Lelex - Snowkite Session 14

I went with Baptiste to give it a go again in Lelex, but the clouds "stuck" on the mountain all day didn't allow for us to go any further than the top of the ski station (well, we could, but we wouldn't find our way back...). Still, a nice afternoon in powder and a great descent on the fresh snow at the end of the day.

Supeyres - Snowkite Session 13

When you kite at the Col des Supeyres, you always see the antennas from the military station in the horizon... So, you always keep in the back of your mind the idea of reaching them, if the wind is strong enough and has the good orientation. This was my first!

Panoramic from the antennas (click for bigger)

 

To top off a great day (possibly the best of this Winter), a very cool sunset jump session! A big thanks to Baptiste for the photos.

The "proof" in my GPS track...

Lelex - Snowkite Session 12

No luck this time... After having so much fun yesterday, we decided to go back to Lelex for more. But, as the wind was too strong in the morning, the ski lift to the spot was closed, so we had to find a little snow field to wait and play a little (small and very gusty due to the trees all around).

After lunch, the ski lift finally opened but, by the time we got up there, the wind had gone from strong to very light, so we were stuck on the first part of the spot, not having enough ever to reach the "real" playground. Oh, well...

Lelex - Snowkite Session 11

Some days you just feel it... With Cyril, we had a day off and, although all weather forecast pointed tobad conditions (mostly covered and ZERO wind), we said "what the hell" and decided to go explore the spot in Lelex anyway.
When we arrived, we got the ski lift to the spot (it's on top of a ski station, in the Jura mountains) and we where welcomed by the sun. But there was absolutely no wind, no even a breeze...

Cyril decided to unpack his kite anyway, while I looked at him and said: "What are you doing? You won't even get in on the air..."
But, to our astonishment, a light breeze started to blow (as if his kite was calling it) and it soon transformed into a steady wind, no too strong, but enough to start kiting around!

After a morning exploring with light winds, we took a little lunch brake under the sun and, by the end of it, the wind had picked up in force and was blowing strong. That, plus the discovery of a natural halfpipe meant a fun afternoon for the two of us!

 

Here's the GPS track of the day...

...and an unpretentious movie to give an idea of this fun spot.

Supeyres - Snowkite Session 10

Back again with Sam for more at the Col des Supeyres. Another day of sun, wind and good snow to explore a little bit more.

Steph after a bad flight...

So, what do you do if you discovered a pretty cool new spot the previous day and you you have the day off again? You go back for more! Unfortunately, the snow got very hard during the night and the (extremely) gusty and strong wind only allowed for some scares (for me) and a "face plant" (for Steph). Thankfully it didn't amount to much damage...

Mézenc - Snowkite Session 9

Yet another spot discovered, near the small village of Les Estables... Yumi!

Semnoz - Snowkite Session 8

The spot in Semnoz, located side-by-side with a small ski station, is rather small, although with the right wind orientation, it sure as it's potential (and is less than 1h30 drive from home!).

The GPS track of the "exploration", with a little walking in the middle...

A little panoramic (click for bigger)