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About this spot
Rindbach is the grassy southern shore of the Traunsee at Ebensee — a long, very deep (191 m), startlingly clear alpine lake in the Salzkammergut — and the launch is the public Freizeitanlage: a big lawn to rig on, toilets, a beach-volley court and a small gravel entrance strip, free to enter with a paid lot of about 120 spaces right beside the water. A surf centre and the Windbar (April to October) sit on the same lot, and the municipality runs a webcam pointed at its own 'Kitespot Rindbach'.
This is a pure thermal spot and the recipe is specific: sun, cold water and as big a difference as possible between the night and the daytime temperature, ideally with a light north to north-easterly breeze already in place to kick the thermal off. When it works the wind comes up around 11:00 or noon, runs through the afternoon and fades by 15:00 at 9–15 kn from the north-east to east quarter, onshore to side-onshore and — locals insist — less gusty than it looks. The bonus is the river Traun, which flows out of the lake at the southern end against the wind: that counter-current tightens the lines, adds the feel of 3–4 kn more kite and leaves dead-flat water over the river mouth, which is why freestylers crowd that corner and why the IKA KiteFoil Grand Prix is held on this lake.
The honest profile: it is intermediate-and-up water with no standing depth anywhere, and the spot guides themselves disagree about the best month — some point to spring for the temperature swing, others to settled midsummer — so treat the forecast, not the calendar. Bring a bigger kite than your sea size, a light-wind board or a foil, and booties: the entry has flat, sharp stones. Cold water even in summer, typically 14–16 °C, means a 4/3 or 5/4 is normal outside the hottest weeks, and there are obstacles downwind of the launch, so if you cannot hold upwind you will end up in the bay west of the beach with a long walk back.
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 11–24 kn range.
Conditions
- Water
- flat
- Depth
- Deep alpine lake (191 m at its deepest) — no standing depth
- Seabed
- grass on the bank, pebbles, sharp flat stones at the entry
- Skill
- intermediate, expert
- Beginners
- Not for beginners — intermediate and up
- Wind range
- 11 kn – 24 kn
Access & parking
About an hour from Salzburg, 90 minutes from Vienna; follow the B145 to Rindbach at the southern end of the lake, roughly 1 km east of Ebensee centre.
Parking: Paid lot of about 120 spaces at the Freizeitanlage (roughly €1 per hour, €8 a day, 08:00–20:00) plus camper spaces at about €30 per 24 h — fees change, check the signs.
Amenities
- Free entry to the Freizeitanlage with a large rigging lawn, toilets and a beach-volley court
- Surf centre and Manu's Windbar on the lot, April to October
- Municipal 'Kitespot Rindbach' webcam plus a local wind station and a high-resolution model forecast (Kitewetter)
- Pro-Kiteboarding club on site; train and bus links to Ebensee, Salzburg and Linz within an hour
Needs local verification: Compiled from lake regulations, municipal pages, kite clubs and schools in October 2026; launch points, fees, club membership rules and on-water zones still need checking on site. Water temperature here is a seasonal lake estimate — the marine model has no inland-lake data.
Local hazards
- No standing depth: deep, cold alpine water straight off a grassy bank
- Sharp flat stones on the entry — cut feet without booties
- Thermal wind that arrives late and dies early; a flat calm by mid-afternoon is normal
- Obstacles downwind of the launch — you must be able to ride upwind or you end up in the next bay
- Cold water even in summer (usually 14–16 °C), so a long session or a swim is a real hypothermia risk
- Bathers, sailing and boat traffic on a small lake in summer, and the lawn fills with families