Montrose Beach (Chicago Lakefront)

Chicago, IL — Lake Michigan, Chicago Lakefront

Wing Foil America's first Illinois entry. Stoke Riders, owned by Chicago-raised, IKO-certified instructor Tyler Spence, teaches wing foiling along the Chicago lakefront at Montrose Beach and South Shore, plus several West Michigan beaches, with private lessons that start with wing and board setup and progress to kneeling and standing water starts. Spence has taught kiteboarding and wing sports around Lake Michigan since 2013.

Community-reported (2026-10-03) — sourced from Stoke Riders' own site (stokeriders.com wing foil lake michigan guide and lesson pages) plus independent business-association, Chamber of Commerce, LinkedIn, and Kiteboarder Magazine sources; see claude/instructor-research-log.md. Not yet ridden or confirmed firsthand by Will. Pin is Google Maps' listing for Montrose Beach; the school also names South Shore as a Chicago teaching location.

Key Facts

Water type

Lake Michigan beachfront on Chicago's North Side. No independent depth or hazard detail confirmed.

Best wind direction

Early-morning and thermal-wind sessions are the school's stated approach here; exact best wind directions not independently confirmed.

Skill level

Beginner-friendly — a Level 1 / Level 2 private-lesson progression from wing and board setup, stance, and hand placement through kneeling and standing water starts.

Live Wind Here

Satellite View

Open in Maps →

Locals at This Spot

← Back to the full map