Wind Power Windsurfing & Kiting Center Blog » Winterboard http://www.windpowerwindsurfing.com/blog Windsurfing, Kitesurfing, Open Bic, Stand Up Paddle Surfing on Lake Winnebago, Fond du Lac, WI Fri, 03 Sep 2010 04:49:56 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.1 Winter Sailing & Kiting on Lake Winnebago: Freeskate, Snowfer, Snowboard and more http://www.windpowerwindsurfing.com/blog/2009/12/winter-sailing-kiting-on-lake-winnebago-freeskate-snowfer-snowboard-and-more/ http://www.windpowerwindsurfing.com/blog/2009/12/winter-sailing-kiting-on-lake-winnebago-freeskate-snowfer-snowboard-and-more/#comments Sun, 06 Dec 2009 21:16:06 +0000 Kevin Gratton http://www.windpowerwindsurfing.com/blog/?p=237 Wintertime at Wind Power Windsurfing & Kiting Center is a busy time once Lake Winnebago freezes and the Ice is safe.  Windsurfing & Kiteboarding in the winter can be better than the summer for a lot of sailors & kiters. 

The Winter ice has many advantages:

you can get more sailing/kiting days as winds tend to be [...]]]> Wintertime at Wind Power Windsurfing & Kiting Center is a busy time once Lake Winnebago freezes and the Ice is safe.  Windsurfing & Kiteboarding in the winter can be better than the summer for a lot of sailors & kiters. 

The Winter ice has many advantages:

  • you can get more sailing/kiting days as winds tend to be stronger in the winter and the wind requirements on the ice are much less.
  • you can use your smaller kits (sails or kites) since less wind is required. This is a great time to get more use of your smaller sizes that don’t get used much in the water season.
  • Wind Direction is not as critical with sailing/launch spot. You can sail in front of Wind Power all winter long on all wind directions.
  • Learning to sail or kite in the winter is easier and the preferred method. See this post by Kevin – Learn to Kitesurf in the Winter at Wind Power (this is especially true for kiting, but applies to windsurfing too!)
  • No dealing with cold water. Yes, the temperature is lower, but dressed appropiately (Ski or Snowboard clothing) with proper protective gear (helment and pads) you stay toasty warm.
  • You probably have most of the gear if you windsurf or kitesurf. You may get a different board or use your snowboard for snow kiting.
  • See the 09/10 Winter Flyer for pictures of the freeskate, snowfer, winterboard and iceboard.

Here is a Video of Kevin on the Freeskate with a windsurfing rig. The freeskate is similar to a large skateboard with blades instead of wheels. It has larger trucks, and the board is very manuverable. You need pretty clean ice for the freeskate. The snowfer offers a more ‘all-terrain’ board and it works good on ice and snow. And the kiters use mostly skis or a snowboard.


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Snow Kiting Jumping sequence on Lake Winnebago
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