we already got about 3 inches of snow here in south texas and im trying to snow kite on my 4 acre back yard, I get my havoc up in the air and about 5 seconds later a static charge build up so strong i get a steady shock in my feet.!!! To the point i have to eject my kite every time

its pretty soaked as well there is standing water every where..

could it be from our septic system? or is it from static from the humid wet snow?

this is a pretty big upset, i cant even ride this great breeze and snow, its about 10-15 right now

any ideas would be help.

too much friction? Try different boots? I don't know but good luck. You could try dragging a grounding wire but I am not sure the source of the charge so maybe not a good idea

What's the sky and weather like? That kind of buz is usually a precursor to a lightning strike!

Yeah be careful, I've heard a couple stories if guy getting hit by lightning on the water. Something sound very sketchy at your field. Especially if the charge is enough to cause you to stop

I'm with Anugs on this one. If you are feeling a shock it is likely coming from the air and not the ground which would be an indicator that lighting is near (even if storm clouds aren't). I snow kite on grass and lakes and have NEVER experienced static discharge.

Local riders were once telling me of the time riding on water in overcast conditions, and they would feel a tingle in their feet on small jumps.
I later saw on a Weather Channel documentary on Lightning that this is a sign that a strike is imminent.

good thing i just came in ill let the storm pass, were getting dumped on here in houston texas.

i finally put on skis, so i got some rides in.
wow god had my back on that one,

thats exactly what i was feeling, a strong tingle but it would build up so strong, im not going back out unless it clears up.

Was it snowing while you were kiting?

We've felt that here. My buddy had carbon tele skis on and the friction of the kite against the falling snow was building up the static running it down his lines into his feet. I'll have to see if I can find that actual scientific term for it. It has a goofy name. I'll post if I can find more info about it.

A.

WOW, that is really amazing stuff!!! I never would have even thought of that. What a crazy feeling that must've been O.O

yeah when it first happend i didnt know what the heck it was. i thought to my self, '; i know i just didnt get electricuted by my kite". This kinda sucks, i mean look at this great snow




edit: sorry didnt see your post rudeboy, yes it is blizzarding right now and when i was getting shocked, i put some rubber boots on and flew again, finally no shock but hard to lock into my boards bindings. im not going to chance it, if theres that much static in the air i could probably cause a lighting strike.

Well, haven't found the exact thing I was looking for, but here's an airplane article on P-static to help explain a little bit of what falling snow can generate. It happens with helicopter blades too:

http://www.smart#@%$#!pit.com/data/pdfs/flightops/meteorolog...

Science is cool!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Elmo%27s_fire

yes i have had it numerous times on the beach ,

high ion content air definitely builds static on the surface of the unit and you.

even little hops the static charge bites your toes.

twice i have noticed lightening within visual range discharge after getting bite by ground charge.

the sky cover takes on a very grainy appearance as well. i drop immediately everytime this happens.. warm air thunderstorm are the surrounding conditions.

Here in New England we get alot of high lightening with heavy snow. Almost as if in a thunder storm. But the snows softnes I suppose absorbs the thunder. But snow can create a lot of friction. So I would choose safty I think.:shocked2:

http://www.powerkiteforum.com/viewthread.php?tid=6816&pa...

this was one of the first times it happened to me

Click Here For An electrifying Kite Video ! :shocked2: