LAKAWA

I can confirm Waconia opened up this morning. Some broken ice at DNR launch but expect that will clear in next couple of hours.

Yes that is me - good memory!! I have not sailed Calhoun for many years and I think the last time I did was on freeskates. I alternate between snowkiting and iceboating on Waconia in winter depending upon conditions so if you ever need to know the current conditions just let me know. Always happy to...

Had the ice boat out on Waconia yesterday. About 1” slush on solid ice with temps in 40’s. Fisherman in f150 said ice still over 2’ thick. I think when we get a good overnight freeze a free skate would be ok again - not perfect ice but not bad for this time of year.

Update on SW Waconia bay - drilled today and did not find less than 5” of ice in the bay so kited until wind died. Ice surface is pebbled but will hopefully smooth out with a couple of warmer days. Fishermen venturing out on south side of main lake and I saw people out checking ice depths south and ...

Just drove past Swede this afternoon and ice fisherman in middle and skaters on lake. May check it out for riding Sunday if the winds cooperate.

Waconia has only just frozen so main lake ice is very thin . I may walk and drill check the SW bay which is shallow and froze earlier this weekend but would not venture out deeper yet. Other iceboaters are reporting Swede is also too thin currently so looks like any sailing will have to be further N...

Surprisingly the snow did not bond to the ice much on Waconia so even the few deeper drifts could be blasted through this weekend. Put 100 miles on the iceboat and ice getting better with warm temps today. Only areas that were tough to sail through were where they plowed the road from In town Marina...

I have studded kitebuggy and landsailor wheels also using koldcutter studs. They work great but loose quite a few in high g turns. The tread on my tires is only deep enough for 3/8 studs and even with glue they work loose. I think harder compound and deeper tread tires with longer studs would be bes...

Snow completely gone on waconia but ice is really rough. Tried the iceboat today but even long blades did not smooth out the ride. Other iceboaters also reporting poor conditions locally.

Waconia had a good freeze before snow came. SW bay measured 4+ inches of ice when I measured on Monday but main lake was significantly less - local marina said ~ 2". Will try and remeasure this weekend as it should be good by then after this cold snap. Note - mills fleet has some great ice pick...

Missed the earliest ever by 1 day!

Waconia has 2-4" of snow that is pretty well bonded to the ice. Minimal traffic on lake currently so plenty of room. Ice still building slowly so suggest parking off lake & walk on. One fisherman tested ice this week with his F150 and failed!

I took my first kite lessons at Kite Beach in 07 with Dare to Fly. Went there on a Vela windsurfing trip but winds were poor all week however saw the kiters doing OK and made the switch. Accomodations & food at the beach resturants were great & cheap. Everybody around Cabarette was very frie...

Lots of discussions on the web about no high backs for kiting. This is one i read before I experimented….. http://snowboarding.transworld.net/1000083893/uncategorized/the-theory-of-no-highbacks-by-mike-ranquet/ Seems very much down to personal preference but for hardback, thin snow & ice I use a...

Picked up a Jay Dynabar sliding harness bar/hook in SPI last fall to help my toeside & directional riding. It did help some but found it made jumping tougher probably due to one more variable to deal with. However have used it all winter and found it a great improvement for kiting with skis. Jus...

Great season! Lots of riding & snow conditions have been very good on Waconia for most of it. As long as temps are over 0F I have no problem staying warm while riding w/fleece balaclava & helmet. Mainly use large foils in winter so very quick to setup & pack up. Goal is to try & pass...

Interesting & I had missed that....wonder if that is why Sun Country keeps adjusting their flight times for April as I have already had 3 changes. Will be nice to use frequent flier miles for HRL but does anybody have experience using golf deceiver bags with Delta? Just looked at their baggage p...

Cars driving on Waconia this morning from the In Town Marina. I think they are crazy but should be great for kiting tomorrow when the wind comes up a bit. Lake has 1-2" of snow that is well bonded to the ice.

Looks like the bar has been raised again a few weeks ago in France per the news below. I was at the World Speeds in 87 when Fred Hayward was the first to break 40 knots on water and I still have his old sails but now use them on my iceboats. they are still incredibly fast even they they are almost 3...

I use an NSI deciever and have fitted the following big boards in it at different times: - Crazyfly 144x44 - Make 150 wide (tight on length but the curved tips allow it to fit in) - Slingshot 146x44 Also use compression bags to easily get the kites in. Two boards & 3 kites normally under 50lbs a...