I ran into a guy a Kitestorm this year who had a homemade ice board. It was an older land board that he'd modified to have blades instead of wheels. Anyone tried building one of these? I've got a ton of smooth ice and no snow, so I'm trying to figure out a way to get out with my kite!

I've also read about guys using ski boots that have been outfitted with speed skating blades. Why not just use hockey skates?

Hi there, I built an icebuggy once with skate blades and seat. Your basic kids "cross" design with the front blade stearable with your feet. Worked fine as long as you used sharp blades and had your weight near the back "axle" As far as hocky skates go, I have done it in light winds with a very small kite (2.5M) and man, that was fast! It was fun and easy to control, but never in a windy day with larger kites, way too fast. And don't forget on skates you do frictionless launches :evil:

Scissor,

I picked up a pair of Nordic Skates this winter from: http://www.nordicskater.com/blades.html

They are fast! However, I need to get a better pair of boots for next season. My hiking boots did not provide enough ankle support.

Hey, those look like a great idea! What kind did you get?

I went for the Lundhags Multiskates.

Cool. Considering your mention of needing stiffer boots, I think I'm going to spring for a pair of skate boots and 55cm Isvidda nordic blades. I've also found some kitewing users in the area so having these skates might give me the opportunity to branch out into another wind-powered adventure.

I use hockey skates. They don't have as much edge as nordic skates but they've always done the job. I've never tried nordic skates but I'd think the hockey skates would beat them hands down for just plain old skating on the pond when you want (but I love to skate and roller blade so my opinion is biased towards something you can pivot and skate backwards with).

I use the Isvvida skates with Solomon Xcountry skateski boots. They are much more stable than the hockey skates I used before. Hockey skates are made to turn and change directions quickly, they have a lot of rocker in the blade, and a different edge profile. The nordic blades are made for straight line skating. They are faster and handle bumpy ice much better.Of course if you got em , use em. With even a tiny foil on smooth ice you will go like stink.

Holy crap, why didn't someone tell me these things were so damn fast! I picked up a pair of 55cm Isvvidas and took them out on the lake today without my kite, just to try them out. The wind was pretty strong, 10-15 mph sustained, 25 gusts, and just standing there without kicking I was being blown downwind at breakneck speeds. You'd have to be a darn good skater and kiter to even think about combining the two. I can say that gliding along on smooth ice with these things is a real pleasure. Looks like it'll be a good addition to my winter sports toolkit!

Scissor - what kind of boots did you use?

I got a pair of Hartjes Pilot Pro Skate for $209 from nordicskater.com. They are supposedly very popular, and came with a strong recommendation from the owner of the shop. They are comfortable, but I would say that they don't provide quite as much ankle support as I had expected. Don't get me wrong, they are much better than standard CC or hiking boots, but nothing like a downhill ski boot. I guess I'm just used to having full stiff boots with my skis! I'll have to build up a little more strength in my ankles.

The boots feature a handy quick-lace system that doesn't require you to tie any knots, and a slick zip-up neoprene cover. They are not waterproof, so just be aware of that. The interior sole has a rather pronounced arch support bulge that I didn't like at first (when wearing them in my living room.) It seemed like the bulge was too far forward, and not under the arch of my foot like it should be. But one I got out on the ice and started kicking, it seemed to be just fine.

Overall, I'm very happy with them. But I've only used them once, so take that with a grain of salt!

Thanks for the info Scissor! I'll keep them in mind for next year,

Joe

Did I mention using a small foil with the nordic skates........
No resistance lots of power...... what could go wrong
Diapers might be good!