Rick, over the winter months we are out in most conditions which range from 0 deg upto 10 deg C without any real problem. The trick is realising your limits and dressing for the occasion, you are not going out there for a summer 6 hour session more like 2 hours max as the cold usually zaps your energy really quickly and too be honest it's usually misserable and grey. It's all about keeping your hand in over Jan and Feb. Most of the time we are wrapped up in rash vest, 5 mm suit, 2 mm gloves ( thick ones are useless due to loss of dexterity ) also your hands usually don't get that cold it's a wind chill thing so as long as you have your hands covered in a suitable pair of QUALITY gloves they are fine, Gath type helmet or hood, 5 mm boots and velcro seals on ankles and wrists to stop water flush. Also the trick is don't go out too far as last week after losing the old Hanacrew Stealth in the waves it took me a long and cold 20 minutes of body dragging in 6 ft mush, not much fun but a good way to start the new year though and sorted the hangover out !!! This is where you are going to get into trouble though if something goes wrong, think shallow and think can I really swim in 500 meters in 0 deg C I don't think so. Quick release with gloves, well I have had no problem after ditthe old shackle and going back to the standard MM chicken Loop, the QR is right there and easy to pull even with gloves on but check out your own to make sure.

phil.

The time for numb fingers and greater hypothermia exposure is coming to northern latitudes as the year wears on. It seems like a good time to bring this old post back up to the top for examination and discussion.

My testicles contract into my pelvic girdle and my dick shrinks to 1/4 the size and resembles a stack of buttons. If I try to piss in my wetsuit it feels like my foreskin is going to explode . D.

I stay home and drink beer when the water temp is below 16 degrees C. Works for me, no death yet.

How long can you survive in cold water with a Drysuit on? For ever or will you freeze to death after 6 hours...1 day....1 week? Anyone know?

As someone that has spent time in the tundra, one of the best rules not to break in cold conditions is the 120 rule. If the wind speed, air temperature, water temperature added together are less than 120 it is best to stay inside and light a fire in the hearth.

If you break this rule you must realize your margins of safety are greatly reduced so being sure your equipment is in excellent condition and your travels are close to shore are paramount considerations. A breakdown may mean you will have to reach back and kiss your ass good-bye.

[quote="scott gibson"]As someone that has spent time in the tundra, one of the best rules not to break in cold conditions is the 120 rule. If the wind speed, air temperature, water temperature added together are less than 120 it is best to stay inside and light a fire in the hearth.

If I use knots and celsius temperatures I would be frying not flying I assume you use farenheit but what about wind speed

I`ve never had any real problems with the cold weather.....it`s only as cold as your dressed for. No problem with 5mm neo gloves either, can still pull the releases and steer left and right. I`ve eliminated flush completely with a hood/top slickskin worn over wetsuit. have noticed get worn out quicker with the effort required moving in the gear. One mistake I did make was a neoprene face mask from a motorcycle store(did look fuckin evil though) placed inside my hood but after face planting it trapped all the water behind it as the drain holes couldn`t cope....lived and learnt. A heated change room would be great as I`m sick and tired of gettin changed by the car in snow/ice(no I ain`t gettin a van....yet) xk8/r is next on the list.....

The common english units were used in the 120 rule. How long you can survive in frigid conditions is reliant on a host of variables; each one can be the difference between living and dying. The dynamics involved in kiting do not lend themselves well to cold weather survival since your flotation items are only marginal for severe cold. The windsurfer has a board to remove most of his torso from the water, the kiter thrashing around to relaunch is not a viable practice for safety.

Clint Eastwood once said, "a man has got to know his limitations." If you fly like JFKjr your going to crash like JFKjr. If your properly sealed up in an excellent conditioned drysuit you can last along time, if a fin cuts open just a quarter inch of your suit you better have your will inorder. There are a myriad of things that can go wrong kiting and there is little time for on the water fixes, so always go with a buddy and you might want to take your cell phone in a baggie just in case you need to tell someone, "good bye."

I find that I have a good 5mm wettie, 3mm gloves and boots and a hood is fine for me. I also don't go out as far as I usually would, say I can swim one mile in sunny warm conditions I take this down to about a max of 400m in winter.

I think wind chill is thebig factor, as last year I had a crappy old wettie and found that when I was surfing I was soo much warmer than kitesurfing. I now have a new wettie and I can't feel the wind chill half as much.