Ice reports & photos from Kodiak

I returned from warmer latitudes yesterday. Today we did a few drive bys and checked potential pit areas at local hot spots.

Buskin is still open. 

Lake Lee has about two and a half inches of pretty nice stable strong black ice with about an inch of slush. At 3PM this afternoon about half to three quarters of an inch of new ice had frozen on top of the slush. The ice surface is saturated snow ice and it is pretty smooth. If temps stay below freezing and skies continue to remain clear without any insulating snow fall Lake Lee should set up solid and be pretty good skating. Today the top shell would zipper under our feet. I think Lake Lee is a nice default venue if Mission doesn't pan out. 

Boy Scout Lake is rough with air bubbles frozen mid pop in what appears to be a nice slush layer. 

Lilly Lake had shell ice and a nice stable layer of black ice about two to three inches thick. Could be nice skating there as long as predicted temps set up the ice, freeze up the free surface water. There is a lot of fine grit on Lilly ice as it is right down town next to the roads. 

Mission Lake has great looking window pane ice. I did not find any shell ice, but there were small drain holes about eight inches or so wide. The ice is about two and a half inches thick and stable. You could have skated today with picks and caution. However Mission would not be a good place for kids until the surface sets up a bit more. Right now drain holes could swallow a skate. I expect drain holes may be stable enough by tomorrow. Mission may be good fun if snow holds off and temps stay frigid. Mission also has grit on the ice blown from the road. Mission has historic spring holes as well as shallow areas which are prone to be thin ice areas under the right circumstances. Mission needs to be checked carefully as it is all very homogenous looking black ice, however I suspect there will be thin areas to avoid. 

Any one interested in trying a prototype skate sail or a wing, let me know. My cell is 207 446 6568. The adventure wagon is always loaded with extra gear including picks and throw reels. Let me know if you are interested in joining us on the ice. I suspect tomorrow could be an epic day if winds and ice surfaces oblige. 

Check the entire area you intend to skate. This report is more about potential than it is to be relied on without another ice check at each location. The varied conditions from local lake to lake high light the dynamic effects of temperature and elevation changes from location to location. Do not assume one location will be like another. 

Beware of bottomless puddles. 

Wear picks!!!!

Dicky

High Sierra Report - Sierra SnowKite Center

Murmansk Already Got Winter!

Source: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=551684774907290

WISSA 2014 is in Russia!

Please be prepared, more information will follow.

Hiberna in USA

Duane Waltz of The U.S.A's only authorized dealer of Hiberna's fleet of hi-tech Iceboards | Fish Lake Iceboards

paid a brief visit to Rhode Island last week. He was on his way to Bic Sport North America in West Wareham, Massachusetts to pick up some Stand Up Paddleboards for Fish Lake Iceboards and for our friend Kevin Graton of Wind Power Windsurfing & Kiting Center, Lake Winnebago - Fond du Lac, Wisconsin | Lessons, Rentals, Equipment, Events

He also picked something up and left something off in Rhode Island. Stay tuned to see what went where.

William Tuthill

Wing Sailor Annie Tuthill looking "fly" in her new Smith Optics goggles /helmet combo in Kalajoki, Finland

Just a photo

Patrick Blom lays a nice turn in March ice in Helsinki after WISSA 2013 in Kalajoki.

2002 in Italy

Most would agree (at least those who were there) that WISSA  2002 in Italy was one of the best. Lago de Resia was spectacular, the mountains surrounding it were magnificent, and the location made for easy access for everyone coming from Europe. There were several North American competitors there as well. The food was spectacular, but the racing surface was even better:

Photo by Alexie Nozdrin

Starstruck!

I walked into Island Sports (Island Surf & Sport - 86 Aquidneck Avenue Middletown, RI 02842, 401-846-4421) today.



For many years it was the largest and most prestigious windsurfing (and other) store in the northeast. With the decline of windsurfing (BTW that is apocryphal) and the sale of the store to new owners more focused on surfing, the windsurfing portion has been diminished. They still give lessons, and I was passing by so I stopped by to see what was new.

I went straight to the back (where the windsurfing gear typically lives) and a guy who was sorting thru some gear greeted me and asked if I needed any help. I said that I was just browsing, but we started to chat. He asked me what kind of windsurfing I do etc.

Eventually, Pete came out and introduced me to Josh (the guy with whom I had been conversing). HOLY CRAP!

I immediately thought of Wayne's World when they met Aerosmith. "We're not worthy!!!"

It was Josh Angulo! (Angulo Windsurf Boards)

What an amazing guy! How dare I talk about my windsurfing and Kitewing sailing in the presence of such a preeminent master. I still feel like a moron - except - he is such a soft spoken and humble guy. I am stunned to learn that he will be at Island Sports on Wednesdays and Thursday throughout the summer just hanging out - stocking shelves, and talking to people. This is like talking about soccer with David Beckham before you realized who it was!

I am going back tomorrow, and I want to make some arrangements. You haven't heard the last of this. This is huge!

For now - check out (if you have time) this video of Josh doing what most of us can only dream about


Oh and BTW? Josh is psyched to come to Lake Sunapee to try out a Kitewing. Charlie- can we hook him up with some skis & boots? I think that he can handle the sailing, but he has never skied before :-)

More later

Will

Anton Cherkashin at Wissa 2013

Wissa 2013 (Finland). Anton Cherkashin from Svetlana Romantsova on Vimeo.

Oravi 2011

It is said that the WISSA Ice & Snow Sailing World Championships is the longest running continuously held  international racing event in the history of windsurfing - ironic given that windsurfing started as a liquid water sport. The irony goes away fast when you see how well the windsurf rig works when adapted to ice sailing. As if to prove the point, here is a picture of the Short Track Slalom [STS] at Oravi, Finland in 2011.

Over the Line and Down

PLACE: Chain Lake St. Ignace Michigan

EVENT: 2012 WISSA Ice and Snow Sailing World Championships

DATE: February 2012

RIDER: Klaus Faisst- Canada

Pushing hard to cross the upwind finish line Klaus did a stylistic lay down for the cameras. He then got up and out of the way very quickly. 

STS Wings

These are from Sweden Team Rider Jenny Back.
This is what you get when you mix the Short Track Slalom [STS] with wings :-)

Special Individuals

Igor, WISSA 2008, Val Brilliant, Quebec

Every organization has its special individuals and WISSA is no exception. In fact, WISSA has more unique individuals than most organizations. Moreover, it is safe to say that the member body of WISSA is comprised of outstanding individuals with a high sense of adventure and above average intelligence. Keep checking this site and you will meet (one by one) many individuals who have extraordinary life stories.

The competitor bios will be released as time (and permission) allows. For now here are two photos. The backstory will come out in further posts. 

Oh - and lest you become complacent? There will be regular posts of cool and historic photos every week (sometimes every day all summer long!)

For now - meet Igor Renkas (from Ukraine) and Kalev Alikveer from Estonia. Both have amazing resumes, but you must wait as we research to get all of the facts straight.

Kalev, WISSA 2008, Val Brilliant, Quebec

2009 Lineup

For those who say that the sport of windsurfing is on the decline - take a look at the starting line at WISSA 2009 in Riga, Latvia

Finell in Newport

Kitewing CEO Martin Finell recently visited Newport, Rhode Island and Lake Sunapee New Hampshire for meetings and plans regarding the coming year at Kitewing. Look for a fully revamped web site, new products, more dealers and a major campaign to get more people out sailing on ice & snow in the coming year.

Inspiration Series - 2

Jarno Rautio - the lead organizer of WISSA 2013 meets us at the train station in Ylevieska. Nice to see after countless hours of travel.

Kitewing is coming to America

 Martin Finell CEO of Kitewing arrived in the US last night to discuss plans for a North American product rollout. Today is a "lay day" for sight seeing and jet lag elimination. Meetings commence tomorrow.

We will keep you posted.

Memoire of WISSA 2012

The community of Saint Ignace Michigan welcomed WISSA participants. Elementary school students made a poster for each letter of the alphabet . All together it was quite a presentation.

The view of the iconic Mackinaw Bridge from the driver's perspective

Little Leonard Elfstrom is waiting for WISSA 2013

Summer Inspiration

With this photo, we begin a series that will run each week for the entire summer season. Over the course of this series, we will feature images and stories of different riders, equipment, and group shots - all captured at WISSA 2013 in Kalajoki, Finland.

Please spread the word about this new series, and please feel free to contribute or comment.

William Tuthill

Notice the trend?