Anybody sad that snowkiting season is over?

Nope

Quote:

Originally posted by Kober We never have chance to start snowkiting season around here ..... It snow once .... like crazy in OCTOBER !!!!!!....... and then some snow in January one day for few hours ..... I am sad ...... I am mad !!!!

It is the extension of the new kite/no wind phenomenon: buy a Switchblade and winter is immediately cancelled.

ATB,
Sam

I agree that this was one of the worst seasons on record with the weather and all....but I still was able to get 8 good sessions in this winter and it simply wasn't enough in my book.


p.s. - Glad I held off buying that snowblower this year.

Yeah really was looking forward to the snowkite season. Bought two kites, and applied a coating of seal n glide to the speed 2. The season was more or less a sit on the couch season except for this past weekend.

ya, has been a lean snow year too, basically the same everywhere I guess. Only a handful of sessions locally, a couple of those were light winds 'plodding around' sessions...and the best session of the lot was on the lake that usually gets the snow blown off the fastest, so i tend not even to kite there... Different year to say the least.

still good here, plenty ice and snow, what you moaning about

its just starting!!

COME TO SEATTLE, IT'S BEEN SNOWING, HAIL, RAIN, SUN, WIND, RAIN, SNOWING, OH BY THE WAY DID I TELL YOU IT'S BEEN SNOWING......THE WEATHER FORECAST FOR THE MOUNTAINS, WHICH ARE ONLY AN HOUR AWAY, IS FOR 1 TO 2 FEET OF SNOW EACH DAY.

I will have to chain up just to leave town for NABX. The Syskiyou's are going to be nasty, looking forward to putting chains on the motor home and trailer.

Thursday my fav lake still had ice but you had to paddle twenty feet from shore to get to it. Yesterday and today in the mid to upper 70's F. Lots of fisherman out in boats on the rivers already. What a bizzaro year!:dunno: It was fun while it lasted but skiing gear is packed away in storage for the year

Sad here as well !!! we have been getting the same weather as feyd here(not that far apart) and i had my last session two week ago .
i must say it was a perfect way to end it,sunny,warm nice winds,no jacket/gloves or hat just palin cruising for hours on end untill it was time to pack up..
the river is also a no go,it's been melting so fast that i wouldn't never dare try to adventure on it...

at least this year we got a little snow!!! so managed to get out a good 12 times,,not great compared to a few years ago where we had full coverage in the field until mid april..

compared to last year and the year before that now that was awfull... i think i'm moving to Nunavut to kite with the polar bears heheheh

only 9 months to go for the next season :-D if we get one this time !!!!!

steff

Heheheh thanks Shaggs. Really it's not hard when you don't get much snow, have lots of hard ice, tons of wind and you like to ride as fast as you can. The miles add up quick.

I stopped keeping track after around 900 this year about a month and week ago. My guess is I got between 1500-1700 for the season. My best week this season I logged 360 miles in 5 days. My friend Jim Cline finished yesterday with 2165miles for the season. I think his best season he bagged 3000. He's got 6000 miles in just in the last 4 years.

I love doing it but in the back of my mind I have to wonder what it's doing to our bodies. We weren't made to do this kind of stuff. This kind of hard mileage destroys equipment, it must take it's toll on us as well.

I dunno, it's a drug and I'm an addict. Can't be as bad for me a heroine or crack or even alcohol right?

really, you let a good session go cause you were too lazy to set up a foil?
Maybe we can chalk that up to temporary brain malfunction due to a general lack of snowkiting this season.

There was a place up north that I wanted to hit this month because it's big and has lots of room to run. This is the fast running part of the season with fast surface and high winds but this season the surface went a month early. The place I wanted to go hasn't got the surface but the winds are gusting 48mph today. It would have been awesome.

I've been worked up all day thinking about it. Can't focus on anything.

Anybody else grieving the loss of winter. I had a good year but already going through a slight depression. Is there a five step program for skiing withdrawal?

Rob

Crushed. Happens everytime. I'm doing bike stuff now but at this time of year comming out of snow kite season I come into bike season with a little resentment. Today I'm building some new elements and skinnies to play and teach on so I'm a little pumped for that. There's a ton of trail work to be done so I'm pumped on that too. Shopping for a new bike has also been a great distraction.

But the itch is still there. I've been forcing myself to look and web cams of some of our kiting spots to see how bad they are now. That usually makes me go "Oh good, I'm not missing anything."

Last night I flew a little 1.2m in some high winds last night to scratch an itch but it doesn't really get the snowkite monkey off my back.

Not sad in the least

Quote: Originally posted by Cheddarhead

Anybody else grieving the loss of winter. I had a good year but already going through a slight depression. Is there a five step program for skiing withdrawal? Rob

Man that week Bohemia got 20 + inches - and 16" the following week! Crazy year ...

Still in grieving over the end of winter snowkiting Was one of THE best seasons that I can remember. I know I didn't get out as much as I wanted to due to wind or obligations, but I shouldn't complain as I was able to ski the lakes until mid April which is longer than most seasons. Every year at this time I feel a little empty that winter kiting is over and I have to put the ski equipment away. I think I need some therapy, lol.

back to the beach

This was only my second year on snow, but have to say this was pretty much a total loss this season - small little teaser snowfalls and lots of wind kept the ground and ice pretty much exposed all season. Just in the wrong spot on the globe this season I guess

Another May snowfall warning for Southern Alberta has 10cm (~5inches) of fluffy snow covering our brown Calgary grass this morning. Too bad for the soccer and baseball teams that had season openers today. Now the wind just has to show up

Quote: Originally posted by Cheddarhead

Yep, that time of year again when I get the blues. Almost a month has gone by since I've skied the snow/ice and I miss it horribly. My depression is starting to lift a little with the coming of summer, but I'm still a little sad. At least this year I can look forward to learning water as soon as it warms up. Water temps are still 40F here and all I have is a 4/3 wetsuit, so it will be awhile yet before I can dunk myself. Anybody else having withdrawals?

Cheddar - right there with ya brotha. I see that this thread has been open a while. Seems you have this sad feeling on, well, an annual basis. Snowkiting went to the wayside for me about 4-6 weeks ago but our local ski hills only closed for the season this past Sunday. I was telemarking this season (a first season for me) so my most acute recent loss is my free heel freedom.

To overcome this loss I'm getting myself into kite skating. I like to buggy, like it a lot in fact, but I really got a taste of the honey with this first season of snow kiting and I'm hungry for more. I'm hoping as I dial in my gear (both on my feet and my "plastic courage" body armor) that I can make a big go at kite skating as a sort of semi crossover from Snowkiting. I know it won't be the same, but at least it will be standing up, angulating against the pull of the kite and moving. Have you ever given this angle a thought?

Quote: Originally posted by ssayre

Steve and rob, have you thought of inline skates and peak on short or half line. I've used the peak on both handles and hooked in with regular bar on a longboard, but you guys might prefer the inline to emmulate skiing more. You can take advantage of light wind. Finding a spot is a little tough but not as hard as you might think. Light poles are not to be afraid of. They actually make it fun and are fairly easy to steer the kite over or around. You can also use the light poles to land.

Good suggestions Sean. I'm absolutely planning on trying my Peaks on handles. Ive got some handles rigged right now with 20m lines but I also have a nice set of 5m lines that I use as my line extenders for my 12m P2 for eeking out just a bit more umph on extra light wind days.

I've yet to see an adequate explanation about how to "half-line" the peaks but I'm open to trying that too.

From your description I'm thinking you are considering sending me to a skinless convalescence after attempting kite skating on pavement. Agreed that the flag polls would make for nice kite landing posts but the rest of the picture sounds wrought with danger, at least until I am highly proficient. Me, I'm sticking to grass for now with loads of "plastic courage" (nod to John aka cerebite) all over me.

Still plenty of snow above treeline in Colorado....just gotta skin for awhile to get there. Last weekend rode up this ridge at Berthoud Pass from treeline several times for some great corn skiing. Nice turns on the up and down. Not a great spot for winter kiting as the winds are high and gusty, and the snow doesn't normally stick like this until April.

Quote: Originally posted by skier

Still plenty of snow above treeline in Colorado....just gotta skin for awhile to get there. Last weekend rode up this ridge at Berthoud Pass from treeline several times for some great corn skiing. Nice turns on the up and down. Not a great spot for winter kiting as the winds are high and gusty, and the snow doesn't normally stick like this until April.

Nice! Cool to see you guys still hitting it in CO. The season is long gone in UT, at least that which is easily accessible. I've got a ski buddy (not a snow kiter) who is still skinning up for lines in CO too. By your pictures it just looks as if you have more still on the ground than we do over at the Wasatch Front. Good on ya!