Big Calgary ski swap on this weekend... Waited in line for an hour and managed to score one of 4 pairs of snowblades!
Salomon Minimax 99cm and a pair of boots (I usually snowboard)

They are calling for the snow to fly Sunday, if it does I will be there in the park with these puppies and my NPW21 is almost ready to fly too, just finishing the bridle.

Yeah bring on the winter it's snowkite season!

Hope the ground is cold enough for some of it to stay around and be useful. Enjoy!

Just parked the motorbike for the winter (of course it's easily accessed if the weather gives us reprieve). Our overnight forecast and the fact that yard work prevented me from flying a kite today has me thinking I might have to dig out my blades and beat the Calgarians to some snowkiting......pics will prove if it happens

It is going to be wet but Ok for a season start if the wind holds this afternoon. Barely -1C and blowing 15-30 kph.

Here is what we have after about 2 hours of snowfall. ( too bad Edmonton is still snowless heh heh )

Hrmph.....just enough to write off the buggy - not enough to not destroy the skis. Me and my big mouth.....

Got out around noon, snow coming down in buckets, wind was typical "in-town" 0-50kph gusts. Had something to do in the afternoon so despite less than ideal conditions I went for it and had a couple good turns.

Learning my way around the blades, love how you can skate in them when the wind turns 90 degrees instead of strapping out of a board, and also shuffle backwards to get the kite back up! They need wax bad as one was a huge snowball after an hour of riding.

Wind was just terrible, I spent more time untangling bridles, recovering from bow-ties and similar events than I did riding. Was my first time in that park, it looked great, snow was good and deep, but the wind was very chaotic, not going back there!
Wish I had finished my NPW21 in time to fly off bridles, would have been perfect for these conditions, but I ran out of bridle line . I flew my Crossfire but the lines were way too long for that park, which didn't help.

Still, first tracks 2013!! Didn't expect to get to use my blades the next day! Anyone else (canuck?) make it out today?

Glad you got out and liked the blades.

I was out from about 3 to 4:30 for a great start to the season. Not as wet as it could have been, good coverage, only tripped up by one lull while turning.

Gotta love Fall in Alberta + 20C yesterday and out in my shorts on grass on Coyotes. Felt strange to hot wax my snowblades wearing shorts but it was worth it today. Might even get another session in tomorrow before it all melts.

:harmuph:

You guys are killing me! Can't believe you've been out already. Wisconsin has gotten a few flakes but nothing like that. Jeleous for sure! Now I'm REALLY gettin stoked for winter. Glad you had fun despite the issues

More tracks after work tonight Cold overnight (-12C) dried out the snow and it stayed below freezing all day so we did not loose any. Supposed to be all melted by Thursday

Way to go Canuck, I should have gone flying, but I finished bridling my NPW21 because I got home late and it was getting dark. If I didn't have to work today I would have been shredding all day!
Hope there is still a bit of snow around to try out the new wing tomorrow

You guys are killing me with these shots. I work next weekend so, hopefully it snows enough for me to kite my next days off on the 15th,16, and 17th. Really looking forward to this season.

We are in luck again :D All of last weekend's snow was gone for Halloween but there is another snowfall warning for Southern Alberta today (10-25cm) and 30kph wind forecasted for tomorrow after it stops snowing. Daytime highs just above freezing the rest of this week should keep this stuff around and we get a bonus hour of daylight.

Here is the same shot as last Saturday after about 2 1/2 hrs of snowfall today. A lot better coverage.

Lucky Dawg! Like usual the snowfall around the provinces will miss Lloydminster around a 50mile radius. I should take it as a blessing, and get my yard cleaned up, before we get a nice blanket.

Looks like things are setting up for a great day on the nose.

All this snow should flatten down the grass.

20-30knot winds.

Fall snow kite at its best.

You just made my day! After watching the snow fall gently through dead air all day, sitting around sharpening and waxing my blades, making a lineset for my NPW21 and messing with bridles, it's 20-30kts and below zero all day tomorrow!?

Hell yeah! Now I just need a good park on my side of town to ride... the east is pretty poorly served for large parks. I think I found a new one to try tomorrow though. Elliston is nice for static flying, but too tight for riding. Can't wait for Chestermere to freeze up!

I was wrong. Woke up to a light blanket of snow, and 5-10cm forecast throughout the day. Looks like it will stay too!

What part of Calgary are you in Rectifier ?

Canuck turned me on to a great little lake , Red Deer? , just past Spruce Meadows that is small and shallow. Should freeze early.

BR - it has not been cold enough yet to form much ice. Next Friday night might hit -20C but we have barely had frost so far.

Benjo - You might have to be careful at Nose Hill and kite in the off-leash areas only. People might not be too happy with tracks through grasslands that are in improvement areas. Should be lots of space with today's wind direction. Just my 2c

And Edmonton's grass is officially buried too! Wahoo!

Some blown spots but the snow settled in between the blades so it's rideable Im sure.

I had one FB to put a new lineset on so I took it out on Friday (before our snow) knowing it'd be a snowy mess if I waited (okay...optimistically hoping it'd be a snowy mess if I didn't do it that day). Found out the field is a wee bit smallish but it'll have to do for the quick jonesings. Buggy will be OK in the new year with some shorter linesets. The 25's are just a bit too much for the fenceline.

Congrats to all the Canadians here getting in the first tracks! Glad to see the snow is spreading.

Crazy winds as usual over here in the east, blew away most of the snow! But I got to try out my new NPW21 and that was pretty sweet. Temps came up a bit too much and turned it to slush by noon though, dragging my bases on the grass.

I live right on the east side of town beside Chestermere which is also shallow and windy. Freezes pretty fast but I can't wait!

Nose hill off-leash areas look like the best kiting areas anyways, on the plateau. I used to static fly up there because the wind is fairly reliable.
Always thought the grass would be too long for snowkiting though. Anyone tried it? It might be worth the short trips to NH for steady winds, that's only halfway across town

There was a demo for Rapace kites at Nose Hill.

Did you make it???

https://www.facebook.com/groups/205979619417415

there were some nice pics from Vermillion lakes demo near banff.

one of the photos posted at bow valley snowkite facbook thingy...

I need to move to Canada...:D:D

I'm not sure that RectumFryer made it to the deomo or not...

I'll fry your rectum for not telling me about that demo earlier! But I have joined the FB group, didn't know we had a local thing going on like that

So Sorry that My texting auto correct made it seem that you were not a recitfier but a rectumfryer... not sure how I let that slip. Humblest apologies! I think that I am fast enough on the ice that I'm safe!

Prairie Wind posted

Quote:

there were some nice pics from Vermillion lakes demo near banff.

Thanks for the info Patrick. Still not much snow at Nose Hill but the soccer fields in town are still good. The -20C nights this week should have been good for local ice development. Chinook winds coming this weekend so conditions should be good

2012--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2013



It's getting closer.

Autocorrect, yeah, yeah... Best be flying overpowered if you come around here lest I catch up with you... From behind :o

Anyone been on the Calgary lakes yet? Chestermere, Red deer? Ice must be getting close by now, I may go check out C-mere this weekend with the auger