So.... are we SOL now?

[BSMITH]

I'm guesing the lakes are niether skate nor skiable now?
I got the double boost thing yesterday on Wacky. I was way too high (for me) with ice skates and started to flail like a person jumping out of a tall building. My flailing and the fact that my pants were soaked from the stading water on the ice caused them to drop to my ankles. I came down fast and hard, fell, and got dragged through the water for about 40 yards. Nice! Jumping with skates is sweet because there is no weight on your feet but that friggin' ice sure is hard.

PLEASE SNOW! ...more

[Mike W]

Kurt and I another guy on a foil had a pretty nice session on skis and boards today on WBL. 90% snow cover, a bit of slush for an underlayer, but I think that will be firmed up for Monday. Skate season is over for now, so get out there with skis before the heat wave comes again!

[BSMITH]

Excellet! Thanks Mike.

[slopecat]

I am thinking I will head to WBL today. Can you get on at any of the access points? Is Bellaire a better choice than Ramsey today?

Mike

[slopecat]

I drove up to Bellaire with a pile of gear and walked around on the ice a bit and returned. The conditions looked pretty bad to me. Very, very little snow in some places and none at all everywhere else. The ice was really rough. The only thing good in my opinion was the wind. I think the title is pretty accurate, we may be SOL for now.

[drknap]

Surface was fair, wind got wicked. Holding on for dear life with an 8m

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CXST4USP ... ata_player

[Tighe]

I had a blast out there today. Didn't get out till around 1:00 but rode till sunset. I was on skis which may have made the difference in perceptions. The surface was a bit rough in some areas, but the rest was either an inch or two of snow or flat textured ice. There was one massive spot in the middle that was like coarse orange peel ice. Plenty of grip to set an edge and rocket off the wind. Wind was nice and steady. Glad to see so many out.

More soon please

[Matt V]

Kited at Minnewaska near Glenwood, MN today. 11+ inches of black ice where you could see it. The middle of the lake had a good crust of snow (1/4" 3/4") that I would have had no problem even without the SwitchBlade. Pretty loud though. BUT NO PRESSURE RIDGES ANYWHERE TO BE SEEN except for shore. I don't think you could even get an ice skate blade into any of the tiny cracks I saw out in the middle.

There was one ice boat out too. They smoked me except when they were walking in the lulls and I was sining by them.

My butt pad really did its job today. I made it out of the workout mat pieces they sell at Walmart. It really saves the behind on the chunks of ice thrown about from the snowmobiles when it was mushy.

I think I am headed to Lake Christina tomorrow.

[Barry P]

I kited Medicine Lake today. There were a few broad patches of actual (very thin) snow on the West side. Except for that it was a frozen slush surface.

I started on my Ice Sled but it was so loud on the rough ice I decided to bag it and try skies before I went deaf.

The surface turned out to be great for skies. A very fast surface and actually easy to hold an edge on.

[Barry P]

I think I'll hit Ramsey Beach at noon today. Anyone else?

[Barry P]

Ramsey was nice. Compared to Medicine: a lot more snow patches to aim for but a much rougher ride over the ice areas.

I had fun on the fast surface, but more fun trying to slalom down the lake looping the kite one way or the other to stay on the good stuff, avoiding the rough stuff. I used a little 9M kite. I think the freedom you have up wind and down in conditions like this with so little friction is amazing.

[Matt V]

I did lake Christina today and it was much better than Minnewaska. Minnewaska was completely bonded to the ice and very kiteable but loud. It should be great for slush kiting once it warms up. But now that I have kited Christina, I am planning on staying there while it is cold.

Christina has about 1 inch of snow not bonded to the ice but held in place by the fog/mist/drizzle on top. That most likely is why it is 1 inch thick instead of the 1.5" it was before the wet weather. Since the snow is not bonded to the ice, it is quiet and makes a noticeable cushion for those landings. I may try to build a ramp or two tomorrow (Wednesday). I have no Idea about how thick the ice is since I lost my handle screw on the auger. I found a replacement tonight and I will check tomorrow. Looks like 15m winds for me for the next 2 days. I can't wait until it warms up and I get to slush kite!

[tom_latcham]

Sunday Jan 1st I kited Phelps bay with skiis. I was surprised how well they worked. My 1st session of the year was on skiis at Sweede and it was sweet. But after the rain and melt I have been riding the switch blade since. However now it is way too rough for switchblade or skates. The surface sunday was rough frozen slush. So it had enough texture for my skiis to hold an edge . It was also very fast, and very loud. But did not give enough vibration to make my feet numb, thank goodness. It was a very fun session. I would like to get some snow. I think it would stick nice with the texture on the ice now. Phelps and Spring Park bay have about 7 inches of ice. Permanate ice houses are out and I have seen 4 wheelers. Not sure if I want to trust big open bays on lower lake yet. It frooze over 2 weeks after upper lake. This record heat is going to keep me off the lower lake for now. I saw a big open area by big island. An Ice boater went through last week on lower lake. Looks like no wind this weekend. But if it comes up I will be out on Phelps, or Spring Park bay.
TL