Snowkiting info...

hobbsla · Since 28 Jan 2006 389 Posts Obsessed

Here comes the snow! I'm finally going to be able to bring board riding and kiting together! I bought a smallish foil (3.6m 4-line) so I'll be able to get moving and learn without getting overpowered. I've flown the shit out of that kite! I also have a 12m LEI C kite with a 4-line bar and want to use it too. Never flown that. I DID take a lesson (props to Jason@SPI Kiteboarding) and had great success until we put the board in the mix. I quickly learned that wakeboarding or surfing skills are also important. I'm a good snowboarder so I hope to progress alot this winter! What I need is Any advice anybody might have for using my 12m LEI on the snow. It is a 4-line setup and I have NO money so I will have to use the gear I've got. I know its not the ideal setup but I'm sure some of you out there have used similar gear for snowkiting before!

Thanks,

Jeremy Cool

Kataku2k3 · Since 14 Aug 2005 3753 Posts Los Angeles, CA Videographer

Though I'm not super experienced with snowkiting, the one thing I can tell you is to watch the conditions... especially if you're on packed snow/ice. If it's gusty, I'd just be extra careful as it's a lot harder to stomp your kite on ice, when that's really the only way to slow down in big puffs. I never ride with my Fuel's (4 line also) "Oh Shit" handles locked to my suicide leash on the water, but they did save my ass a few times last year on the mountain. I think an SLE kite is more ideal for those conditions, but if money's tight, don't worry about it too much. Overall though, I'd think, adding a 5th line would be the best way to very inexpensively make your current setup safer for snowkiting...

Sol-flyer · Mon Nov 27, 06 8:09 pm

gotta learn to fly in gusty conditions,...and if the snow isnt right it sucks. to much powder and its hard to stay on top....i'd say just as much drag as in water.

hobbsla · Since 28 Jan 2006 389 Posts Obsessed

Thanks for the feedback. Sol, great pics.. snow looks deep! Is that up at hood somewhere? I live in spokane which has mostly rolling farmland to the south and west. I scoped out 5 or 6 locations this summer that seem to have potential, no fences, power lines, ditches etc. A couple are even less than 5 min. from my house! I'm unsure about a few things. Self launching and landing! For launching I think I can use a sandbag but for bringing the kite down at the end of the sesh I'm clueless. With my foil I can just let go of the bar and the saftey system just kills the kite. It falls to the ground...done. And what do I do to relaunch? I thought I've read something about attaching a line to the trailing edge so I can reverse launch like with my 4 line foil. Anybody set up this way...Ghetto style!

Later..

Sol-flyer · Tue Nov 28, 06 12:08 pm **not hood,...**

sounds like you got some nice area to ride Cool

i use snow just like i would sand when self launching, just make sure its secure cause your gonna need time to strap in your board before you launch the kite.

with landing i just bring it down to the side of the wind window, set the kite down and let the saftey leash do the rest, the kite will slide downwind so make sure there's no obstructions. then dig the bar down in the snow and start walking up the line. Wink

hobbsla · Since 28 Jan 2006 389 Posts Obsessed

Sol..thanks for the solid info on launching and landing. And yeah, I think this area has TONS of snowkiting potential, if it would only fricken D.U.M.P. Snows pretty thin on the ground right now Crying or Very sad

I'm still unsure about relaunching my C kite. Any advice anybody.....?

Sol-flyer · Tue Nov 28, 06 6:05 pm

belive it or not, but re-launching is waaay easy. Just crank the bar one way, and as the kite slides across the snow in that direction...crank the bar the other way. and voila Wink