A group of windsurfers from Montreal is getting into wind skateboarding, wind skiing, and wind snowboarding when the cold temperatures freeze the local waters. And fun is their middle name.
They say that even if it is cold - an average temperature of -15 - it feels like summer in their minds. And it is true, at least judging for their latest snow sailing video.
"We do have some wind, but it's not warm all year long. First, you need some good conditions to sail with skis or a snowboard. To get it easier, you want hard snow, solid to icy. A little bit of powder will slow you down, but it will be better when you fall," explains Guy Trudeau.
"Wind skiing is different from wind snowboarding. Some will prefer one, some the other. I enjoy wind skiing for more than twenty years. This season, we built a new freestyle wind skis for my friend Benjamin, and I tried it. Now I know what I need for my next season!"
Guy, Greg Lafortune and Benjamin Cadieux believe wind skiing can handle more icy conditions than wind snowboarding because of doubles edges. It can be fun and fast and, if there's clean ice, you need almost no wind; 10 knot will work. Simultaneously, it's also possible to spin multiple times, double, triple or more.
The wind ski is good to do some speed, to go on some hills or bumps, wherever the wind takes you. In icy conditions, it can be quite crazy, so you'd better use some body protection. Flakas and spocks? Just go for it.
On the other side, and with the right conditions, wind snowboarders spin easier than those on skis. But beware: use some protection on your knees - like hockey players do - because you could fall hard if the edges stop you down.
Wind snowboarding it's easier in softer conditions, and it will also offer more freestyle options. It gives you the possibility to practise crazy power moves. Simply ride switch or move the position of the sail to train both sides.