Hey guys, wondering if you could help me out.

I've never ridden a kite before. I've ridden a wakeboard, a snowboard, skis, grew up on skates and rollerblades, but never tried a kite.

Two quick questions;

1. Is there a beginner kite I could use for snowkiting and kiteboarding?

2. Do I need different harnesses/control systems for the two styles?

Thanks in advance,
-Mike

Hey Mike, Slingshot makes a great trainer kite and you can use the same kite to practice for both snow and water kiteboarding. You don't need a harness to practice with a trainer. You can find a Slingshot on ebay or Ikitesurf.com. Maybe on this website also.

-Scott

Hello Mike,

almost every kite brand out there have trainers kites, with few execptions. try to get something in your price range, it is just a trainer and you wont use much once you have spent couple of hours flying it, so look for something not to expensive and save the money for your first kite (the real deal)

Best Kiteboarding has a good trainer package for beginers, also Ocean Rodeo and i am sure many other brands too, again try to get the best deal, they are all kind of the same.

cheers
charley

but remember those are just trainer kites, you don't use them on water to kite nor those will really pull you on snowboard (of course don't use trainers in high wind)

(the 3m slingshot might be fun for starting on snowboard though as it is a big one for trainer)

those are just to learn about how to steer a kite

a big kite can hurt you if you don't know how to use it, it is always advised to start using big kites with a qualified instructor or someone who has been kiting for some time

don't try kiteboarding without proper training, just don't

after you learn almost any kite can do for both snowkiting and kiteboarding, but a foil kite would probably better for snowkiting (flysurfer makes ones that are good for both snow and water)

oh and not all foil kites will work on water

Seph!  if you know a big enough parking lot those skatesand roller - blades  will work well with any small trainer kiteuse big wheels,...skateboard longboardnot one of those childs toy boards(unless you plan to do an ollie kick flip w/ a kite in hand)ski-blades are super funwith small kites and shallow snow...4 meters foil is BIG on pavement

if i could learn all over again, i would have bought a 5M foil kite that i could use on the snow. i wasted money on some 1 or 2m trainer that i used a few hours and never again. the 5 will definitely pull you around, but it won't kill you unless you go out in nukin wind.
the other thing i would have done was take lessons. i've been surfing, snowboarding, and wakeboarding literally for 2 decades, and i thought that qualified me to not take lessons. i probably took 10 times longer to learn than i could have. i'm basing this on my wife - who has never ridden any board whatsoever. she took a weeklong camp in the carib and was going upwind shortly after. if you still must play with a 1M kite, do it with the lessons and save your dough for a kite that will have use down the road.

1. A kite combined for water and snow? And also beginner? There's one serious candidate for you which comes up into my mind: Flysurfer Pulse2. It's the frendliest kite of the Flysurferfamily, which are all made for both land and water...
(If you're interested: look at www.flysurfer.com)
2. You can use the same harnas on land as in the water.

Hey Mike, If I were you I'd get a 5 or 6m LEI (leading edge inflatable) kite. If you weigh 180 lbs then you'll use it on the snow at about 20 -25 knots. And in the water at 30 knots and up. You can use the same bar and harness on snow and water. I wouldn't bother with a "trainer kite". They're great to have on a beach if there are cute girls around who say they want to kite, but......ok maybe get a trainer kite....but you won't use it much yourself.
But I would find somebody who could help me. It may be a certified instructor, or maybe a friend, whichever works for you-but you will benefit from some help. You can learn a lot on the internet too. Try to focus on learning how not to kill yourself, that's my advice.

Thank you all for your help.

I'm going to see if I can find snow lessons here in Boston, MA. If not, I'll have to wait until the summer to hit the water.

I'll shoot for lessons first, then either after or during, purchase one of the kites y'all have suggested. Probably an LEI.

I'm 165#, my fiancee is closer to 120-130. Think a 5m would work well for both of us, water and snow?

Thanks again,
-Mike

Don't even think about gear until you can fly safely, learn to fly a kite first then once you have a little bit of knowledge consider your gear options.

Ask the locals what style of kite works for them, ask the instructor what they recommend, usually the brand you learnt on. Find out average wind conditions for your area to think about kite size, then start thinking about which actual model of kite to fly.

As a beginner, on snow, you want something tough, easy to repair, easy to relaunch, and above all easy to drop to the safety.

There are a million and one options out there, take your time and make the right choice.