LAKAWA

Lake Minnetonka was great on Sunday, the slushy snow and ice was faster than I expected and made for easy edging and a lot of fun! Surprised not to see more kites in the air, we were at Wayzata Bay and only saw two other kites, one in the bay and one by the island. Must've been others elsewhere on t...

Is that a Best kite? What model?

Mike, I wasn't the one the guy you helped, I think he said he name was Kevin? Anyway he body dragged all the way to the corner and walked back along the road without incident. He said he was not able to try the board this time, but had fun anyway. I was just one of the pesky windsurfers. Talking wit...

Mike you are a pathological liar but a pretty good guy anyway. There WAS another "kiter" at the Wac on Sat but he was new to the sport and needed help which I think you offered.

Anyway, Sat rocked at Waconia a real gift to those few who took a chance on a pretty mediocre forecast!

My guess Jim is that in Minn conditions a 5th line might be a benefit kind of like a center board in windsurfing that can become a hassle as you progress. It's another line that loves to get tangled, but can really help relaunch when you need it. Once you reach a level where you can keep the kite fl...

From the "other" website, sad news about Blake Pelton from Colorado. I met Blake this winter when he and Aaron H? were demoing Peter Lynn foils. Really cool guys. Pray for a full/speedy recovery for Blake. http://groups.msn.com/AmericanKiteBuggier/general.msnw?action=get_message&mview=...

Thanks to Tighe, Scott and Chris for hosting a great day at Mille Lacs. It's REALLY COOL to have a local resource like this to create a learning and supportive environment. Get it up for LAKAWA Kiting School and Reddy Creek!

!! I also had an issue with my Best swivel bar sheeting system in South Padre. The "stitching" (it didn't look like they ever even stitched it) on the leash line actually pulled out of the depower strap and the kite powered back up with the lines partially wound in after I pulled the main ...

Teran: I'm the one who should apologize, I was sort of kidding around but I understand this is a pretty serious issue especially for the locals. I was very impressed by your riding abilities and I'm sure you're advocating hard to keep the wind blockages to a minimum. I agree the North Flats is a gre...

I would just wear a pair o' jeans and sweatshirt for the trip down, the only time you'll use them is when you arrive back in MN. I would pack an extra long sleeve rash guard to protect your forearms from the sun (I got a nasty farmer tan/burn) and your longest board shorts to protect your knees from...

If you're talking kitng I have no idea, but if it's windsurfing I believe there's a guy named Peter or something who sails pretty regularly off of the Excelsior park public beach. I've tried it once and it was ok, but I don't think the winds are as strong or consistent as Waconia and as summer appro...

Tighe of course has good advice especially for those coming from windsurfing where onshore winds are the most safe. Kiting is pretty much the opposite and the guys who get really hurt or killed seem like they get lofted or dragged onshore. I just heard about Pete Nordby? an experienced kiter who got...

Warm clothes are probably a waste of space... it was never below 75 last week. Be sure to stop in and say hello to Jeff at Air Padre... all the kite shops are pretty close together. You can't miss Jeff, he's on Padre Blvd next to Ted's restaurant (awesome and cheap breakfast) and it's right on the w...

Just got back from a week at South Padre Island with Jeff Hoxtell at Air Padre. Never kited on liquid before but this dude had me up and riding on my very first start! Anyone thinking about heading this direction should definitely go for it... SPI as often testified is ideal for learning and progres...

Was Sunday as big a bust everywhere as it was at Calhoun? I was just getting someone started so it was great for that but I swear it seemed windier on my way to Calhoun (noonish... Perkins flags looking good) and on my home (5ish... Perkins flags still flyin). So if I could have sailed Perkins great...

Thanks for your response Jim, the more people I talk to the more it seems using a tuttle in a deep tuttle box is frowned upon... I'm actually going to see if I can exchange it this week but if not I will let you know. I got the fin at the House for $99 and it seems like a really sweet piece (Orca......

Just purchased a 34cm tuttle weed fin for a deep tuttle box board (Techno 2)... after searching the web it appears some say no big deal, but others say if you bottom out you will crush or evenutally damage the fin box.

Any locals out there have an opinion?