Impressed today by some foils..

[kitester]

I cant speak for the snowkite crowd since I live in Fl. but we do land board here a lot. We use the same kites on water. One of the guys who is very good on the land has an 8.5 Blade III. That kite rocks! He is getting 8 foot jumps in 10 to 12 mph wind. If it gets any higher he takes it to the water and will use it up to about 16 mph. The jumps are long and floaty and the landings are soft (most of the time). In less than 6mph its just not enough to get him excited but the kite will still get you going at a nice clip and up-wind runs are sooooo easy. I know that snow and ice are way more slipery but it should be a good kite for the cold stuff too. By the way jumping ability has more to do with the speed of the kite and the speed of the rider. Slow kites just dont go as high as fast ones but they may go as far. I was out on my Airush Lift 18 yesterday and my all terrain board. In about 8 mph of wind from a dead stop I was making a 20 ft run and pulling the kite back for 4 foot high 15 foot long jumps. Thats not too bad for a short run. The kite has so much speed it will rip across the power in light wind and produce enough lift to get you off the ground with out a problem. For a foil the Blade III is fast so you can get the same effect.

[chicagokitesurfer]

I've flown several brands of foils, s and G-arcs and 4 brands of LEI on snow and I can tell you its all about rider skill. Actually, I think 2 line foils pull more downwind than LEI or ARCs so its easier to go upwind on a 4 line kite like an ARC or LEI. But they can all be ridden upwind.

If you're riding in thin snow, you have to pay attention to the edge. In deep powder, its just like on water, lean on the rear foot and go upwind.

V
Chicago Kitesurfing
http://www.chicagokitesurfing.com