OK, I'm from California and I only fly float planes from water. You may be right that the Gee Bees are great for flying from sand, rocks and snow. I suspect it also has something to do with the type of airplane you use them on. Any float will work fine if the airplane will take off in a couple of feet. They definately are tough. I wonder how cold they could get before they got brittle.

My experiences with them on water, and the experiences of the many other folks who agree with me, are that ANY other float works better.

Jim