 Kiteboarding
Snowkiting
 Snow
Kiting is the latest winter sport. Large highly controllable kites are
used to blast kite pilots along with just the power of the wind! The 'Big
air' jumps that boarders and skiers are pulling under the power and security
of power kites are simply breath taking.
"Flatlanders
will love it," predicts Charlie Patterson, 31, a professional snowboarder
and one of a new cadre of American athletes using kites to grab big winter
air. An offshoot of its water bound cousin kiteboarding, snow kiting allows
a skier or snowboarder harnessed to the 100-foot-long reins of a power
kite to launch upwards of 40 feet off horizontal terrain. Patterson may
be worth listening estimated 1.5 million wakeboarders.
In Europe, where the
shift from water to snow originated, there's already a snowkiting competition
circuit. And if the fledgling sport can take off on such a cramped continent,
imagine the possibilities for the Midwest. "The best place for this
isn't really a ski resort, but an open field where you could go for miles
and days at a time," says Patterson.
Snow Kiting is a lot
easier to learn than kiteboarding on the water! It is easy to stand on
snow, which makes the whole process easier!
It also takes a lot
less wind to drive a board across snow than it does across water.
The whole learning
experience is lot less daunting as you need much less power and wind to
get you moving.
 Finally,
holding an edge in snow is much easier than in water making up wind progress
much easier to master. All you need is snow and a power kite and you can
turn a cold winter's day into a blistering, adrenaline soaked experience!
To Snow Kite you will want a foil type kite since it is completely soft
in structure and cannot be damaged easily when the kite is slammed into
the ground. Foils are also capable of reverse launching which is very
important for re-launching these kites from the snow. You may also choose
a Cabrinha water relaunchable kite due to the new RECON technology that
will allow the kite to  relaunch
off the snow!
Choosing
Your Kite
Unlike water, snow conditions, change daily. When you consider a kite
size, you must also take into consideration the main style of terrain.
It will take more kite power to pull you in fresh powder than it will
on packed snow or icy conditions. The most popular size for most winds
and and terrain is the 5.0 square meter size. The 5.0 is ideal for the
medium winds of 12-18mph. A 3.0 will work in super high winds, over 15mph
and a larger 7.0-9.0 foil will be the preferred size for lighter 10-15mph
winds. We have a huge selection of snowkite packages and single kites for you.
Getting
Started
The Beamer TSR 3.6 will get you started. This kite has 3.6 sq. meters of kiting power. The Beamer TSR 3.6 is only it's only $299.00! Click here to order the Beamer TSR.
If you are looking
for more power and performance, check out the Ozone Frenzy. It has a dynamic
bridle system that interacts with the control bar to allow you to "de-power"
the kite. This is a huge step forward in technology because you can cover
an enormous wind range with a bigger kite and get much smoother rides!
Be prepared to pay for all these benefits. You have to see the full features
- click on the picture to the right.
Selecting
A Place to Ride
Make sure it is a
large area free of all obstacles. Consider what might be under the snow.
You don't want to land on a sharp pole, etc. Pay attention to the area
directly downwind of the riding area. You don't want to get pulled into
a roadway, etc.
Flat land or rolling
hills is much preferred over mountains and you must find a place with
consistent winds.
Choose a snowboard with a long effective edge to resist against the kite,
but is still short enough to keep the swing weight
down.
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