Too Windy?

What do paragliders do when it’s too windy to fly? Well, in the winter we go kite skiing or ice climbing of course.
Sunday it was blowing over 20 all day with gusts occasionally over 30. No way we were flying in the air but the kite skiing was great! Matt, Dmitri and I spent hours racing around Lake Mendota. Matt was impressive, he pulled off several huge spinning jumps including one right over me as I was picking myself up from a wreck. So cool!
Monday was forecast to be another blown out day so I made plans to take Phil ice climbing at Wyalusing State Park. The wall was in big this year, lots of routes to choose from. First I lead a moderate line to get to the top of the wall where I set a top rope for a more challenging section. Then we spent the rest of the afternoon taking turns up the steepest part of the ice. The climb was about 80’ of nearly vertical ice. One really cool thing about this area is that it is right on the Mississippi River, just a couple of train tracks between the belay station and the water. The view is wonderful looking over the river to Iowa.
Spring weather can be frustrating for paragliding so it’s nice to other activities to keep your adrenaline pumping.