I think snowkiters in the north east just got what they are looking for in Tug Hill. The new site added to this years Rally has both distance and terrain , it also appears to be one of the highest elevations and is wide open to wind from any direction.
For me the size of the new site just tipped the scales in favor of making it worth the trip up to Tug Hill any time. Good job Lewis County!!!!!!!!!

I miss Lewis County. Hey Pat we are heading up to Cortland the last weenend of Jan. You gonna be around?
Dave.

hey my fiends Jim and Ian and Terrie that went from Ontario were emailing me about "the snowspider"
Told them to go talk to you and that we met when you were up at Lake Simcoe a few years back but missed you last year when you were in Barrie.

I heard they enjoyed Tug Hill - could have used more wind but had fun none the less.

Hey, another weekend coming up that may be of interest is the Rice Lake/Elmhirst Resort kite weekend coming up the last weekend of January. So far they have mainly ice and not much snow cover - they are hoping for snow but i don't mind a good ice surface.
Mark

Well, we finally got a little snow over night, and wind is forecast west at 10-15. Right now it is north at about 7mph here at my place, so I'm stopping at Hanno lot first and will try there if the wind stays north, but will head for the Killenbeck Rd site if the wind goes west. Gotta go!

Bob we blew by Tug hill and flew Cranberry Lake today , it was a winter wonderland there. 2 feet on the ground a foot of ice with 8" slush and snow on top. Winds sucked 5 to 15mph and the sleds make a supper highway out of Cranberry across the lake thru the slush which then freezes making it like a train rail yard. Some smooth stretches but also some real ugly ram bang crash stuff. It had to be pretty breezy on The Hill , I hope you had a good day.

Well, you didn't miss much on the tug. I stopped at Hanno's, but the wind was west/turbulent, so I headed for the Killenbeck Rd., but by the time I got to Rodman, the snow disappeared! Went from over a foot at Hanno's to brown grass at Killenbeck. Since I was only 20 mi. from the lake, I went to Southwick and rode my buggy all afternoon, I made it 3/4 of the way to the cut, before there was too much driftwood and debris to negotiate. Stopped to talk with some walkers, who were amused by the sand icicles hanging from my beard!

Bobby we went skiing a couple weeks ago. It was about 15f and I had ice snotcicles all over the place. I would do the 2mile run down and get a lot of funny looks from folks at the bottom! It was a fun time for sure!!:P

I am interested in checking out the Southwick area on my buggy, can you fill me in on the access points and any rules, regulations and protocol for the area? I will be headed up from the Rochester area and that stretch of beach sure looks good on the satellite views. Thanks in advance.

YAY! Another buggy on Southwick! At this time, the State Park is closed, which means you get in for free! Once they open, you pay to get in, or get the Empire Passport for the year. The State Beach area is the widest, and I usually use that when the wind is out of the north or south, but a west is best, giving you a nice stretch. The beach is somewhat narrow this year, but changes depending on water level, wind strength, etc. Once the beach opens and starts to get crowded, a half mile walk to the south into the Lakeview WMA usually leaves most of the crowd behind, and I have buggied in July there, when there is wind. This is a treat, because most 'beaches' in the east are too crowded to buggy in the summer.

EDIT: Many of my videos in the buggy section were done at Southwick Beach, maybe you have seen them?

Thanks bobalooie, if schedules and weather cooperate this weekend we might take a road trip up to check the place out. A W wind would be nice but the prediction looks S right now. How hard is the sand?

Sand is hard packed by the water, softer by the dunes, but rideable with barrow tires. I go cross wise on the State Beach area on a N or S wind, can't get going too fast, but you can ride.

I am using a narrow BMX tire and rim on my buggy, might have to pick up some sand tires, or stay on the hard stuff. I am watching for a nice strong weasterly to blow in.

Well, I rode my mountain bike down the beach along the waterline and had no trouble. Do you have an "original" PL buggy with the narrow tires? snowspiders homebrew buggies had some narrow tires and he was able to get going pretty good in an on shore wind.

It is a buggy designed and built by Ron Letzin, a local welder/fabricator, we got the basic geometry off plans available on the net. We used the landing gear off a ultralight trike that was crashed as a start. 17" knobby BMX tires with spoke rims on the rear, and a 12" barrow like tire on the front. It does well in the grass, and fly's on asphalt.

Sounds perfect for the "Cheezeball Rally"! It's a get together at Floyd Bennett Field in NYC. Hey Marc, you gonna have another one when you get all recovered from your surgery?

stillflyin , wait for a nice west wind and you will not be disapointed with Southwick. If you have them, bring some short lines for your kite. The beach is fairly narrow and the short lines will give a little more space to play with. Also surfboards , booggie boards, kayak, fishing gear , mountain bikes, come in handy depending on conditions

Hi every one I am new here and looking forward to share my experiences with you peoples .I am searching for introduction section but not getting it any help will really appreciated.

Welcome.

A couple of real good sites to get you started are www.coastalwindsports.com in the turorial section and www.kitesurfingschool.com .

P.S.
We tend to use our signature to link to kite related sites . Your signature could be taken as spam ? You might want to clarify what you fly and what you like to ride.