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What is your cold water red line, measured in Celsius?

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pj sofine
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Re: What is your cold water red line, measured in Celsius?

Postby pj sofine » Tue Nov 23, 2021 2:06 pm

I think age should be added to the equation ! Maybe add a deg for every year over the baseline of being "stupid age " ! Remember in the pre kite years ,windsurfing with ice forming on booms,now I won't even go outside in those conditions ! :baby:

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jumptheshark
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Re: What is your cold water red line, measured in Celsius?

Postby jumptheshark » Tue Nov 23, 2021 2:13 pm

Have had water and snow days back to back before. Rare and novelty, but its happened. Have also ridden water in every month of the year. Jan and Feb were both fluke 12 degree days, but walking over ice and snow to the water was pretty novelty.

Don't think I'll do those again, but at 50 years old, November is a far more consistent part of my season than it was a decade ago. Am in a wetsuit now and was in a drysuit then.

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Re: What is your cold water red line, measured in Celsius?

Postby Peter_Frank » Tue Nov 23, 2021 2:21 pm

pj sofine wrote:
Tue Nov 23, 2021 2:06 pm
I think age should be added to the equation ! Maybe add a deg for every year over the baseline of being "stupid age " ! Remember in the pre kite years ,windsurfing with ice forming on booms,now I won't even go outside in those conditions ! :baby:
I can not see any connection with age?

On the contrary - the older you get, the more experience you have in terms of body control and heat, and as we are on the water so often our blood circulation is top.

Having said that, I rarely go out in stupid cold conditions anymore - as when we can ride ANY day of the year, windwise now hydrofoil is the thing all over, I tend to drop the cold winterdays as boots and gloves and stuff takes most of the pleasure away.

8) Peter

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jumptheshark
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Re: What is your cold water red line, measured in Celsius?

Postby jumptheshark » Tue Nov 23, 2021 2:38 pm

Hey Peter, do you kite much on snow?

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Re: What is your cold water red line, measured in Celsius?

Postby BenBen » Tue Nov 23, 2021 3:53 pm

Depends in the month. In autumn 3-5 degrees ist okay, since the water ist that cold. Have been kiting the last few days in 7-9 degrees and it s been really nice and easy. In the end of winter 7-9 degrees feel much colder. Today i had my yearly: "this is the time to take a kite break for a few months" moment. But i know i ll be out there,when the wind blows like every year:)

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Re: What is your cold water red line, measured in Celsius?

Postby SMJ » Tue Nov 23, 2021 5:09 pm

About -2.2 Celsius or 28 Farenheit is about as low as I'll comfortably go, because this is the temperature where salt water begins to freeze. I always like to know my safety isn't going to freeze up on me. You should always be able to give it a dunk in the water if it does jam up from windchill.

At these temps I'll be in a drysuit with 2 - 3 layers of Helly Hansen Lifa Merino wool, a battery powered heated vest made by Thermalution, snowboard wool socks, 5mm booties over the drysuit, a neoprene beanie, a neoprene face mask, and 5mm 3-finger lobster mitts.
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Re: What is your cold water red line, measured in Celsius?

Postby mitchell898 » Tue Nov 23, 2021 7:37 pm

You can kite in ice water, it's the air temp that gets ya. I've kited in partially frozen lake superior with 13C air temp very comfortably and yesterday in -2C air with probably 9C water, the latter is much worse. Probably not great for the kites if you get them wet and have them freeze. I think any air temps above freezing are A-ok.

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Re: What is your cold water red line, measured in Celsius?

Postby bkkite » Tue Nov 23, 2021 9:58 pm

I'm in New York, and I ride in a 5/4 wetsuit through Feb/ March when water temps drop to high 30s / low 40s ( 0-5c), and air temperatures are in the 30s (0 c). I'm typically in the 5/4 with hoody on, 5mm solite boots w 1mm socks, 5mm NP lobster claw mitten, and sometimes the Patagonia Thermal Hoody over top. At this floor, my face starts to burn in the wind, and I tend to get cold after an hour or an hour and half. I'm also bringing a thermos of hot chocolate to recover, and using the kite spot that has heated bath rooms. I have yet to try pooring warm water down my suit to started, but might try that this year.

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Re: What is your cold water red line, measured in Celsius?

Postby Peter_Frank » Tue Nov 23, 2021 10:57 pm

jumptheshark wrote:
Tue Nov 23, 2021 2:38 pm
Hey Peter, do you kite much on snow?
I have been snowkiting a lot yes, earlier.

But not anymore, now one can ride every day because of foiling.

Find the water so much more "right" in every way, so tend to go out now and then when winter, on the water, instead of snow.

But on ice with a 5 or 6 m2 Peak4 and skates, one can start riding from only 1-2 knots of wind and fly - THAT is fun.
Also with a wing, and skates, really fun too and good practice for maneuvers I cant even do on water yet :rollgrin:

Very rare we get so much thick ice though, so fun to try last winter.

8) Peter

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Re: What is your cold water red line, measured in Celsius?

Postby bragnouff » Tue Nov 23, 2021 11:26 pm

I'm probably quite moderate, water goes down to 8C in winter and I can deal with 6C air temp. But, the main difference, compared to when I was young and stupid, is that I really ponder if it's worth it. There was a time when I would go grovel on a 12m in 10kts in the coldest days of winter, but now I wouldn't bother. Well... actually, maybe I would go on those conditions because it can be quality foiling. But yeah, if conditions look average, my desire for going out is not as strong as what it was.
One of the good thing that helps a lot is to be within walking distance from the beach, and jumping in the shower afterwards. Peeling off a wetsuit on a carpark after a session is what kills you! Packing 20L of hot water is an alternative, and sometimes pretty useful before the session.


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