DimiExter

Claire got her "First Star", it's pretty good in the french sky school system for her age.

Her instructor was thrilled: quote " She is my best girl in the season, so smiley, so up to do everything I show her. It's been weeks since I had not brought a little one at Saulire going down through a black diamond (Les Creux)." unquote. She even was for a little while on a double black diamond (Les Jockeys). If I can upload videos on youtube I will... in the chess country, we have wifi on the mountains, but it cost 30 euros for 5 hours... and it is not really fast!!!

The secret is having fun...

Claire on the trempolin!

9m2 Genetrix Swell at Waddell Creek beach...

 Playing with 2m2 Ozone Samourai at Nevada beach in South Lake Tahoe, California

The Ozone 4 lines bar for the Samourai, note there is no power/depower, just brakes.

 Access 4m2 bag, my usual bag for kite training on the road. See the bag pictures series in 'My Kite Blog' category.

I just love hardware and gadgets, this is my wind speed measurement device.

 The Ozone 4m2 Access on the beach at Waddell Creek.

Just a few pics from my archives...

The new Vapor 2006 (left) and the 'old' Custom X 2005 (right). c60 bindings on the vapor. My daughter's flip-flops in the back!

The Vapor... on the left side of the board, the AK bag (includes Audex remote control for iPod).

The Vapor again, Shaw White boots.

The Custom X with the c60 on it.

... defenetly.

I'll work on posting gear pictures and stuff here.

Just highlights for now:

- Snowbaord: I am a _big_ Burton fan... I have almost everything... Custom X 158 and Vapor 159 boards (and an old Indie 152 as well), Shawn White and now Ion shoes, Cartel OLS and now c60 bindings, AK stuff (including backpack), travel bags, RED helmet, etc. Jack should send me at least 6 bottles of a fine californian Chardonay!

- Kite / training: I do have a couple of small trainer kite (2 lines bar) and two small traction kites from Ozone, one 4 lines (Samourai 2m2) and one 4 lines with power/depower (Access 4m2). I am also looking into UltraNectar clothes... hard to find in winter.

- Kite / kitesurfing: when I am ready... a got a great 'second hand' package from Genetrix: 9m2, 14m2 and 17m2, bar, harness, impact vest... more (a board of course) to come.

I am adding a "My Snowboard Blog" category here.

I used to update a blog in french, a "carnet", on skipass.com:

http://www.skipass.com/carnets/carnet.php?id=1199

I will move this stuff here from now on.

Just to jump start, a picture of my daughter and myslef in Heavenly, at the bar on top of the Gondola, in Lake Tahoe, California. 

Forgot the meter reading, in case some of you do no trust iWindSurf.com!

21.3mph!

Here I am for the week-end again in the bay area. It was foggy this morning, so I ignored Crissy Field and drove to Alameda... it was also quite foggy and cloudy, I decided to head south. I almost stopped at 3rd, but iWindSurf was indicating lots of variation in wind 5 to 19mph... I could only see a couple of kites from the San Mateo bridge. So I continued to Waddell creek. Bright sun shine, pretty good wind!

Arround 20 kites flying... and I would guess another 10 on the beach.

I got there arround 3pm and had a nice 2 hours session on the beach with my Ozone Access 4m2. The good thing about this still rather small kite is that it is a 4 lines kite with power/depower bar. I am starting to get it, slowly. The problem with a classic 2 lines trainer kite is that you get use to pull to bar when traction gets strong, this is not what you want to do with a real kite as I learn on my first session with a 9m2 (and Fredstem that was teaching me got quite scared)!

Although I did not feel confortable enough to shoot pictures of myself handling the kite with one hand... so all you get it this kite on the beach picture above.

Back at my hotel downtown... here is another Kite bag series picture!

Nice view!

Next session in the bay area in 2 to 3 weeks... in the meantime, Snowboard in the french Alps is planned... Weather forecast says snow all wek next week, and I get there and of the week! Lucky ?

... I guess others are having fun, and some new Hydra(s) are still in the (very nice new) bags :) - sorry, private joke, the one targeted will get it!