Hindeloopen, or Hylpen if you ask a Frisian, is a dike, a strip of grass and the IJsselmeer. No beach, no beach bar, no fuss. You rig on the grass by the Badpaviljoen, walk down to the water and there it is: fresh water, shallow a long way out, and a grey horizon that just keeps going when the wind gets up.
I have ridden here every season and my heart still jumps when I see whitecaps from the top of the dike.
The KNRM lifeboat station at Hindeloopen can be called out 24 hours a day.
Your month
When it's good
12 kt+ for 3+ daylight hours · kite
January · 71%. 22 rideable days in 31, 8.3 hours a day over 12 kt. Come.
At a glance
Is it for you?
Skill levelGetting there
WaterBit of chop
Wind · JanUsually turns up
Crowds · JanBusy patches
Local vibeWelcoming
Water qualityUsually clean
NightlifeA bar or two
CostMid
Geek analysis
January in the record
71% of days clear 12 kt for three daylight hours or more.
Where the wind sits
Share of daylight hours in each speed band. Blue clears the bar.
4–76
8–1123
12–1536
16–1926
20–238
24–271
28–310
When in the day
The trades are a clock. A dawn session is a different spot.
8am
9
10
11
12pm
1pm
2
3
4
5
6pm
January on the record
The month's own figures, not the year's average.
Rideable days22 of 31Worst 12 in 1997, best 29 in 2007
Strongest gust74Kt
Air4.9°CMaximum
Record 1940 to 2026Normals 1991 to 2020Open-Meteo, CERRA
Take it with you
The full Hindeloopen report
Eight sections over six to eight pages, built from the same record as this page. A PDF you can read on the plane.
01Hour-by-hour & month-by-month wind02The month's own records03Full stays, schools & kit04Per-launch tide windows05Stones, sandbanks & pole rows06Getting there, packing & best months07Sources, and their limits
Three free reports with an account, then premium.
WindChaser spot reportHindeloopenFriesland, Netherlands · January71% of days clear 12 kt for three daylight hours or more.
When it gets busy
Crowds
Jan · Medium
Busiest April to October, while the school season runs on the campsite. In the winter storm months the dike is quieter, and everyone on it is wearing a lot of rubber.
On the water
What January usually does
Wind directionS to NWAnything over the west, the directions the NKV lists as safe here. Easterlies blow offshore, so stay on the dike.
Wind strength18 to 22 ktThe band the Hanglos kite forecast for Hindeloopen labels ideal. Fronts gust well above the mean, so rig for the mean, not the gusts.
When it blowsMost of the dayAutumn and winter fronts, not a sea breeze, so it often blows through most of the daylight. Watch the sky as a front comes through.
Your playground
Launches & safety
Local intel
Getting there & on the ground
Nearest airportGroningen Eelde (GRQ)Amsterdam Schiphol (AMS) has far more flights and is under two hours by road.
On the groundOctober to FebruaryThe frontal season, when the record has the most rideable days.
Getting aroundCar, or train to HindeloopenThe station is about 2 km inland of the spot. Parking at the spot is free.
Did I miss something out?Send it straight to me. I wrote this page.