Well just when we finally got a good run of cold weather to freeze the lakes followed a nice snowfall everyone was looking forward to getting out this
weekend to kite ski and snowbaord but now it's been raining all morning in southern Ontario that is going to switch to freezing rain then over the
weekend varies from rain to snow to freezing rain as warm air coming up from texas is going to hit a cold air mass later sunday.
This will make for absolute crap conditions for kite skiing. A couple of inches of slush over good ice is easy to deal with other than dressing for
wet. Once you get closer to 4-5 inches it's very tough and more than that with a snow cover makes for the slush sandwich that you stick like glue -
worse than trying to ski on soft wet sand mixed with wet concrete. Add a snap freeze on top and you get the death crust.
Hopefully this doesn't totally mess up everyone's conditions in areas surrounding the great lakes.
here are some tips on checking ice thickness - best to see it close up at 45 second mark
Mark Groshens NAPKA KC 13
WindSpeed kites & design - Canada
Peter Lynn Arcs: Charger2 22.5 +18 + 15 + 6.5, Charger I 6, Scorpion 16 + 10, Phantom II 12 + 9, Orig Phantom 9 + 6, Synergy 10 + 8, F 1200, S 840
Ocean Rodeo: Flite 17 + 12, Rise 13 + 10 + 7, Razor 9 + 6
Foils: PL Leopards and Lynx, Airea Raptors, some PL Reactor IIs + IIIs, Libre Spirits, Cross Kite Sonics, Ozone Flow
Peter Lynn Kite Cat for cruising the lakes
buggies: PL XR+, Cameleon Pagona, custom bigfoot, PL Bigfoot, custom ice buggy
Boards: 2 custom directionals, O.R Surf series 6-3 and 5-11, Mako Duke, Mako Skinny, Mako 140 Wide, Mako 150 Wide, Mako King, Brunotti
lots of old school skis, snowboard
I feel for you! I have the same conditions in Duluth Minnesota, the lakes are really messed up, we have a foot of slush. Just cam back from checking
the lake on my x-country hit slush and had to walk back. Once the slush sticks to the underside of the skis the skis dont move anymore, I found out
on my 3 time ever kitting that hitting slush stops your skis but you and the kite keep going. Can you say face plant
So many kites so little money! Really I'm Broke!
HQ 5.5m, 8m & 11m Apex 4
Ozone Frenzy 11m
Cabrinha Switch Blade 14m & 10m
Cabrinha Stylus 155cm
I feel your frustration too I thought conditions might better seeing all of the
snow footage from Ontario on the Weather Channel. Edmonton had a bit of freezing rain last weekend after a good snowfall but so far the Calgary area
has escaped it.
FB: Pro Foil 5.5m, PL Reactor II 3.5m, Radsail 3m
Depower: GIN Shaman 12m & 6m, Shaman2 9m (incoming), PL Venom II 13m, Venom I 10m
Expecting up to a foot of snow here tonight into tomorrow compliments of the Gulf of Mexico. Sad that were accumulating so much snow so early in the
season. Hard to do speed runs with snow drifts in your way:evil: I just hope this storm doesn't turn the lakes to slush
SS Turbine 17m
SS Rally 14m
SS Rally 12m
SS RPM 10m
SS Rally 8m
SS Rally 6m
FS Speed 3 15m dlx
FS Peak 2 6m
Ozone Frenzy 9m
Ozone Access XT 6m
PL Farc 1200
What I ride:
Home brew buggy
Volkl race tiger DH 210
Dynastar DH 218
Blizzard Cochise 185
Steepwater 179 twin tip
Aboards Reverse 161
We got poured on last night. We could have gone out today but it's too soft and wet and if we track it out now it will be brutal to ride once the cold
front comes through.
We've managed to miss most of the ice accumulation they forecasted. Hopefully not too much death crust out there. :evil:
Chris Krug-Owner @ Hardwater Kiting. Authorized Dealer of Ozone, Flysurfer, HQ kites. www.hardwaterkiter.com 603-986-2784
Jeremy's family and I are trying to get riding on a Merrit / Kamloops trip. Lakes are marginal and Lac Le Juene was the classic crust on top of 4
inches of water on top of ice. Add the fact I killed the wind again and it was another fail.
Jeremy's Son managed to head out and back to the same spot on his very 1st ( and only ) run before the wind stopped. That Kid is a NATURAL born kiter
!