wetlands Ramsar system. No kitesurf-specific clause was found in the national regulation, so verify current nature-protection and airport guidance before launching.

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

Aim for low tide; at high water the strip of sand is narrow.
If the beach is still tight, launch off the water rather than crowding the sand.
Ride Roaldsanden in clean NE-sector wind; go to Blimsanden or Blindheimsvika when the direction falls outside it.
Keep away from the runway at the south end and never fly near the airport approach.
Steer around resting bird flocks and the shoreline vegetation inside the protected zone.
Pack booties and full cold-water rubber; rocks and cold are both documented here.
Rig for the 15-25 kt the cluster works in, which puts most 75-85 kg riders on 9-12 m.
No rescue exists at this beach. Ride with someone and agree where you will look for each other.

Getting there

Airport

Ålesund Airport, Vigra (AES), beside the spot area on Vigra island.

Route

Fly to Ålesund Airport on Vigra or drive from Ålesund via road 658/568 and the island tunnel/bridge network. The beach is northeast of the airport with car access and a short walk; parking is by the school after passing the runway.

Transfer

5 min

Cost level

high

Staying

Stay on Vigra/Giske for closest access, use summer camping near Vigra beaches where available, or base in Ålesund city for more hotels, restaurants and no-wind options.

No-wind days

Ålesund Art Nouveau town, Aksla viewpoint, Giske/Vigra beach walks, fjord trips, kayaking, sea safaris, diving, Sunnmøre hikes, lighthouses and winter skiing/snowkiting nearby.

Photos

FAQ

What is the wind like at Roaldsanden?

NNE, NE and ENE are the best-documented directions, with E and ESE also usable.

Is Roaldsanden suitable for beginners?

Sources are mixed; the water is mostly flat behind a sandbank lagoon, but the narrow, tidal launch and airport proximity mean beginners should use local guidance.

What about tides at Roaldsanden?

The beach is narrow at high tide and opens up at low tide; riders sometimes water-launch when beach space is tight.

Are there rules or restricted zones?

As of 2026, riders must stay clear of the runway at the south end of the beach, and the area has been a protected wetland bird habitat since 1988.

The bigger pictureEverything about Ålesund - Vigra/Giske

Last updated: August 2026