So here`s the deal:

I`m in the process of changing my car and got left with some surplus money and nothing I`d necessarily got to spend them on so I decided to go with my guts and start a new hobby I`ve been wanting to do the second I first heard of it.

So, I hit the stores, first in the shopping list was a snowboard & bindings. I got a pretty good deal of a `10-`11 Rossignol Circuit twintip with Head bindings, so I bought that along with an Uvex helmet and Bollé glasses. I had to go through quite a few stores to find boots that fit me cause every store was out of my size this late in the season, but finally found a pair of Firefly C20:s and got those.


Now,the next part was a bit more tricky...































As this sport is not that popular in this part of the world yet, equipment prices soar sky high, but I managed to get a good deal of a complete set, harness and all, it`s a 2007 model but barely ever used.









































Now you`re probably thinking "what the heck has he bought, a hang glider?"

















































close. A kite. A very large kite.

So, the name of the sport is Snowkite, a very close relative to kitesurfing, only the water is in solid form!

Today I got my first touch to the sport as a few newly acquired friends on another forum offered to help me to get started:



As I was walking to the spot they had their HQ I already saw three kites circling around the lake and at that time the drool drip was up to my knees...


That`s my "rag" all "wired up" for the first time, a 2007 Best Kites Bularoo 13 (the number meaning 13 square meters in size) Ain`t the color just soooooo pretty!




"Immu", a complete stranger to me until today about to flip the kite for the first time to test fly it. For reference, the lines to the kite are 25 meters long and the guy with the skis is approx 10 meters further from the kite, so it`s pretty dang large...

It went straight up and looked pretty stable. After a while the guy told me I had no business on the horns today, I was like WTF, I walked here for nothing? Until he showed me why: A quick steer from the bar, the kite did a "loop" turn gathering force from the pretty high wind, and after two seconds the guy was not only 15 meters further, he was at least 5-7 meters in the air! That got me convinced "maybe not today" cause I`d NOT care to replicate that cause my landing`s not gonna end up feet first...

So, I kindly folded the kite up, put it back in the backpack and decided to take some photos of the maestro in the work:


Sum little bunny hopping...


...which doesn`t work out even for the experts if a strong gust yanks the kite at landing...


...Just cruzin`...


A`ight, `ts getting dark, let`s wrap this up and go grab some pints!

Regardles of the fact that I didn`t get to "drive" yet today, I had a very good time! One could say I`m already hooked to the sport even though I didn`t get to hook to the kite. I`ve already booked a beginners boot camp reservation for sunday next week if only the weather allows it!

Can`t wait, that looks sooooo cool...




Prices:

Board, bag, bindings, helmet, glasses 400 EUR
Boots approx 80 EUR
Used kite, line set, harness 450 EUR
Beginner boot camp course one day 240 EUR

Total 1170 EUR.

Sheesh, that`d bought me another bike... Then again I already have one good one, and I`ve always wanted to do this... Plus no gas, no insurance, no taxes, zero emissions etc...

 

That looks like it would be a hoot Mattson!

Don't end up flying and breaking bones.

Cheers, SB

 

That`s exactly why I decided to listen to the man and not try today, the guy teaching me next sunday is a Finnish pioneer of the sport and most probably the most qualified teacher in the whole country. And if the wind is too strong for my kite, he has smaller ones I can learn with. Really would like to start the learning straight up with my own kite so I`d know better what it does the first time I`m going alone. The season for sports on ice is quickly nearing the end, estimating about one month tops of ice thickness capable of safely carrying a person. My birthday`s on march 29:th and that could be considered the very last to even thinking about going on lake ice as the motorcycle season is slowly starting around there, varying a bit by the year...

 

For anyone who`s interested, here`s a 2h video about How to snowkite- on Vimeo

 

 

well, if you can't ride, that sounds like a great alternative

 

Whaaaat! That kite`s ***n HUGE! AND it carries a whole sled! Must cost a fortune!

Looks just plain stupid to me, why not just straight up ride off a cliff, ONE string goes *ping* and you freefall face first with the sled!

 

those motorized karts with kites on them are really popular near me. they're flying most days over the beach and water.... that seems kind of dangerous to me... especially when they intentionally dive and see how close they can get to the water before pulling up

 

Next is a flying cbr

 

Well, that`s a bit different in the way that although you CAN, for small distances, flying with the kites isn`t exactly the main point. It`s more of a sail than a parachute.