Hello. I am new to windsurfing and looking for some assistance with choosing the proper equipment. I am 182cm tall and weigh 60kg. I live in the East Kootenays BC and am planning to learn here on local lakes and we have quite a few in the Kootenay region with often pretty good winds.
Any help will be greatly appreciated!

Igor.

Hi TBT013 maybe try & get in contact with joe windsurf a member of Seabreeze who also lives in Canada, he seems a helpful fellow. Think he might live on the other side of the country to you but he would probably have a better idea of local conditions, shops, 2nd hand market, lessons availability than us down here.

Below is a link to his Seabreeze profile & his blog. Good luck & enjoy the journey if you decide to give it a go, it's challenging but great fun

www.seabreeze.com.au/Members/Profile/Details.aspx?member=joe%20windsurf

joewindsurfer.blogspot.com/

Thanks much, Morts! Definitely giving it a shot as it does look like tons of fun once you know what you're doing. Will see if I can connect with Joe!

okay - i got some messages on this subject
and acknowledge having received and read them

small geography lesson - Kootenays. BC is probably about 1/2 way to the closest part of Australia from Montreal

took a look at the area via windalert .. and looked at the archives (mostly rivers ? current ??)
www.windalert.com:443/en-us/Search/ViewResults.aspx
50% of the time there is wind > 10 mph and perhaps 10% more than 15 mph (for me that is light winds)
that location has mostly SW winds - which are off shore = danger
ALWAYS start with on-shore winds , later side shore and some people do off-shore ...

usually i tell people to see if they can get lessons or borrow equipment
however, i have seen sad places that rent stuff too
talk to people that do windsurf in the area - they are usually helpful
tell 'em joe windsurfer sent you

60 kg for me is a lightweight and 182 cm is practically six feet tall
so, tall and thin ...
usually i suggest a big longboard or hybrid with a centreboard
you could go to a shortboard, but those winds are light ... hmmm
maybe a smaller longboard like a Mistral Malibu ??
there actually is one in Ontario - to help visualize:
www.kijiji.ca/v-buy-sell-other/oakville-halton-region/mistral-malibu-windsurfing-board-250-firm/1320018138?enableSearchNavigationFlag=true

start with a small sail like a 5.x ??

have some discussion here too
joewindsurfer.blogspot.com/p/how-you-can-start-windsurfing.html

welcome to a fun sport that i am still loving at sixty years young !!

others are welcome to chime in

Thanks much Joe!! Correction on my weight it's actually around 72kg :)

ah you're still a lightweight