Grass Lake Today 1-12 NOW!

[dewsy]

headed to grass lake now.. will be there around 9 leaving for home at 1230.. bringing all my kites cause I have no idea what to expect, man I hope there's some POW..

call or txt 630.NINEone7.77NINE0

-dewsy

[seblue]

I wish I was not so sore. I went to Devils Head on Sunday to learn how to snowboard and got my ass kicked along with my kid. We fell many times. He just likes the speed he is 6. By the end of our day I almost had turns down. I could just about finish the beginner hill and not fall down. For some reason toe side turns were easier and I would fall more often doing the heel side turns. I think I was ready to go from the top of the big hill but would not until my boy was going with me. I am going there three more Sundays so hopefully I am not so sore next week so I can finally try and snowkite with you.

[dewsy]

awesome, but we'll wait till the conditions get better though.. when I got there the wind away from the lake was rippin, on the lake is was a little light and gusty.. the snow certainly was powder but not enough to keep from sliding on the ice.. after a while I got the hang of it, but no one's going to be going way upwind on that lake till there is some pack underneath.. I would say the conditions SUCKED today which is why I only spent an hour kiting..

**BY THE WAY**

the lake near the bridge is NOT FROZEN!! I was doing a long tack, and noticed something funny with the surface ahead of me, it was open water, I must have been about 75-100yds away from it, but it scared the bajeesus out of me and I decided that I'd had enough for the day..

-dewsy

[kytbord]

Hey Dewsy,

Dutchkiteboarder and I are thinkin' of tryin' Grass Lake this weekend. Did you have enough snow cover to kiteboard or are we talkin' part glare ice part snow-covered? Any recommendations on where to park and/or access the lake? Any recommendations on parts of the lake that are better for kiteboarding?

Sorry for all the q's.... but you seem to be the Grass Lake expert

kytbord

[jensmadwind]

Seblue,

Are you self teaching yourself how to snowboard? Dewsy will get a kick out of this next statement, if you are trying to self teach I would recommend a lesson. In one hour or two session an instructor can give you the pointers and tips so your head will at least know what to do even if your body protests.


Way back in the day my Dad and I took lessons at what was then Rib Mountain now Granite Peak. Over the next couple seasons of riding my dad would continually tell me that while riding up the chair lift he could tell who had lessons and who hadn't be watching the competency and comfort that people displayed while going down the hill. You will learn with proper technique as apposed to trying to figure it out for yourself.

I would be willing to bet that with some instruction you will have a much less painful experience. Its all about the edge of the board and if you don't have control of your edges going down the hill imagine what you will be up against when you try to combine it with the pull of a kite.

I have given one snow kiting lesson where the student told me he knew how to snowboard but it became PAINFULLY obvious that he really didn't. I had to stop the lesson because I could not continue to watch him beat himself up.

To anybody wanting to snow kite, you have to know how to ski or snowboard before you try to add the kite to the equation.

one more thing, there is a huge difference between two inches of snow on top of the ice that has stuck to the ice versus light snow that is just sitting on top. I have been on 6 inches of fresh snow and had a bad time because it was not stuck to the ice. A snowboard will constantly loose its edge on snow that isn't stuck to the ice. End result a very bruised ass. If the snow is questionable skis work allot better.

[kris]

If you think catching the front edge of your snowboard while going down a hill hurts now add a kite that keeps pulling till you get all back in control.

Get comfortable cruising down the long easy back runs. You get a little better each run and get a chance to reinforce it a few times before you get all the way to the lift.

I hope a helmet is in your inventory?

[dewsy]

kytbord, type "w halings rd., antioch, il" into googlemaps.. You're going to want to look for the tavern that's at the end of Halings Rd. the tavern/bar that's right near the water. As a courtesy I would recommend parking right by the water and not next to the tavern to allow the patrons of the bar a closer spot to the bar, pull straight up and park facing the lake. Suit up, do whatever you have to do and then walk onto the ice, follow the snowmobile tracks out to the open part of the lake. Right now, there is open water on the VERY south end of the lake near the bridge, but I think that's usually the case, so if it's a north wind just kindof be aware of where you are. You will see it a good distance away though. As of yesterday(wendesday) when I went it was NOT ideal for kiteboarding because like jens said, the snow has to be stuck to the ice. I don't know if the conditions have changed since I was there, (they can change fast with temperature) but when I was there, there was about 3-5 inches of powder that was floating on the ice, and my snowboard was like a giant snowplow clearing the ice while I was trying to hold the edge (very slippy)..

I'd agree that skiers will most likely have a better time if the conditions are still like that this weekend. You've got to know how to hold an edge if you're snowkiting.. Shawn, you could self teach yourself how to snowboard but a decent instructor really will speed up the learning curve here. Mostly because you're looking at only a limited time on the hill before you have to pack up and head home. Like I said, always keep your edge uphill and don't be afraid of a little downhill speed before you lean back uphill to slow down and turn uphill. I didn't selfteach how to snowboard, I think I had about 3 hour long lessons and then the rest i picked up on my own.. Hope it helps..

-dewsy

[kytbord]

dewsy,

Thank you, very much, for the local "intel"!

I've driven the GL road bridge & have seen the open water >> will avoid it >> lots of lake north of there

Let's hope the snow sticks or we'll be tired / sore quick and looking for another spot.......