portable weather station
Posted: Mon Nov 03, 2008 8:35 amI learned something interesting this week. The Jackson crew is riding more... thanks to the ingenuity of one of the addicted local kiters. By employing a portable weather station, they keep track of trends at different areas and locations within that area.
The recent score... a Grantsville style wind that pours down canyon in the AM, but only powers up at the dam on Palisade res. Palisade has been long looked at but previously turned out unreliable conditions, now that has turned 180 degrees, with 15 of the last 16 days kite-able on the res in the AM.
The other realization: Wind flows like water (it is just water in a gaseous state really)... and if you visualize water flowing down a canyon, the air is likely following a similar path. One example: Where do they put dams? At the bottom of a canyon that catches water, typically near a natural restriction... or venturi as we wind lovers call it. Not all dams will lead to good kiting, but its a starting point for discovering windy corners.
BTW - the dam is a dangerous place to launch and land, and the locals utilize the buddy sytem... but the wind cranks and thats where they have been going this month.
Windzup,
Brian Schenck
The recent score... a Grantsville style wind that pours down canyon in the AM, but only powers up at the dam on Palisade res. Palisade has been long looked at but previously turned out unreliable conditions, now that has turned 180 degrees, with 15 of the last 16 days kite-able on the res in the AM.
The other realization: Wind flows like water (it is just water in a gaseous state really)... and if you visualize water flowing down a canyon, the air is likely following a similar path. One example: Where do they put dams? At the bottom of a canyon that catches water, typically near a natural restriction... or venturi as we wind lovers call it. Not all dams will lead to good kiting, but its a starting point for discovering windy corners.
BTW - the dam is a dangerous place to launch and land, and the locals utilize the buddy sytem... but the wind cranks and thats where they have been going this month.
Windzup,
Brian Schenck
