3/28, Strawberry River nuke fest

[Leo Chan]

Arrived at Strawberry River at 1:30 to find not a single soul. The wind was mixing in with snow and pretty gusty. I set up my 14 meter C-kite and gave it a try. In the back of my mind, I keep thinking I should use the foil kite. But it was only an 8 meter. I should have listen to myself.

I tried in the white room for about an hour before Derry showed up. The sky started to clear out and the wind started to pick up as well. But it got so gusty and coming from both directions. At the end, my kite is toasted. Good thing I arranged to get the Ozone Sport from John.

Listen to your gut feeling the next time the wind gets gusty.

[ChrisPSherwin]

Showed up at the River at about 4:30. Pumped up my 13 C4 and......pppppppppssssssssssssssst. Cracked inflate valve. Zephyr seemed like a suicide pill. Opened my box o tricks and found some "magic fix it tape." If you don't have some, buy some now. It fixed the kite valve leak semi-permanently and got me out into the white room. Kite was still fully pumped after 3 hours.

The NOAA point forecast was right on. Clearing around 6pm. The wind was up and down and flukey at first with about 3 full-on white out sessions of 10 minutes or so each. But then it would clear out for longer and longer until about 6pm when the light was just so cooooooooooool! Then the wind cranked up a few notches. Four of us stayed out for a while. Bob was getting after it. A guy on a caution kite was killing it. A few of us headed to the gliding hill and then a litlle further when a squall came in. I was almost lost for a bit, but could still see trees and the highway. David and I stayed until we just couldn't go any more. The snow was fantastic and will still be in really good shape tomorrow if there is wind. The riding once things cleared out was just otherworldly. I just kept laughing at how good it was, how kick ass the scenery was , and how much fun I was having...

All thanks to 9 inches of magic fix it tape. Sometimes you just get lucky.

[whit]

Tyler, Chris and I rode Co-Op from 2:30 on. Some good dense snow with sometimes viz and sometimes white room. My 9M was perfect and the ridge riding was excellent. They left about 5:30, I went back out into the sun for a short while (thanks for the sacrifice Ty) then a squall came through, overall great day. Jake and some Best Boys were gliding on the hill at CC West. Howie and Tom at CC East. Borderline Epic Day. WG

[bigwavedave]

Fred and I were at Chicken Creek west along with Jake and the Florida Boys. Tom Billy, Ryan and a bunch of others were there as well. I was holding down a 12M Manta, Fred an 11M frenzy, and Jake was out there on a 14M nemisis. I'm pretty sure billy or someone was out there on a 17M Zephyr . . which is nuts considering there were a few moments of insanely overpowered reaches for me on my 12. Whiterooms came and went but there was usually enough visibility to get some killer gliding on Jakes hill as well as some great cornice sessions on the back side. There was one moment when I went for a glide and was just parked in the sky ridge soaring and then started working the kite and gaining altitude. As up and down as it was it never felt like nasty sharp, drop you out of the sky gusts but there was a ton of wind drift in the air most of the time making it seem like it was armageddon out there. It was a pretty epic day.

[bordy]

Leo we drove through the lot and right passed you at the River and wondered why you had stopped there the viz was so much better down wind. The river is for sure a sucker hole sonce it is the first spot.

Dave, I was flyin 11m edge, I just make it look big! My 10m north kite is in the shop since I like to put holes in it!.. Jake was holding down 14m but the fact that he broke a line just shows how lit he must have been.

Great snow, great wind , bad viz..then good viz, then Bad again..... great day to kite!

[Leo Chan]

Knowing that Jake broke a line kinda make me feel better about my old kite being trashed. Sorry, Jake.
I know where to go when it is nuking 35+ at Strawberry River the next time: HOME!

[bigwavedave]

Apparently Jake knotted a line and forgot he'd done so? and it broke at the knot. Knot so good.

[derrymcintyre]

Knee deep botomless powder everywhere at the river... even on all the ridges and upper bowls. Calling it the best snow quality of my season. Perfect power once I rigged down to the 11m mayhem. Like Chris said, the viz was otherworldly.... except for the occasional white out/powerdump there was this crazy glow filtering thru the clouds lighting up the perfection. And during the whiteouts the tree skiing in the flatter high west area was the ticket. Kept shaking my head on the drive home and uttering words like sick... phenominal...and "as good as it gets". The stoke I felt was comparable to some of the most perfect ocean wave sessions I've ever had. Fun to share it with mike mcarthy, eric g, kevin, leo, chris, and a few others on foils.

[mike mccarthy]

Got to the river at 4:00 pm to see leo comming in with a ripped kite and darry going too and fro, in what looked to be the best snow I have ever seen at any kite location. I ran back to my truck to get my kite and went out to the best snow I have EVER have kited. The wind was up , and the snow was the light, the snow was 9 inches of flufffffff everywhere. Great to share it with you Derry!! my best sesh ever on snow.