Live wind
Water & wetsuit
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About this spot
Ipsach sits on the south shore of Lake Biel between Biel/Bienne and Nidau, and it is the clearest example of why the same lake needs two different pages. The north-easterly bise that arrives side-onshore at La Neuveville crosses this lake from behind you: the spot guides describe the bise here as offshore or cross-offshore, with no standing depth beyond the entry and no safe self-rescue, and say plainly that it is a day for experts with a boat or a buddy on the bank and a plan for getting back. The directions that actually work on this shore are the westerly and south-westerly ones, and they come over the town, the rail line and the reed belt, so they arrive gusty and unpredictable.
The lake itself is the smallest and shallowest of the big Swiss lakes — reed-fringed, warm enough to reach 20.8 °C in August and near 4 °C in February — and on this side the legal room is narrow: the Biel bay east of the line from the Restaurant Gottstatterhaus to the Nidau-Büren canal is closed to kiters, as are the St. Petersinsel and Hagneck delta reserves, and the yellow buoys that mark closed areas are the same on every Swiss lake.
So the honest summary is that Ipsach is a fair-weather, westerly-day spot for riders who can read gusts, self-rescue and get upwind on a small lake, and who check the signage before rigging. The federal rules apply as everywhere in Switzerland — 08:00 to 21:00 in daylight and clear visibility, buoyancy aid worn, name and address on the board, kiters give way to every other craft, 200 m clear of passenger boats and landing stages, and compulsory liability insurance. There is no rescue service on this bank, and the train between Biel and Nidau stops a few minutes from the water, which is the one genuinely convenient thing about it.
3-day forecast
Speed / gusts in knots. Colour = rideability for this spot. Bottom row = recommended kite size for your weight — not recommended outside this spot's 11–32 kn range.
Conditions
- Water
- flat, choppy
- Depth
- No standing depth beyond the entry
- Seabed
- gravel and sand on the bank, reeds along the margins
- Skill
- expert
- Beginners
- Expert only
- Wind range
- 11 kn – 32 kn
Access & parking
On the lake road between Biel/Bienne and Nidau, or by train to Ipsach; the riding area is the shore strip in front of the village — confirm the exact launch and any local signage on site before rigging.
Parking: Street parking in the village, then a short carry to the water.
Amenities
- Village cafés and shops within a few minutes of the shore
- Ipsach and Nidau rail stations on the Biel line, a short walk from the water
- Biel/Bienne kite shops and services about 10 minutes away
- Flat, shallow-water practice on a small lake when the direction is a westerly and the wind is steady
Needs local verification: Compiled in October 2026 from the federal inland-navigation ordinance as summarised by the Swiss kiting club, cantonal police notices, the federal waterbird-reserve inventory and club and municipal spot pages; launch corridors, reserve perimeters and seasonal closures change and must be checked on site before you rig. Water temperature is the published lake average — the marine model has no inland-lake data.
Local hazards
- The bise from the north-east is offshore or cross-offshore here with no standing depth and no safe self-rescue — experts only, with a buddy on the bank
- Westerly and south-westerly winds arrive gusty and unpredictable after crossing the town, the rail line and the reeds
- The Biel bay east of the Gottstatterhaus–Nidau-Büren line and the delta reserves are closed to kiters — yellow buoys are a hard boundary
- No school, rental or rescue service on this bank; you are responsible for your own recovery
- Daylight and clear visibility only, 08:00–21:00, buoyancy aid worn, name and address on the board, 200 m from passenger boats and landing stages