February 2007 Diaries

Date: Sunday 25^th February

Location: West Shore

Mission: Happy to see U all

I had to remind myself it was still January when I walked on to the beach and saw around 10 kites pumped up ready for action-even on a North Westerly!  Ad, Fisherman Pete and Our new ‘Hunk of the Month’ Ibby went off in search of a wave spot with a good swell forecast! The rest of us were just happy to have a West Shore session!  Marcus, my 13 year old son was more than happy today as he ripped along with the likes of Ali B on his new custom made Cyclone board and excellent Mystic helmet, both thanks to Turbulence.  Marcus had his best session yet and I felt confident enough to leave the water and set up myself to join him on what would have been our first Mother and Son session, unfortunately the wind dropped and he had a bit of a walk back up the beach, accompanied by both Tommy and Mirruzu who had been keeping a watchful eye over him, its so nice to have that on your local beach.

Zoe

xx 

Date: 11^th Feb 2007

Location: West Shore

Mission: Sunshine

Had a good session two weeks ago where i was jumping high, getting that floaty feelin and then making a really big splash at the end ;-).  Was just getting the landing bit mastered at the end of that sess so have been mad keen to get out again and really get it sorted.  But... there was no wind last weekend, and snow this week so my plans have been scuppered.

Got sent home from work early on fri, the boss told me to go while it was still safe :-), so me being me lept in the car and dashed to Zo’s.  After a quick cuppa we ended up at loggerheads where zoe showed me how to expertly fall over and slide sideways on a snow board ;-).  I had a few runs down myself but decided that chair lifts are definitely the way forward.  So.... instead found a big sheet of plastic which just happened to be the best sledge ever invented.  Me, Zo, Debs and Lea hurtled down the hill at a ridiculous speed completely out of control.  Was absolutely fantastic, but don’t think the general public appreciated the howls and screams!

Had plans to go snow kiting on sat, but after driving round the denbigh moors for what seemed like hours looking for wind and a fields we only just managed to keep zo’s rrd in the sky.  I’m afraid I gave up while the ever devoted and disciplined Zoe went off again in search of better conditions but only ended up in think fog n lost (sorry zo, very funny!).

Which just leaves today to tell ya all about.  Sunshine, blue skies, light wind.  Fabulous feb day to get out.  Didn’t master jumping, conditions weren’t that good, but still had a blast just cruising up n down.  Felt great to be getting out again after so long on dry land, and really enjoyed the hour or so on the water till zoe turned up and scared the wind away ;-). 

Sheryl

xx

Date: 09^th February 2007

Location: Moel Fammay

Mission: Polythene Rocks

I was jumping with excitement when Sheryl phoned to say she had escaped from work early and was on her way over to come snowboarding, I text Debs and Steve and we all met up at Moel famau.  I knew Sheryl wanted me to go first to show her how it was done (cough, cough) she informed me I wasn’t only leaning back instead of forward, staying on my heals instead of my toes but riding the snowboard backwards-no wonder I was doing so well.  Sheryl went straight to the very top and smoothly carved her way down at great speed, good job I’d shown her what not to do hey!  We played on the snowboard and the sledge but had the most fun of all on a piece of polythene we found on the hill!  It was so funny, all jumping on the polythene and flying down the hill spinning round and going backwards most the time!  A lot of snow had fallen whilst we were there and we almost couldn’t get home, half an hour longer and I think we would have been waiting for the snow plough.  There is more snow forecast for tonight and wind for tomorrow, so I may well still get my first snow kite session.

Zoe

Xx

Date: 08^th February 2007

Location: Moel Fammay

Mission: Snow kite (without the kite bit)

I felt like a kid on Christmas Eve waiting for the morning to come, I was awake every hour looking out of my bedroom window, only I wasn’t looking for Santa, I was looking for the 10-15cm of snow forecast!  On my 5a.m. peep I was so happy to see the white blanket of snow outside that I text Lukas to let him know the snow had arrived, he was doubly impressed when Sheryl dropped her snowboard off for me at 7.30a.m.  Today was going to be my first snow kiting day! Or so I thought, I hadn’t even noticed there was no wind, I went on a bit of a wind hunt but there was none to be found.  I had it in my head I was going snow kiting so made a compromise and decided to do it without the kite.

I’d had a go on a snowboard last winter and thought my experience kitesurfing and wakeboarding this year may have given me some board skills, so I went to Moel Famau to try snowboarding. The drive up the hill was pretty scary as the wheels just span round under the car a few times and the car became a giant sledge.  I felt a bit in the spot light as I strutted along with Sheryls really cool snowboard because all the people sledging started to look over, obviously thinking I was a snowboarder, how wrong could they be! It wasn’t long before someone shouted “lean forward” n something else I didn’t quite hear as I wiped out.  Leaning forward defiantly worked but makes you go faster and the faster you go the more you want to lean back.  I had absolutely no control over the direction the board went in but I had loads of fun.  I went back after school with Marcus, I told him I would go first and show him how it was done, he just laughed at my attempts to show him what to do, he put the board on jumped up and casually sped off making it all look so easy! 

Date: 08th February 2007

Location: Denbigh Moors

Mission: Gusting to 4.7knts, Mission=Determination!