Been a long time coming. We were finally blessed with sailable ice AND some wind here after a few years of nothing :singing:
Monday and Tues we had 6" of rough ice but no wind. Yesterday it was in the low 40's with soaking rain. The rain stole a few inches, but rewarded us with smooth ice.
Skipped out of work early today and headed down to the river to find 3"-4" of sweet ice. Winds were 8-12 mph I'm guessing. The ice boats barely had enough wind to sail and I overheard a few say it was'nt worth chancing the damage of dropping a runner though the ice, so they retreated to the clubhouse for some frosty beverages.
I had my pfd and bear claws just in case.
Also got the chance to try the new Nordic skates The real deal vs. the hockey skates I used years back.
The first hour was spent trying to get all I could out of the kitewing.
Had a few good runs, but nothing to get too excited about.
SOoooo....I broke out the 4m HQ Scout and harness for it's maiden flight on ice after about a dozen times flying static and scudding.
The kite was so much better in low wind.
Where I'd be standing around waiting or pumping the kitewing trying to find speed, the kite had me cruising with a trip through the power zone.
But if the winds were 20+, the kitewing would have been the
choice and the kite would have stayed in the bag.
The kitewing really comes alive in higher winds where the kite would be a handful.
A reporter from the local newspaper stopped by and said a picture may be in the paper tomorrow......promoting the sport is a good thing or bad?
Hopefully the good ice and wind will stick around.
So far we've had only 2" of snow here this winter. Just an hour north and beyond has had tons and the ice is junk.

Jim

Promoting the sport while wearing a helmet is VERY GOOD

We have issues with space so growing the sport is working against us to a degree.

That said. I would rather hang is a crowded park with good friends than fly alone !

Glad you had a positive experience with the kite ! As you see it should become too much right as the kitewing starts to come to life ! :wee:

Whow looks like a nice playground!

Never tried a kitewing but kites are definitely great for those light wind days and when the winds working up top but not on the ground.

Glad to hear you had a chance to go out and play!

so jealous... thats awesome. roughly what kind of speed do you do in those winds? enough wind for jumps?

I keep my GPS in the truck, but had it in the house to charge the batts and forgot about it.
I'd guess yesterday I may have gone 20-25mph with the kite and 15-20 with the wing. Can't wait for more wind to see what the kite and 21" Nordic skates can do :wee:
A few times on the redirect I got real light on my feet but not quite off the ice. If I knew what I was doing I'm sure I could of left the ice. Practice ,practice,practice.
In good wind, I get air with the wing, but nothing big. Maybe after rigging V-lines for the harness I'll try for more.

To answer your question in the other post..."will hockey skates work with a kite"... absolutely as long as they're sharp, Most important, I'd say my hockey skates offer as much side grip as the Nordic skates which you'll need as the kite or kitewing is pulling from the side. The only drawback will be on rough ice and/or higher speeds. The short rockered blades of hockey skates are twitchy, scary, and even dangerous on rough ice or anything over 35mph. I would deliberately drop to the ice and slide, for what sometimes seemed forever, many times when the speed got to much in high winds with the wing. Did'nt want to chance a busted ankle or a good head shot to the ice.

No wind today but Forecast is calling for 20mph tomorrow and I hope they're right. :singing: If it's sustained and not gusty, should be the higher end for the kite and the sweet spot for the kitewing. I'll worS-P-A-M-L-I-N-K-em both and see what happens. Stay tuned.
Had the ice all to myself yesterday, but tomorrow (Sat), will be a totally different playground. Ice boat races are planned, recreational ice boaters everywhere else, and half the town might be out there skating and playing hockey. I hope to see other kite skaters, kitewings, and boardsailers.
A few old timers still come out with those old fashioned skate kites you lay back on. About 5-6 years ago I saw them and it got my attention, I went online and found the kitewing. I was hooked. That's what started this wind madness.

btw, they had a pic in the paper today....with the kitewing.
I was barely moving while he was shooting the pics and feeling kinda stupid. Oh well.
Scoll down a few stories....
http://www.redbankgreen.com/

Jim

Nice pics

That is one thing I miss this winter...I had a blast on the frozen lake last year in Iowa.

WOW, Had an Epic weekend on the ice. :wee:

Went out with with the kitewing Saturday and trailered my son with a sled. Worked out great. We hit 26.5 on the GPS in 20mph winds on hard ice. Had to "eject" at 3:22
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZZ3gPLxfPgo&feature=chann...

Sunday was unseasonably warm in the 50's and the ice turned to a soft slushy mess by midday. I flew the Scout 4 in 15-20 mph winds with alot of iceboat, skater, and pedestrian traffic to tend with. GPS said 29.7 mph but I'm not sure if it was when flying the kite or kitewing.
Tues was my first time skating with the kite. I'm not very comfortable yet but somehow managed to look like I knew what I was doing. :roll:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ivEJxiyWYqA

Ice was horrible and the traffic had me on my toes.
I'd say I have to learn to "feel" the kite more and watch where I'm going instead of looking ahead and at the kite back and forth back and forth like I'm seeing in the video.
Any other advice? Thanks for the help

Very nice ice conditions,... too bad they have not lasted. Skis will work nicely if it gets to slushy to use skates. I've got a kiddo due to arrive in April,... so in the next few of years I'll be doing the tow too!

There is an iceboat group on Yahoo that gives some nice ice reports for the eastern states - if you are going to drive to search for ice that site might be useful.
http://sports.groups.yahoo.com/group/IceBoating/messages?o=1

If that link doesn't work, just go to yahoo, then groups, then search iceboating. They give some nice ice reports for your neck of the woods...

Thanks for the links PW. Your right, I wish I had bought the skis to the slushfest Sunday. Unreal how the temps were in the upper 20's with nice hard ice on Sat, and less then 24 hours later in the mid 50's. You can see the difference in the 2 videos. Lesson learned. Come prepared for anything.