I don't even know where to start. I've been in Las Vegas the past four days for work and I got to sneak away at Noon for the rest of the day. Drove
down to Ivanpah and had the buggy session of my life on the Playa. There was a high wind warning in effect and the winds were holding steady at around
25 with gusts a bit over 30 mph.
Flew the 4m P2 and 2.5m NS3. Loved them both under these conditions with the nod going to the Peak. Having never been buggying on anything longer than
two football field lengths being able to just go and go and go and go was INCREDIBLE. Faster than I'd ever gone but felt in complete control. Launched
the P2 with the trim line most of the way in and she shot up into the sky with barely any pull; super easy to just stand there and get situatated
before sitting down in the buggy. Adjusted the trim line to about 3 inches short of all the way out, dropped the kite down through the wind window and
took off. What a feeling! So this is what smooth wind feels like.
I got some GoPro footage which I'll pull together at home and post later this week. Met two great guys out there, one named Greg who'd been in Vegas
since the 80's and likely known by anybody from the scene down there and a guy named Mike who was just getting going in the kiting world.
I've tried to go for the last week but the east side is closed and the gate locked. I've had bad experiences riding on the west side and it's worse
with northerly winds. Did you get on the east side somehow? If not you haven't seen room to ride yet. We had rain come through yesterday but I hope
it missed ivanpah. Today is 33 gusting to 47. I'm gonna live to fly another day.
Coastal Wind Sports Team Rider Landsegler Disc wheels
PTW Hero Buggy - XXtreme ApeXX Buggy US 88 - Libre Hardcore IvanpahBuggyExpo.com Youtube link
Bob Muse
HQ Montana X 8m, Montana IX 12m, HQ Ignition LEI 5m,
PL Phantom 12m, 15m, Big Blu 24m+, Synergy 10m, Venom 10m, 13m , Phantom II 12m Vapors 3.8, 5.4, Crosskite Sonic 7m, PKD Combat 10.3m
Uturn Butane 2.5m PKD Buster 3m Genetrix Hydra 7m Ozone Yakuza GT 14m
Yeah, today does look a little breezy. Should be calmed down by tomorrow. Winds were strong but manageable yesterday. Easy to fly the kites up in the
air, but a lot to deal with on the ground for set up and fold up.
Awesome to hear you finally got to ride Ivanpah! Now your spoiled forever:P I dream of riding there someday. If only it wasn't so far to drive.
I do hope you can make it some day! It was sort of a surreal experience in a lot of ways. I found myself laughing out loud a lot. Part of what was
cracking me up was thinking back on some of the "You know you're an inland rider if..." things folks have posted. One, by Spencer (Soliver) was that
after about a 100 yards you have an uncontrollable urge to turn... and you do. So true!
One of the most striking things was how smooth everything was, both the Playa and the wind. The wind was over 30 mph a lot but once you get up to
speed and are just cruising you can go for many minutes in a Park and Ride mode with very little force on the bar since you are sort of in an
equilibrium. I found myself going really fast (fast for me; certainly not FAST) but feeling relaxed and in complete control. I was being pretty
conservative on my first time out and in high winds, so I would turn by slowly arcing upwind over about 100 yards probably which bleeds off your speed
until I was moving pretty slowly and heading pretty much upwind. I'd swing the kite up high and bring the buggy around in a lazy turn, get myself back
on a good tack and drop the kite back down closer to the ground and speed back up in the other direction.
Totally uncanny to have so much time on my hands to do this without any obstacles or shifting wind conditions. At home I'm turning constantly and
needing to dodge goal posts, fences, lights, bleachers, etc. Having acreage to get all this done was totally wild! :smug:
One of the coolest things to do there is to race the shadow of the sunset across the lakebed. Our dear late friend AJ (ActionJackson) taught me this.
You need a north or south wind so that you can ride a beam reach from west to east. At the end of the day, go to the west edge of Ivanpah and
observe the shadow cast by the sun as it sets behind the mountain range to the west. As the sun continues to set, the shadow moves from west to east.
It moves slowly at first, then speeds up. Ride your buggy along with the edge of the shadow and it speeds up as the sun sets lower. Try to keep the
shadow under your wheels. Then you see how nervy you can be as you race to the east edge of the lakebed and sooner or later you have to bail. The
shadow always wins.
AJ always described it as "magical" and he was right. Probably my most profound moment on the lakebed.
Angus Campbell Coastal Wind Sports
where life is better when it blows!
912-577-3920 new number
One of the coolest things to do there is to race the shadow of the sunset across the lakebed. Our dear late friend AJ (ActionJackson) taught me this.
You need a north or south wind so that you can ride a beam reach from west to east. At the end of the day, go to the west edge of Ivanpah and
observe the shadow cast by the sun as it sets behind the mountain range to the west. As the sun continues to set, the shadow moves from west to east.
It moves slowly at first, then speeds up. Ride your buggy along with the edge of the shadow and it speeds up as the sun sets lower. Try to keep the
shadow under your wheels. Then you see how nervy you can be as you race to the east edge of the lakebed and sooner or later you have to bail. The
shadow always wins.
AJ always described it as "magical" and he was right. Probably my most profound moment on the lakebed.
What a wonderful story Angus. "ActionJackson" must have been one hell of a guy. You have a nice way with words and I absolutely saw what you were
describing perfectly. Wow! Great post.
The high winds last night ripped the covering off the big sign for the Chevron station.
Just drove out to take a look. Saw the Chevron sign (or what's left of it). Pretty darn big sign. I hope the shreds from that thing didn't hurt
anybody or destroy any property downwind.
Right now (1:30 PM PST) it is too windy for my blood. Measured base wind average of 28 mph with frequent gusts 10 mph above that. Playa is a dust bowl
and deserted (on North side; can't see South side). Wind supposed to slacken later in the afternoon to low high teens with mid 20's gusts. Thinking
about hanging out and seeing what develops.
A bad day hanging out in Primm beats a good day down on The Strip. Tomorrow afternoon is looking like winds like what are forecasted later today. Got
plenty of kites with me for those sorts of winds. Lucky for me there is tomorrow.
Never did get out today at Ivanpah. Winds were just too high for my skill level today. Gusts kept going up into the high 30s to near 40s and better
sense ruled the day. I did drive out and walk around the North Side Playa and got some (hopefully) good GoPro footage of the wind and area, but not
actual buggying today.
Tomorrow it is forcasted for about 11 mph tomorrow afternoon. If that holds true it could be perfect for the 9m Peak-2 and maybe even the 7m LongStar.
I want to get the LongStar up in some steady winds for a proper trial (or burial).
If anybody can make it I should be out there around 1:30 or 2:00 PM.
Frankly, what gives me the most trouble is the set up, take off, landing, and successful packing away of the kites and lines when the winds are
howling like this. Once the kite is up in the air it is much more manageable, particularly a DP. I appreciate the fine suggestions though.
I use a single sandbag to weight the upwind tip of all foil kites for launch. This is the perfect setup to launch at the edge of the window. I've
frequently used my car as a backstop to land the kite against.
Coastal Wind Sports Team Rider Landsegler Disc wheels
PTW Hero Buggy - XXtreme ApeXX Buggy US 88 - Libre Hardcore IvanpahBuggyExpo.com Youtube link
Bob Muse
HQ Montana X 8m, Montana IX 12m, HQ Ignition LEI 5m,
PL Phantom 12m, 15m, Big Blu 24m+, Synergy 10m, Venom 10m, 13m , Phantom II 12m Vapors 3.8, 5.4, Crosskite Sonic 7m, PKD Combat 10.3m
Uturn Butane 2.5m PKD Buster 3m Genetrix Hydra 7m Ozone Yakuza GT 14m
I always side launch with upwind tip weighted no matter kite type. Lei excluded of course. I've never launched one of those. Side launch works
perfectly with nasa, any fb or dp foil, peak, and of course arc.
Had a wonderful Ivanpah session today. Most certainly employed the side launch technique to my benefit. Winds were dropping throughout the afternoon
so I started with a 6m P2, switched to a 5m LongStar, and finished with a 8.5m NS3.
In order of preference, I liked the NS3 the best, P2 second (though first for DP security), and the LS a distant third. I'll have more to say about
the LS once I get my video worked out once I get home, but alas, this kite series appears not to be ready for prime time in a host of ways.
Caught a magnificent sunset on the Playa to round out a great day. Was on the North side today, cruising with a couple of land sailors. No other
buggy riders today. What a playground! :wee:
Brilliant Steve. Glad you got a great day in at one of the world's premier buggy sites. Enjoyed the NS3 more than the P2? Bummer to hear about the LS - will be interested to hear your thoughts.
Brilliant Steve. Glad you got a great day in at one of the world's premier buggy sites. Enjoyed the NS3 more than the P2? Bummer to hear about the LS - will be interested to hear your thoughts.
I'm hitting the road this AM for a 6-7 hour drive back to Utah, but in short what I liked about the NS3 vs P2 was the absolute rock steady nature of
its Park n Ride capability coupled with all the force coming through my harness. The P2 flies wonderfully but takes paying attention to it and
requires decent pull of the bar to keep it trimmed in properly. I'd never had long stretches of going in the same direction before without turning and
it wasn't super comfy to stay twisted sideways and pulling on the bar for long stretches. My usual back and forth on soccer fields creates constant
shifting from side to side and transitions in the turns and I don't notice the comfort issue so much. This is sort of like trail running versus
running on a long flat road. I notice all my aches and pains on the road but not on the trail. On the trail my mind is occupied with the ever so
important task of not face planting.
John - I'll message you on XK later today or tomorrow with more of the LS.
Steve!!!! I'm so glad you've had such a great time!!!... I've been super busy and have been off the radar for a few days and look what I missed.
Coolness
btw... totally jealous
Next kiting spot for you, Jekyll Island... JIBE,... no excuses. I know, I know "I have a conference that week, BLAH BLAH BLAH"
I repeat, no excuses.
One of the coolest things to do there is to race the shadow of the sunset across the lakebed. Our dear late friend AJ (ActionJackson) taught me this.
You need a north or south wind so that you can ride a beam reach from west to east. At the end of the day, go to the west edge of Ivanpah and
observe the shadow cast by the sun as it sets behind the mountain range to the west. As the sun continues to set, the shadow moves from west to east.
It moves slowly at first, then speeds up. Ride your buggy along with the edge of the shadow and it speeds up as the sun sets lower. Try to keep the
shadow under your wheels. Then you see how nervy you can be as you race to the east edge of the lakebed and sooner or later you have to bail. The
shadow always wins.
AJ always described it as "magical" and he was right. Probably my most profound moment on the lakebed.
Thats a great story you tell here. I enjoyed reading this and never heard of such a cool sounding ancient type of battle.
Life is like a coconut under the tree. Even the coconut has to chill out every once in a while.
Amazing what you can learn when you have extended seat time, instead of trying to stay in one piece on an obstacle course.
The reason we in the northeast can't wait for winter winter is our version of the playa, frozen lakes! You're going to love snowkiting for the same
reason.
Glad you had one of "those" experiences!
Reactors 2.8 3.5 6.9
Peaks 4m 6m 12m
HQ Neo2 11m Ozone Chrono V2 15m WASP 5m
Flexi wide axle w/mids and runners
Skis Nordic skates and winter stuff
Quatro Wing Foilboard Slingshot Foils
NAPKA US06
Amazing what you can learn when you have extended seat time, instead of trying to stay in one piece on an obstacle course.
The reason we in the northeast can't wait for winter winter is our version of the playa, frozen lakes! You're going to love snowkiting for the same
reason.
Glad you had one of "those" experiences!
Reactors 2.8 3.5 6.9
Peaks 4m 6m 12m
HQ Neo2 11m Ozone Chrono V2 15m WASP 5m
Flexi wide axle w/mids and runners
Skis Nordic skates and winter stuff
Quatro Wing Foilboard Slingshot Foils
NAPKA US06
Well Playa fans, here's a little video I threw together to memorialize my trip to Ivanpah. What a place! Note the Chevron sign in the middle that
Bob mentioned having been destroyed in the wind overnight from Sunday to Monday.
![[*]](images/perspective/default_icon.gif){kind=icon}
