Thawed out...

Luckily, all of that ice was short lived!  Stuart and I grabbed a freestyle sesh in the Slick yesterday afternoon, in some of my favorite conditions ever- barely powered in the gusts on a 4.7.  All of the freestyle stuff just seems so easy in those conditions.  The sail is light and easy to throw around, but it's not so windy that you're scared to try stuff.  I honestly don't mind being bundled up in a 6/5/4 with hood, 5 mil boots, and mittens, either.  It just seems like armor against the inevitable falls you're going to take...

So, with all that confidence and the perfect conditions (and a slightly numb brain from the cold), I decided to try a few Chachos, with mild success.  Read- I didn't die trying.  I was nowhere close to sailing out of them, but I got through a few attempts and didn't scare myself, which is half the battle with this freestyle stuff.  In fact, they seemed very controlled and approachable.  So I'm stoked to try more in the future!

Stuart happened to get the second one on film while warming his hands in the portable hot tub.  He was still numb, and wearing mittens, so I'm actually really impressed with the quality of the pic!  Thanks for shooting, Stu!