i am moving to a lake that is 21miles and 14 miles wide. the whole thing freezes over winter, infact it is snowing there right now.
i have seen the ice buggy, is any other option avalible for the ice.
bladerunner, have you tried ice skates?

Prairie Wind is all about the ice skates - speed skates if I'm not mistaken. I'm sure he'll chime in here. Can you say ZERO friction?! Just watch your lines ; )

As a lake I am not sure how long skates work as most of the time the ice is quickly destroyed by snow unless it is cleared after each snow fall. We have a small lake 5 min by car from us and I am looking forward to using a snowboard on it, and doing mile long scuds. Very low friction even on snow. The downside to ice is any jumps can be very hard on the landing if not done clean. Ice = concrete. No flex no bounce. I'd like to see a PKLF done on ice :roll: Winter in Canada at least = more wind, and no leaves to make wind dirty. :wee:

cheers

Agree with rockyrails. I have two ponds in my backyard and rare is the condition when they aren't totally to partially snow covered. I use my skis much more than my skates. When using skates I use traditional hockey skates without problem. As mentioned, watch the lines and pad up (helmet and elbow). Since there is no friction you can get crazy speeds on ice so make sure you use a kite that is one or two times smaller than you think you need until you get the hang of it because if you fall and are attached to the kite you will go sliding for quite a while until you recover or drop it on the safety.

iv got both skis and snowboard at home, how much snow cover is needed,

Depends on the surface conditions and what type of snow is on the ground. If the snow is semi wet and packs well, you can get by with 2" on top of solid ice. If the snow is pretty light and fluffy you will scrape it off on every powered turn and are better off with 4" or more on the surface (or just keep the skis flat so they don't wash out on you)

If the ice is not bullet-proof but has softened some from thaw and freeze cycles, you can get by with just a little snow and sharp edges if you keep the skis flat and aren't trying to hold down tons of power.

If you are out on a grassy field and have beater skis and the ground is fairly frozen, I've gone out wth about a half inch of cover and done well.

Generally speaking, for me, more snow is not necessarily better but I don't board - I ski and long skis can be hard to turn as quick as the kite when you are switching direction if they torpedo. Also deeper snow gets rutted up by snowmobiles and that makes it easier to catch an edge at speed.

4-6" of harder pack or windblown snow on a firm surface is great. Good runs to be had at the end of the year too when the ice is beat up from melting and freezing snow and there is no cover but the ice surface is soft enough to hold an edge yet still solid enough to support your weight.

I hate setting up and packing up on snow but riding on it is great.

thank you for all the advice this is going to help very much
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:Ange09::Ange09::Ange09::Ange09::Ange09::Ange09::Ange09::Ange09:

Wolf Wolfee used to rave about the sessions he had with his regular barrow wheels and snow ! Not so great for staying upwind but a ton of fun with spins !

Prariewind was kind enough to GIVE me a skatewing :wow: I will want to hold on to it for this winter but may be able to be talked in to passing it on next year ?

Dirtslide just got a Skimbat :wee: . If I am right, once Prarriewind moved to a Skimbat / Kitewing the Skatewing didn't get too see much wind ?

From what I can tell Broc and Prarriewind are your "go to " guys when it comes to icey lakes !

Often even when lakes get blown out there is still stretches of snow bars that run cross wind. If you can stick to them with sharp skis you can poach a good day !

what about ski settup for my buggy? has anyone tried such a thing

I'd love a skimbat. Hope you have a blast with the kite wing. Looks like so much fun in the right conditions on a frozen lake or mountain. 'course I'd like an Air Fx and Manta and bego 600 and new lanboard and... the list just goes on and on.

kiteon,

I picked up a pair of Lundhag Multiskates last winter from: http://www.nordicskater.com/blades.html

They were fast!

However, I needed a better pair of boots - not enough ankle support.

Good deal Eli. They are built really well. But you need a good pair of boots to make them feel secure.

I think these would be the ticket to get me over 60 mph.

Hopefully I get to use them again before I head to the tropical island.

JoJo1 said something about putting blades on a buggy kind of like a bobsled blade instead of wheels. Not sure if it was a kit or a home built thing.

i just got my dad to order a pair of the muliskates, good sugestion second wind thanx