Need help with getting into ice kiting

[Brettk]

Hi
I live in Alberta Canada and am currently in the process of learning how to kitesurf. However now that it is winter I would like to be able to get out on the ice. The problem is i dont know what kind of board set-up I should be using. I would realy apreciate if some one could inform me about the possible ways to kite on ice.

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[BS-USA]

Brett K,

Kiting will be so huge in Canada some day. You are in the right geographic, that is for sure...Lots of frozen lakes etc, ehh..??? Same here in Minnesota. Land of 10,000 frozen lakes and a couple really nice big frozen lakes where we are having two kite events this year!! YaaHoo!! One will be a huge gathering to promote the sport and try new equipment and just ride and have fun. The other will be the first timed event in our state and that should be a riot!!

Well basically you would have a couple choices to get started...Alpine type skis or a snowboard. I would start with wherever your experience is. However, if you have already done some kitesurfing then going with a snowboard would probably feel more similar in riding style.

Choosing snowboards for kiting...he. Wish I had the perfect answer for that. We hear a lot about twin-tips being great for kiting etc. But you know if you can get your bindings to the center of the board, it should work for you. There aren't many boards on the market that will not work for kiting. It is kind of the ol'e 6 of one, and a half a dozen of the other if you know what I mean...Personally what matters most to me is this...

I think that a lot of hardcore snow kiters are going to find that having at least two board quiver will be the ticket. One for Pow and one for ice or packed type snow.


Good Luck and I hope all this jabber helps...

Shoot me an e-mail if you need any further assistance. I have lots of friends up in Canada that are kiting on the snow... jason@bs-usa.com

[toyletbowl]

brett,

seems to be that skis work better on ice than snowboards at least so far. add a couple of inches of snow and it's you're personal preference after that.

i'm a much better skier, so ride a pair of k2 twins (public enemy) or k2 Apache hellfires on ice. either way, you better be decent at edging whichever board of choice for ice.

you'll also want smaller kites on ice. larger on snow if you have a decent grippy base or deeper snow.

protection is also key. wear a helmet at all times. pad the elbow and knees and other areas if needed. dress cooler than you expect. once you get riding, you'll generate a lot of heat.

good luck

[Flyboy]

Hey Brett,

see my thread asking about snowboards.

I kite on a frozen lake & have always used skis. My impression from watching & talking to many other kiters is that those who are already into snowboarding will use snowboards & those into skiing will use skis. I have spoken to some guys who do both (whose opinion I respect), who say that in many conditions skis are definitely a better bet, even though many kiters stick with snowboards regardless of the conditions, because it's not cool to be on skis.

Winter kiting is VERY dependent on the snow/ice conditions. I think skis are more versatile & work much better in icy conditions (although in my experience, really cold, hard ice is not much fun on skis either), but in deeper snow (where your edge is not riding on the underlying ice) I'm guessing a snowboard would be more fun & more versatile for tricks & jumps.

Either way, you will find kiting on snow/ice much easier than on the water & it will help develop your kite-handling skills for the water.

[montanakitesports]

[Guest]

twin tip ski's are good, never tried a board even without a kite.
Have triad longdistance skates with slalom boots on them, that was stable and werry fast even in light winds.
speed kills but it's fun to the end