Great, crazy, day snowkiting Lake Sunapee yesterday. I arrived with my 9m (rookie mistake, left the 7m at home), to find Jean putting away his 8m for the 5.5m. A bunch of "wingers" were out, and only 2 other kiters who decided not to brave the crazy winds. Blowing snow across the entire lake and mini snow tornados was a common sight. Gusts were well over 40mph at times, over 50mph if the Sunapee wind meter is accurate (and usually it is lower than actual on the lake). I opted not to launch the 9, and used Jean's 5m when he needed breaks. Still logged 17 miles for the day with a top speed of 35 mph. At times it was scary even on the 5m. The surface was tricky, 6-8" of heavy windblown snow with 3+" of slush underneath. Very easy to catch an edge, which is not fun in 30+ mph winds. But the surface conditions improved throughout the day as more windblow powder accumulated on top and the temperature dropped from 32 to 15 degrees. All in all, a pretty epic day!
Comments (1)
Nice report, I second the sentiment.