click on header above to get back HOME on this blog and SCROLL DOWN 4 more...................................
MASTHEAD is where i experiment with my fotos - thanx for being tolerant with them........................................
For my videos search youtube for joe windsurfer
and ..YES, blog may use cookies and analytics !!
14FEB2025 .......Happy Saint Valentine's Day ... Went up North to see if there was any way I could still windsurf on the lake.
The simple answer is NON 😎
...and AGAIN I made a simple mistake ... I brought the MS Global 5-oh it requires the Chinook 400cm mast !! ...whichI did NOT bring #$%^&*()
Now my snow sled is here with some smaller sails and the 400cm RDM Chinook mast Tools n stuff are ALL in the country !!
NeXT outing ?? Who knows ?!?
================================================ 13FEB2025 is a SNOW DAY
Clique the pic :-)
oh yeah ... forgot to say that yesterday I actually catapulted once !!
saw this video today - as we are "snow bound" today ...
AND ... I was presented with NEW ideas for footstraps !! Suggests we can try and get in with only 20kph AND suggests moving back foot forward as a balance point !! =============================================
12FEB2025 ...as this is a journal ... after all lol
Yesterday I left the ice sled up North as I do NOT feel like making runways on the local river nor @ OKA !! and there is a whole buncha snow coming tomorrow ... 40+cm However, I had noticed the SnowSled was dragging when run on pure ice. It would scratch a path - from the middle ski. So, this morning I changed the back bolt for a shorter one and for the front one; I put a shorter bolt and replaced the nut with what I call an IKEA nut lol ... so now, it is practically flush underneath and NO scratching the surface !!
Right after my session, there was a snowstorm for 30 minutes and then the wind KICKED. I would have stayed longer, butt was with da wife 😍 Up north on the runway with wind 0-30kph West. Runway was about 100 meters long !! Had some good runs and fun crashes when I tried to ride the sides of the ramp. My "need for speed" made me realize that perhaps that is what I need to aim for on the water ... again !! Oh yeah, at one point I thought the 6.3 was not enough and I went to get a larger sail ... My GA GTX 8.5 is there, but I did NOT bring the SDM mast extension. Lesson learned - bring extensions !! So, I brought the NS Duke 6.9 which I brought to the runway and then the wind picked up !! =================================================== 05FEB2025Went up North to the chalets cuz I wanted to test this sled:
The snow was kinda deep, as in over 12 inches, and fairly firm i.e. NOT powder! So, the sled would probably NOT hit/ride on the ice AND the wind was light!!
Instead, I brought sled on the left home !!
================================================== 04FEB2025Wife went to dentist around noon and I checked the local river around 14h30. Yesterday we got some snow and there had to be 6" of powder pretty much everywhere. Wind was supposed to be 20-30kph WNW here and 20-40kph @ OKA. First I shovelled a ramp the wrong direction and then the winds just did NOT give me the "Let's GO" feeling ...
Even after shovelling the correct 90 degree to the wind ramp = NAH !! Think I am ready to play with the deep snow versions again !! Wish there was more wind up North tomorrow !! ================================================== 02FEB2025Went to OKA and tried to sail. Shovelled a runway in case I needed it, butt was NOT necessary. My hands got cold during the setup and I had fun. I could have used more wind and less snow - or my other luge and a larger sail - next time ? Was out with the ice sled and the HSM Fire 6.3. Don't like rigging the SW Retro 6.6 in the cold and left the NS Duke 6.9 up north :-( There were three kiters out going slow and one rigging when I left. Left the house at noon and back by four. Went to the MedicineBox to check out their new setup and the GreenRoom to see what's new. They sell Silly Simon now !!
=============================================== 31JAN2025About 2 inches of powder fell last night temps are going UP !!
Bringin' my winter stuff South !!
30JAN2025On Tuesday, January 28th (two daze ago ...) Bert sent me this pic:
That's our local Starboard Formula board rider on skis with a WindWing !! Told me it was on Lac St-Pierre and it was the wind that cleared the snow !! Reminder: Three days ago we had winds > 100kph and snow squalls !! ....and two days ago ... there was a foot of powder up North ... This means ... I was already considering getting "my stuff" !! So, I went to the local river and checked the conditions there. Snow was about 2 inches deep and where there was more, it was powder ...
This was encouraging enough for me to go check out OKA Parc !! ...cuz ideally I need East or West winds for here
OKA had crusty snow, 2 inches of snow with not good ice and powder snow ....i.e. mixed base conditions ... ..................It is good enough for me to consider building runway(s)...
================================================= 28JAN2025Went up north - beautiful day after the storm. Started making a runway for the NW winds. Butt then the winds dropped and shifted more to W and SW !! Lovely Day.
================================================ 27JAN2025 There were snow squall warnings and there were winds as much as 100kph. At home we had a couple of brown outs and one power flick and that was it. Hard to believe I was considering going on the ice n snow up north lol
============================================== 21JAN2025 Up North smokin that XK Viking Haze man lol Once again, the rest of the day was NOT as good. Wind was supposed to be from the West 20-30kph and I was lucky if I saw 25kph AND the wind felt a little more SSW than West which meant my run-way was OFF a little bit (and had snow on it) This obviously meant the SailWorks Hucker 6.6m² also was just NOT enuff !! and that sail is a bitch to rig -- looking at a SW Retro 7.5 with mast, but dude wants $700 ... Need to know year and whether the mast is SailWorks 460 SDM !!! ============================================== 17JAN2025Checked the local Milles Isles River and got there by car and so, NO smoking weed before lol. There was NO parking at the Ste-Thérèse water purification plant beside the 117/Curé LaBelle #$%^&*( Blocked some cars in, as I was NOT gonna be there long AND I could see the cars from the river ...
At first it looked like it was gonna be AMAZING !! There was NOT a lotta powder snow on top of the smooth ice near shore ...
As I got further out onto the river ... the snow was getting deeper and :
yes folks ... there was a layer of water between the snow and the ice ^&*( ============================================== 15JAN2025Again up North and smoked XKOALA lol ... The rest of the day was NOT as good. Winds were from the NW and supposed to be 20-30kph. They were more like 0-20kph. I shovelled a runway and rigged the NS Duke 6.9, butt was NO USE = FAIL... Zokay, I got some exercise and some sun/vitamin D. =============================================
14JAN2025Up North with winds from the West 10-30kph Again ... I smoked an ExKa XKOALA 0.5g pre-roll before ...
"Up North with the "gopro" on my back with a contraption that I built
it was on all crooked and i was still able to capture a little piece lol
buddy Chris out in BC liked my 1st attempt to use this "backpack"
and so, this was my 2nd attempt ...
wind was from the West 10-30kph
was supposed to get 20-40kph !!
this time the sail was the powerful SW Hucker 6.6
(this sail is such a PITA to rig = TIGHT downhaul man)
session was a 7/10 and the clip catches some speed runs :-)" ================================================
09JAN2025...Yes folks, I went out 2 days in a row man !!
Since cannabis is legal ... I smoked an ExKa XKOALA 0.5g pre-roll before checking the conditions🔥 ...and then ... neighbour's stupid dog ran half way across the lake to see me $%^&* I kept yelling NON and pushed his face away with my glove 🙂 Next time I will be armed with a BIG stick lol
The snow was "crusty" and the wind was GOOD = 15-40kph NW. With these conditions I was able to push myself and the sled !! I was trying to go as fast as I could and loving it ... Sometimes I actually avoided the ice sections
BEST winter session this season so far man = 9/10 !!
=================================================
08JAN2025We are supposed to have a snowstorm and winds from the NW 20-40kph...The snow AND wind were under-estimated. and so ... I went up North to the little lake with the chalets ... I put paraffin wax on the ice sled skis and left the sled in the snow. This seems to have been a mistake cuz the skis stuck to the snow AND the wind was NOT hitting.
So, I went and tried my snow sled. It was better and the wind kicked... Something dragged on the ice with that sled and it is NOT so obvious.
I went back and got the ice sled which I flipped upside down this time and with the somewhat better winds it was good ...
Winds were from the NW switching to West at times which was dangerous on the ice ... and I would guesstimate that they were 15-35kph...tomorrow is supposed 2b even better !!
The snowstorm was "wurst" closerto home with lotsa cars in the ditch and accidents $%^&* =================================================
05JAN2025Yesterday we went to Intermiel in St Eustache and my wife would NOT let me check the ice on Lac des Deux on the way back and so ... I checked it today !! 6"
=============================================
03JAN2025 First of all ... HAPPY NEW YEAR/beer 😊 The pure ice season is over = we had some warmer temps, snow & then cold again ... The wind was supposed to be decent 20-40kpw NW, but was intermittent and 0-30kph. It was mostly light and the snow slowed me down ... So, I built a little runway and had fun in a smaller section. As usual, when it was time to push the envelope, I removed the camera ...and that was when I had my best runs ....
Prior to this session, I added a metal bar as a "washer" to make sled go more straight. It was pulling to the left ...
