Stay connected in the wind. This forum is for anyone who rides the wind, winter or summer, on whatever board suits their fancy. Share the stoke, find out where people are going, ask any question, share your discoveries, and discuss any esoteric idea you may have related to the pursuit of wind. Please keep it positive.
WE TOOK OFF as lap one was just getting underway. As we got to Reddy, we were startled by the sight of several kites down on the surface. What seemed to be a building wind looked to have dropped right after the start. Did it become a huge retrieval exercise? Was Nancy B's
ski-journing canine the secret weapon of the day? Were those "camel-packs" actually Jetson booster rocket packs? What were those lumps under the parkas: Warm Potatoes, or tiny kegs of Fat Tire? Are they going to run it again Sunday? Nonetheless, it was great, as always, to see you all once again. Thanks to Michael, Fleet 8, the Volunteers, and all the sponsors who made it possible. What a GREAT GROUP of PEOPLE! JRN
Jim....everyone must be so tired that they can't type...
Due to the windless suck hole between the start and finish the race was shortened to just one lap. I found this out midway into my second lap. It looked good at the start but midway through it turned into a skate and work the 12xbow session all the while wishing I had my 16 (which was conveniently fully set up and sitting idle). The wind finally started to pick up towards the turn around point which is where I saw some big Cabbie Contras heading back and powered....again reminding me I should have ridden the 16! Heading back to Garrison on port tack was much less painful. It seemed like the wind filled back in a little bit. I think I must have sweated off ten pounds of water weight on the first leg though!
Thankfully the wind came back for the expression/freeride session. What a trip seeing so many kites in the sky and feeling the vibe. Perfect weather, perfect snow and good wind. Lot's of riders going big. Chris B's huge back rolls are jaw dropping - must be because he's riding a c-kite! I left right around sunset with plenty of riders still at it. Big thanks to the organizers!
HA! No problem Bryce...the day really had the "feeling" of the wind picking up....guess it just decided to pick up afterwards.
I remember coming into the turn around and seeing the West Side boyz fly their big cabbies over my head going back to the start and thinking "SONAFA!@#%". Was it a Cabbie Sweep this weekend?
Wow, that was a mind bender. With such a fast low resistence surface I was thinking a 12M Crossbow III would be faster through the wind and make more speed, so I left my Contra on the ice. It just amazed my that Rob kept that 17 Contra in the air making so much speed. Thanks for the lesson Professor!
Hi Brad, it was great to meet you last weekend. I had my new crossbow III 12 meter rigged up also with some of the same thoughts but in the end I decided power is king in that light a breeze. And the Contra III 17 meter delivered big time! That baby pulls like a truck and this years version feels lighter and more nimble than the first Contra 17 bow. Also, catching air on that kite is so nice and easy; very predictable and controllable in the air: What a sweet kite!
I have been trying to win a fleet 8 crossing for many years (windsurfing & kiting) with allot of near misses, so to make the break-through this year feels great! Yahoo!
JRN
