Can I bust out my skis yet?

[mjcarter]

Hey snow kiters!

I have yet to be out this year on the lakes due to the lack of snow. Has anyone been out near a lake since that last storm? Was it enough snow to cover the lakes and bond to the lake ice, that is, can I take my skis out yet? I'd really like to escape work early today and hit up Da Bear or something. Any info would be... awesome!

Cheers!

[MSavage]

Hit it up! Out on Minnetonka last night on a board with enough coverage. If the east side has similar conditions, you should be good on skis.

[Barry P]

Looks like a nice night for Kiting on Medicine Lake. Is should find some running lights.

I was on Turtle Lake today at noon (Arden Hills). Awesome "groomed" snow. Easy edging, with no slip.

[paul-b]

going to give Diamond lake by Rogers a try

[mjcarter]

Just got back from Da Bear! Wind was perfect for the 10M foil. snow was smooth and well bonded to ice. Let 'em rip!

[Tighe]

yes great day at the bear. The snow is the perfect base for the rest of the season. Great edging, fast conditions, reasonably soft. I was on a board and could carve all day long. ride on

[Futahaguro]

So are ice skates now out? Did it really bond hard so boards/skis are now the way to go? I'm just curious if anyone is getting down to the ice and just pushing off the snow.

Thanks.

[enderbeanz]

Got out on the bear last night as well, around 8 pm. Launched from Mahtomedi Beach. Good surface for the board and wind for the 10 m, but I was surprised to see I was all by my lonesome.

[StrutWear]

I was able to get out on a local city lake the other night also. My first time out on a snowboard, ever! I thought the conditions were good. I was surprised how fast you can get going. What a rush it was! I had problems however staying close to where I started. I ended up having to walk back a couple times from the other side of the lake. Any pointers? i was trying to edge quite a bit, but maybe i need to keep the kite higher, for less power? Either way, I didnt mind the walk. I was pretty excited to finally get out.

[Futahaguro]

I haven't been on my board yet either but I am excited to finally try it!

When I was out on my skates I found that if I was ripping with my kite low and going as fast as I could, I could not edge hard enough to go upwind much. Once I got the kite in the sweet spot of enough speed but not so much where I couldn't edge upwind it was no problem.

Did you notice if the snow would slough off of the ice so it was slippery underneath?

Thanks.

[Barry P]

These last two days have been great. I went out twice yesterday and once at noon today. The surface conditions are sweet

StrutWear: Sounds like you ended up downwind from your starting point.

a) If you started on the up-wind end of the lake, there may not have been enough clean wind there to go upwind well enough to get back to your starting point. When wind passes over an obstacle (trees, buildings, etc) eddies develop (vortexes) down wind. These vortexes really screw up lift, so you'll likely end up having a hard time going upwind and end up downwind. The stronger the wind, the father it has to travel to get itself straightened out to a nice smooth kite-friendly flow again. As a rule, I try to start out at the downwind end of a lake/field - far from any upwind obstacle. Of course, I also try to give myself plenty of margin from the downwind stuff I could get dragged into if some kind "operator error" should occur when I launch or land the kite.

b) Perhaps you had too much kite to hold an edge well, if so, you will have trouble going up wind. You've got to be able to maintain a solid edge and enough speed to be able go up wind well. With a good edge the kite will be forced to fly in the forward part of the window, and up wind will easily happen. Pulling the depower strap to flatten the kite's angle of attack will also help the kite fly farther forward and so you can go upwind at an even greater angle. Even though depowering will decrease the kite's 'power', it will also increase its speed and decrease drag... exactly what you need. If your kite sits too close to the center of the window, upwind is impossible even though the amount of power the kite will be delivering will be exciting.