... Finally I found someone to join me for my first winter kiteboarding session ..... water 40F air 38F wind S 12-20mph..... NY Brooklyn.....
.... Decided to use my 13m Gin Zulu III for a first time ..... Door 60 .... Lucifer with base layer I use for snowboarding, 5mm booties , gloves and hoodie ...
After getting to water I have feeling that my drysuit is leaking ..... and that feel continue thru whole session ..... I was sure that when I finish my clothes will be wet ...... There was 3 kiters with Oneils drysuit and bunch of windsurfers that all finish session at same time and chat at parking lot ..... when they notice me taking Lucifer off everyone wants to know if it leaked ,,,,, answer is NO .... I have no wet spots at all ....... very happy with that
So ... 3h session with Lucifer ,,,, getting in .... easy to get my hands thru and head ... more work with you feet and back zipper.... neck seal is very soft and did not make me uncomfortable at all..... I unzip hood for that session ...... never have chance to use pee zip ,.... On beginning I did think that L size is a bit big for me and looks very bulky .... but after fully dress with all hand and feet straps wrap I realize that it needs to be that big for movement freedom ....
... I stay warm most off time and I did spend lots of time in water ,,,,, however .... next time I will get thicker base layer for more comfort ..... After 3h .... cold fingertips make me end that session
What I did not like :
..is hard to close entry zipper by you self
..walking in water bulky bottom section make it harder and make me trip once ...
What I love
... being dry ....
... harness location
... freedom of movements
... looks ....

Booties and gloves 5mm .....
Is way harder to do anything with those gloves on ..... to hold bar you do have to force starch that material ..... after some time .... I forgot I have them on and about that issue ....
My biggest problem was getting those booties into straps when on deep water ..... When trying on beach there was plenty of space to slide those in, when on water that was a nightmare .... after adjusting straps to make easier entry .... it was hard to control the board..... I am sure I can find sweet spot next time ....

Gin Zulu III 13m .....
beautiful blue kite with awesome safety release system ....
There is so many knots on bridle lines and bar pre-lines that I land it 3 times before getting it to behave way I want for now .... Very stable , re-launching with bar ( I did not need to pull rear lines when re-launching 3 times )... I need more time on it to get you more info .... so far ... love it ....

.... Finally get that behind me and ready for more cold whether riding ..... is not that bad .... investing in drysuit make it possible for me and I think is worth it .... 5mm booties, gloves and hoodie add another $150 to the bill ... Its way easier to find wind this time of year then in summer ... I hope to enjoy many more sessions with that setup .....

Good for you! 3 hours is a good effort

Cold hands tend to end my sessions this time of year too... and the sun setting at like 6pm I'm still only using my 3/2mm suit and 5mm boots/gloves though... I can handle being cold but the numb hands is a problem!

where in BK Kober....? Plumb Beach....?

Wow, now thats dedication. Forget my post about waiting for it to be warmer.....78* :embarrased:

Thanks Kamikuza .... I been told to swing you arms once every half hour .... and that speed up you blood circulation to stop fingertip coldness ,,,, forgot to try this ..... maybe next time .....
.
Cheezy.... yep ... Plumb Beach ... on shore wind and shallow flat water .... almost perfect

AZ .... that was my first session since october ..... I did not know that everyone is still riding ....

Good tip, ta... getting them out of the wind warmed mine up but you look silly riding around with a hand between your own legs :o

footage !

Congrats! I tried my first one yesterday. It was too windy for land so I thought I would try water. My friend was out with his 7m cabrinha in 25-40mph gusts and he weighs about 170. I figured my 8m Neo and me at 200 I would be ok but I was way too overpowered. I kept screaming down wind. my suit and boots did well but I need better gloves. I was my face that froze though. I was out for about 1.5 hours and done. Staying out for 3 hours is amazing I suppose the drysuit helps too.

no footage this time .....
,,,, I was occupied with new spot, new kite , new drysuit and cold water.... forgot all about camera.....
... next time I will try to film review of Lucifer and Gin Zulu III...


stetson .... there was a guy riding in wet suit with no gloves and no hoodie ...... I was getting chills just by looking at him ,,,, Someone suggest that 5mm gloves and booties is max what you can use with kiteboarding .... Now I know why .... With thicker gloves you can't grab you bar properly and 7mm booties will be a pain to get into the straps ...

Depends on the kite... 5mm gloves make my forearms burn. Better than cold hands though :o
5mm boots - in fact any boots - hurt my feet like I've got ski-boots on that are too small. I basically have to have the straps completely loose... which I don't like.

... better than not riding though :D

I think I could get away with 3mm boots - I rarely get cold feet at all, it's always my hands...

40 F water and 38 is cold. coldest i have sessioned here is 48 F water and 40 f air temps. no booties, 3mm gloves around 2-3 hours, then the fingers turn off the fun. and once you stop on the beach ...serious frozen feet. once i started wearing a rain coat with a hood made things better. never been able to get the booties and strap thing to work at all.

way to go Kober solid commitment is beautiful and brutal cold tests ALL!

....basically looks like I need straps loose .... and learn to deal with that when riding ...... Is that right ????

kober, all the boards i have when i have the booties on the straps are max'd out with a fraction of velcro to close and pop loose at the worst times.

strapless is away to go but my experience with that is i spend too much time in the water , during the winter that is not what you want, during summer you don't think about.

if i HAD to wear booties i would sort it out maybe make some extension for the straps or some accommodation. working it out on a ride just gets you hurt or break gear. the guys in UK/Scandinavia/CAN are gonna know the gear combo that works.
to me alot of tactual sensation is lost so i feel very clumsy in them .

I have never kiteboarded barefoot. Mainly because only recently could I get back to my starting point and secondly cause I don't trust not to step on hooks from Salmon fishermen. I use probably 3mm booties and have my bindings set for that. they are probably about as loose as they will go. It works for me cause I don't know any other way. the 3mm have a thick sole, I think they are for surfing in cold water and my feet stay plenty warm. I am pretty sure you wouldn't need thicker ones but I never have stayed out for 3 hours either

Stetson ..... My first kiteboarding session ended with 15 stitches on my heel ... somehow I manage to step on broken glass bottle in water .... since then I am trying to keep booties on .....
Last Saturday was first time I ride with 5mm ... hope to get better with that winter armor ....


Phree... velcro on my straps let go twice when riding ... and with gloves like that is hard to put it back in place when you on water ..... I walk to the beach to reattach it ...