Kiteboarding looks incredible from the beach. Then you start researching how to try it and discover lesson levels, wind windows, water skills, certifications, and several sports involving boards with foils attached to them. Suddenly, “I want to try kiteboarding” comes with a lot of questions.
Stoke Riders gives beginners a structured way into kiteboarding and other wind and water sports around Lake Michigan. You can arrive with no board-sport experience, learn the fundamentals with professional instruction, and continue through a progression designed to help you become a responsible independent rider.
Kiteboarding is not a sport where you borrow someone’s gear, ask a friend to keep an eye on you, and figure out the rest as you go. As Tyler himself has put it, you never want a situation where the “blind are leading the blind”.Â
Lessons teach you how to control the equipment, but they also teach you how to read conditions, respect local access rules, and make decisions when nobody is standing beside you.
Who Can Learn with Stoke Riders?
Stoke Riders is an IKO-certified kiteboarding and watersports school based in St. Joseph, Michigan. Its lesson area extends beyond one fixed beach, with instruction offered around Southwest Michigan and the Chicagoland shoreline when conditions allow.
Owner and lead instructor Tyler Spence has taught since 2013, with experience across Lake Michigan kiteboarding, foiling, surfing, and other board sports.
The school works with complete beginners as well as riders continuing toward independence. That includes people who have never flown a kite, experienced wakeboarders crossing into kiteboarding, vacation learners who want proper local instruction, and riders who need an assessment or additional coaching.
Stoke Riders is also useful for someone who knows they want to get onto the water but is not sure which sport makes sense. Kiteboarding may be the original goal, but wingfoiling, e-foiling, surfing, windsurfing, or snowkiting could offer another way in. The point is not to force everybody through the same door.
What Kiteboarding Lessons Do Stoke Riders Offer?
Stoke Riders organizes beginner kiteboarding instruction into three levels. The packages build on one another, so you can start with the fundamentals or choose a longer progression if you already know you want to continue.
Level 1: Three-Hour Beginner Package
Level 1 is ground school. You learn about the equipment, wind theory, the wind window, safety systems, and the fundamentals of controlling a kite. The goal is not to rush you onto a board. It is to help you understand what the kite is doing and how to manage its power safely.
Students also work through setup, pre-flight checks, launching and landing with assistance, depower controls, communication signals, and safety releases. Depending on your progress and the conditions, the lesson may move into the water.
Levels 1 and 2: Six-Hour Package
The six-hour package adds water training. Level 2 covers skills such as water relaunching, body dragging, board recovery, self-rescue, and the setup for a water start.
Body dragging may not be the part you imagined when you first saw someone riding, but it is essential. If you lose your board, you need to know how to move through the water and recover it while controlling the kite. Level 2 also begins connecting kite skills with weather awareness, right-of-way rules, and equipment selection.
Levels 1, 2, and 3: Nine-Hour Package
The nine-hour package follows the full progression toward riding independently. Level 3 focuses on water starts, controlled riding, changing direction, maintaining control, and developing the judgment needed to kite without an instructor beside you.
“In nine hours” does not mean every student will be independent at exactly the nine-hour mark. It means the package provides a complete instructional path through the three levels. Progress still depends on the rider, weather, lesson frequency, and the skills demonstrated.
Do You Need Any Experience to Start Kiteboarding in Michigan?
You do not need previous kiteboarding, wakeboarding, surfing, or sailing experience to begin. You should be comfortable in the water, able to follow safety instructions, and prepared for a learning process that involves more than simply standing on a board.
Previous board-sport experience can help, particularly once you reach the water-start stage. It does not replace kite-control skills, knowledge of the wind, or the ability to evaluate a launch area.
This brings us to a question that appears constantly in forums and Facebook groups: Can I teach myself? Can a friend give me a few buddy lessons? Can somebody just spot me while I try it?
Bad ideas.
If you value your life, take the fucking lessons. Kiteboarding involves a powerful kite, changing conditions, other beach users, and equipment that you need to understand before anything goes wrong. Showing up at a local beach with zero lesson experience does a disservice to you and the kiteboarding community.
A reckless incident can threaten access for everyone. Kiteboarding access is already scarce in many areas, and local riders have often spent years working with municipalities and beach authorities to keep particular launches open. At Chicago’s Montrose Beach, for example, rider certification and local rules are tied directly to continued access.
Professional instruction is therefore not only about learning faster. It is about learning without making your first mistake somebody else’s emergency or the reason a beach gets shut down.
What Other Watersport Lessons Does Stoke Riders Offer Besides Kiteboarding?
Kiteboarding is only one of the sports available through Stoke Riders. If you want another route onto the water—or a way to build related skills—the school also offers:
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Wingfoiling: Learn handheld-wing control and board handling before progressing onto a foil.
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E-foiling: Use an electric motor for power while learning foil-board balance without relying on wind or waves.
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Surfing: Develop positioning, paddling, wave selection, and board control in Lake Michigan conditions.
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Windsurfing: Learn the basics of controlling a sail attached directly to the board through a three-hour beginner option.
- Snowkiting: Continue developing kite-control skills on snow during the Great Lakes winter.
These sports are not just consolation prizes for people who decide kiteboarding is too much. Each has its own appeal. Some people become obsessed with wingfoiling or surfing and never look back. Others use one sport to develop skills and confidence that carry into another.
Is Lake Michigan a Good Place to Learn Kiteboarding?
Yes, Lake Michigan can be an excellent place to learn, but the correct location depends on the wind direction, water conditions, season, and rider level.
Freshwater riding has its own character. Water temperatures can remain cold even when the air feels warm, and conditions can change quickly. NOAA’s Great Lakes forecast resources can help riders check current water and marine conditions, but an instructor must still choose a suitable teaching location. Some spots offer shallow water or flatter conditions for instruction, while others are appropriate only for experienced riders under particular wind directions.
This is why learning locally is so valuable. Lessons teach the physical skills, but learning the conditions is half of the game. A rider needs to understand which winds work at a beach, where hazards are located, how seasonal rules affect access, and when a spot should simply be avoided.
Stoke Riders does not need to pretend one beach works every day. Lesson locations may shift across the Southwest Michigan or Chicagoland shoreline based on the forecast. That flexibility allows instruction to follow appropriate conditions instead of forcing a scheduled lesson into a location that does not make sense.
It also introduces beginners to local etiquette. Access cannot be taken for granted. Crowded beaches, swimmers, restricted launch areas, certification requirements, and municipal rules all affect where and when people can kite.
Explore the Top 5 Kiteboarding Spots on Lake Michigan: Chicago to Muskegon.
How Many Kiteboarding Lessons Do You Need Before Riding Independently?
There is no honest universal answer.
Stoke Riders offers three-, six-, and nine-hour packages because they provide a logical instructional progression. They are not a promise that every student will reach the same skill on the same schedule.
I have seen young, experienced wakeboarders get up and going, then start doing back rolls within a handful of hours. I personally went through about 40 hours of lessons spread throughout a year before I could even get my water start going.
Yes, 40 hours. Some of us take the scenic route.
Previous board-sport experience can make board control feel more familiar, but plenty of other factors matter. Kite control, coordination, confidence in the water, lesson frequency, wind quality, and the amount of time between sessions all affect progression. A student who completes several lessons close together may retain more than someone whose sessions are separated by months.
Getting onto the board briefly is also different from becoming independent. An independent rider must be able to evaluate conditions, set up correctly, launch and land safely, recover a board, relaunch the kite, perform a self-rescue, follow right-of-way rules, and return without relying on someone else to solve every problem.
Do not judge your progress against the fastest person on the beach. Your goal is not to win beginner kiteboarding. Your goal is to become a safe rider who gets to keep enjoying it.
What’s Included in a Stoke Riders Kiteboarding Lesson?
Stoke Riders provides the specialized kiteboarding equipment used during instruction, including kites, boards, harnesses, and safety equipment. Beginners do not need to buy a complete setup before discovering whether they enjoy the sport.
Cold-water gear should be discussed before the lesson. Stoke Riders carries cold-water wetsuits, boots, gloves, hoods, and other kiteboarding accessories, but students should confirm what is available in their size. Lake Michigan can be cold even on a warm summer day, and appropriate exposure protection affects both comfort and safety.
Instruction also uses two-way radio communication. Once a student moves farther into the water, shouting from the beach becomes pretty useless. Radio coaching allows the instructor to give immediate feedback without requiring the student to return to shore after every attempt.
Private and group prices are available. Group lessons reduce the per-person hourly cost, while private instruction gives one student the instructor’s complete attention. The right choice depends on your budget, who you want to learn with, and how much individualized coaching you prefer.
How Much Do Kiteboarding Lessons Cost at Stoke Riders?
As of this writing, Stoke Riders lists the following starting prices for one student:
- Level 1, three hours: $390
- Levels 1 and 2, six hours: $750
- Levels 1, 2, and 3, nine hours: $1,080
Group pricing lowers the hourly cost per person, although the total booking price increases because it covers multiple students. For example, the three-hour Level 1 package is currently listed at $80 per person per hour for two students, compared with $130 per hour for one student.
The cheapest package is not automatically the smartest purchase, but neither should every curious beginner feel obligated to buy nine hours before touching a kite. A three-hour package lets you experience the fundamentals. A longer package makes sense when your goal is structured progression rather than a one-time introduction.
What you are paying for includes equipment, instruction, safety systems, local knowledge, and correction before a bad habit becomes your normal technique. That is more useful than comparing the lesson price against the cost of borrowing somebody’s old kite and hoping for the best.
Prices and package details can change, so check the current Stoke Riders lesson listings before booking.
What Happens After You Complete Beginner Kiteboarding Lessons?
Finishing a package is not an automatic declaration that you are ready to ride alone. Your actual skill level matters more than the number of hours on a receipt.
Stoke Riders follows IKO teaching and certification standards. Students can receive certification reflecting the skills they have demonstrated at the end of a lesson package. Riders seeking an independent assessment can also book one separately. Certification does not replace judgment, but it provides a recognized record of your demonstrated level and may be required at some riding locations or rental operations.
If you have not completed all the skills needed for independence, the next step is additional coaching. That may mean more water-start practice, stronger board-recovery skills, work on self-rescue, or simply more time learning to remain calm while managing the kite.
Buying your own equipment usually makes sense once you understand your needs well enough to avoid purchasing the wrong setup. Kite size, board size, rider weight, local wind, season, and skill level all matter. Instructor guidance can save you from buying a cheap package that is completely inappropriate for where you plan to ride.
After that, progression becomes broader. You might work on riding upwind, transitions, jumping, foiling, or riding during a different season. Around the Great Lakes, snowkiting can also keep kite skills active through winter.
How Do You Book a Lesson with Stoke Riders?
Start by reviewing the current lesson packages on the Stoke Riders website. If you are unsure whether to choose kiteboarding, wingfoiling, e-foiling, surfing, or another option, contact the school and explain what interests you, whether you have any previous experience, and what you hope to learn.
Stoke Riders is based at 1101 Broad Street in St. Joseph, Michigan, but the lesson itself may happen elsewhere. Wind direction, water conditions, and student level affect the location. Confirm where to meet rather than assuming every lesson begins at the listed business address.
Weather is part of the scheduling process. A calm, beautiful beach day may be useless for a kite lesson, while a windier day requires careful location selection. If conditions are unsuitable, follow the school’s instructions regarding rescheduling.
Before the lesson, confirm:
- The meeting time and location
- What clothing and cold-water gear you need
- Whether an appropriate wetsuit is available
- What personal items to bring
- How weather updates will be communicated
- Whether your booking is private or shared
You can contact Stoke Riders at info@stokeriders.com or 312-952-0888 for current guidance.
Ready to Find the Right Place to Start?
Tell Stoke Riders what you want to try, what experience you have, and how far you hope to progress. Professional instruction gives you the foundation to learn safely while protecting yourself, other beach users, and local kiteboarding access.
Frequently Asked QuestionsÂ
Do I need to know how to swim before taking a kiteboarding lesson? +
What’s the difference between Level 1, Level 2, and Level 3 kiteboarding lessons? +
Can I try wingfoiling or e-foiling instead of kiteboarding? +
Is Lake Michigan windy enough for beginner kiteboarding lessons? +
Do I need to bring my own wetsuit or kiteboarding equipment? +
How much does a beginner kiteboarding lesson cost at Stoke Riders? +
How many hours does it usually take to ride independently in kiteboarding? +
Is IKO certification required to kiteboard independently? +
Are Stoke Riders lessons only offered in St. Joseph? +
What happens if there isn’t enough wind on the day of my lesson? +
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