03/22 DC Charleston, 8.5m/117L

[JimSouthwick]

OK, so I should have gone up to Strawberry instead! But there was a bit of SW wind here in the Heber Valley, it was sunny with an air temp in the low 50s, and there has been an area of open water at the North end of the lake for quite some time now. At Charleston Bridge the windward end of the launch area was blocked by ice, but the leeward end was open water. The wind felt light but steady (I didn't measure it) and my new IR thermometer (inspired by George Ward's) registered a water temp of 35F. Accurate? It didn't feel that cold, but who knows? Anyway, by the time I got rigged, the wind had backed off considerably, with just enough left to cruise along to leeward of the ice. Not real exciting, but there were a couple of bald eagles in the area, and watching them was fun. After maybe half an hour of drifting along, a couple of gusts did come through, and I was able to plane briefly. Unfortunately (but not entirely unexpectedly) that got the ice moving, and by the time I got back to the launch, my buoy was surrounded by ice and there was just barely enough open water for me to reach the shore. Worth it? Well, at least it was a good dress rehearsal for sailing, and for once I managed to get to the beach on the first day of the season without forgetting any essential bits.

[Shawn Henderson]

I would have liked to get a picture of that. planeing in a pocket surrounded by a mostly iced lake... Awsome!

[Josh Shirley]

Jim, when does soldier hollow close?

[JimSouthwick]

Josh,

End of the month if the snow lasts that long. Grooming is now limited to the Hollow, the section of Going Home closest to the Day Lodge, and through the stadium. As of yesterday, there was still lots of snow on the portions that are still being groomed, but it softens up quickly, so it really helps to get there early, like before 9AM if possible.

[Ralph Morrison]

Hey Jim, if you were out on a kite, you could pop up onto the ice if it moves in too fast. When I was out at Jordanelle on snow, I was wondering If I could go on skis if I accidentally ended up in the water. I'd like to try it sometime. (in the summer)

[Leo Chan]

Hey Jim, if you were out on a kite, you could pop up onto the ice if it moves in too fast. When I was out at Jordanelle on snow, I was wondering If I could go on skis if I accidentally ended up in the water. I'd like to try it sometime. (in the summer)

Ralph, I was thinking about the same thing. I think we need some really big, fat skis for that. But I saw people doing ski surfing in Hawaii. The only issue needs to be addressed is how to make sure the skis won't disappear into the abyss when they came of the binding unintentionally, and the potential for rusting on the edges. But we should give it a go this summer.

[JimSouthwick]

Ralph & Leo,

Intriguing idea! It just might work. After all, Corey Roeseler, the pioneer of kiteboarding in the Gorge, started out using water skis.

[bordy]

lots of kite skiis out there, several local folks have kite skiied rush, UL and DC...

[Leo Chan]

I have water ski we can try this summer.