Am I the only one...

isobars · Joined: 12 Dec 1999 Posts: 20935

Da Gorge: temps in the 60s already this morning, big patches of sunshine, wind warnings out all day, and my snow tires never saw more than an inch of snow this "winter" ... and even that was in the late Fall.

windswell · Joined: 20 May 2010 Posts: 211

somebody zambonied my driveway and fields. I could icesail right out my back door

isobars · Joined: 12 Dec 1999 Posts: 20935

Something tells me there's no point in taking any WSing gear to Rochester, Minnesota when I go there in a couple of weeks. I'll settle right now for taking the dogs for a hike behind the house ... deep in a canyon to block the 40+ mph, 60+ degree winds. Suppose I'll need a wide-brimmed hat and some sunscreen, too.

My neighbors live to ski and spend most of the winter at their ski home in northern Idaho. They've had no useful snow this winter; what little falls some nights turns to rain by morning.

amarie · Joined: 25 Aug 2003 Posts: 233 Location: Corpus Christi, TX

boardsurfr I've been sailing here too, but more so at Port Aransas (also sometimes the only one on the water). There were definitely many more people and fewer complaints just a few years ago. It's getting lonely and I've had to rig a string tied to my car to zip my wetsuit by myself. But some really fun waves this year, so I can't complain all that much either.

iceratz@comcast.net · Joined: 16 Feb 2009 Posts: 346

try ICE!

isobars · Joined: 12 Dec 1999 Posts: 20935

That is amazing-looking ice. I've read that -- just like pro big-wave sailors will hop a plane to chase forecasts halfway around the world for one epic day -- the ice racers of 100 years ago would chase clear, flat, RARE ice like that all over the NE U.S. and eastern Canada. I've ridden snowmobiles, dirt bikes, and skis a lot in serious winter conditions (e.g., upstate NY, northern UT), but have never seen ice like that without a dotted centerline down its middle.

J64TWB · Joined: 24 Dec 2013 Posts: 1685

Iceratz, How did you figure out a board design? What happens if there is a few inches of snow on the lake? Can you sail if the lake is deep in snow with another (snow planing) design? Where does one find that design? I have a lake in mind in Wisconsin.

gschuel1 · Joined: 04 Apr 2005 Posts: 56 Location: Narragansett, RI

There are a wide range of solutions for sailing on the Snow. I have a 1985 "Windski" and a Snowfer. The Snowfer works even in snow too deep for walking.

http://www.snowfer.com/Welcome.html

Many people build their own boards to sail on either ice or snow. Check out the "Iceboard Windsurfing" group on facebook. There is a lot of great info and discussion on design and construction.

mat-ty · Joined: 07 Jul 2007 Posts: 7850

I snow kited with skis on lake Q Sunday. Lots of fun , two hours of endless powder skiing. My thighs are still burning..

iceratz@comcast.net · Joined: 16 Feb 2009 Posts: 346

We search out CLEAR ice all winter long...its a mission!
This year is getting tougher with so much snow, but we will find a clear patch somewhere..
Other years its tough to even get thick enough ice to be safe. So we are NOT complaining about the wicked cold we are locked into.
Sooner or later our snow covered lakes will recover with plenty of ice into end of March.

As for SNOW sailing, Kites are the best, but I don't Kite. They are fast too!
I use skiis with a Kitewing, feels nearly the same as a windsurf rig.

Check out all my cool videos here!

https://www.youtube.com/user/iceratz