Hey Guys!

Thought I'd drop a note before heading up to the Sierras.

Ocean Beach was kind of a bust. Very little wind on Friday and Saturday and crowded. No traction but we did launch the VII 13 and it looks sweet. Thanks Steff! I can't wait to try it out in some wind.

I did manage some static flying with the two fixed bridle kites I brought. I even pulled off running the kite in a 360. I did it with my Bego on handles and it was pretty cool. If you haven't done that, it's worth a try on a low wind day.

Without any boarding, we were jonesing pretty bad so we got a little crazy and dropped in on some of the steep fairways at Lincoln Park in the Presidio at the end of the day. Golf course smooth and a nice incline did the trick but we missed the kiting.

Anyway, off to the Sierras where it is dumping.

Greg

Yea, thanks. At least you got a little fun in while you were here. That is why I think the meet up you posted was kinda cold. It was a bad time to be here condition wise. Usually we are all alot more excited about a meet. Alot of us got pretty skunked at O.B. a couple days also. Sorry we missed ya. See ya next time.

That is just indicative of the current season - a crap shoot. Have a good one - I hope you find some wind up the hill - there's plenty of snow to play in.

:D my pleasure greg

you will go mad when you get it in some nice winds hehe

just in case you don't know this with arcs when the wind is just
so light the kite doesn't want to climb but you know the wind is up there
this is asuming it wanted to launch but came back down and is just sitting there like a foil kite on handles..
you grab the center power lines where the depower strap is and pump the kite
not to violently but strong long pulls and the kite will climb up ,you also do this when
riding if you pull on the bar to much and stall the kite nice pulls bring it right back up there just make sure you brace yourself because when it gets back into the wind
hehehe

you probably all know this but just in case good to know info

enjoy it !! that is on hell of a kite
i just got my 12m syn today hopping to get out this aft

cheers

steff

Hey Steff!

Pumping the center lines worked pretty well but it was just too light. I'm up at Donner Summit right now and my brother and I are going to take the Venom out this afternoon in the snow. The weather here has been lousy. The snow is so wet, I've stayed drier wakeboarding! Seems a little better today...I'll let you know how it goes/blows!

G

The storm that just came through had tropical winds - a little warmer than usual - the next storm system headed our way should be a little colder but not much - may have a bit of rain mixed in with the snow.

To the kiting.

My brother brought me to Serene Lake which is way up in the Sierras. This is literally the place that the Donner Party would have ended up if they had made it over Donner Pass.

It was a picture perfect setting, a blue bird day with good access for kiting. You could drive right up and park. Couldn't be better.

The winds, however, were gusting from 0 to 20+ from the west southwest. The direction was good but it was incredibly erratic, up and down in short strong bursts and long lulls...ultimately kinda scary.

Walking out onto the lake, it became evident that trudging back and forth from the kite to the bar was going to be extremely difficult. The 18" of accumulation was classic Sierra Cement and there was a layer of cold water starting about a foot below the surface from the rain the night before to boot. Like the eskimos, the inhabitants of the Donner Pass area have many terms for "snow" and more than one is a four letter word. I might have made up a few myself that day.

My brother launched his 6.0 mtr Access walking the lines out on his telemark skis. That seemed to be the ticket. Encouraged, I chose the Pulse 2 8 mtr and began to walk the lines out on foot because I was boarding. First lesson, its really hard to carry the board and unwind lines! Sliding the board ahead of you works but you're still going to do some extra walking.

Anyway, after a couple trips back and forth, some cold wet feet and the fear of the lake ice caving in because of this weird layer of water beneath the surface, I launched the kite, only to find a hopeless bridle snarl that necessitated yet another trip to the kite.

Let's just say that it didn't get any better and I shouldn't spend another second writing about the experience. A quick trip to Jekyll or Beech Island may truly be needed to wash this one away.

In retrospect, what ultimately killed the experience for me was having the snowboard. I ended up making so many trips to the kite on foot that I was utterly exhausted from the effort in combination with the altitude. Skis might have helped me in those conditions. Once the kite was sorted out, the wind was hardly worth what little energy I had left so I bagged it.

Conquering Serene Lake will have to wait until next year.

G

Sorry to hear that - I went up to Blue Canyon last Saturday during the warm spell - the temp was nice, but the wind was awful - just non-existent. Hope you have a better time at Jekyl. Thanks again for visiting - maybe next time the weather will be a bit nicer to you (and me). Take care.