Low Wind Kite Suggestions

[tk]

At least half of our flying time takes place in 7-15mph winds. I have a 10m 05 Access that I'm using for these conditions, but I'm looking for a little more power. What I'm trying to decide is if I should go with a larger foil (ie Frenzy / Montana in a 12 or 14m) or switch to an ARC or even LEI.

I'm 225lb without gear, riding 50% tele, 50% AT on frozen lakes and hilly terrain. Just a beginner - I've just started to get reliable air.

Any recommendations on large foil vs. ARC vs. LEI? Any specific kite recommendations?

Thanks!

[sq225917]

a foil will give you more power per size than any lei, bow kites included.

[stiffingandshifting]

Yeah - You could probably take the ARC off the list now - There not known for there light wind performance

Maybe something like a Flysurfer speed...

[fernmanus]

The ultimate light wind kite for snowkiting is the FS Silver Arrow. I have tried it back to back with the Waroo 20M, Waroo 16M, 06 Frenzy 12M. The SA flies in less wind due to the lightweight (but strong) skytex fabric. This makes a big difference when riding in light, inconsistent mountain winds. Plus the SA generates more power than the kites listed above. The downside to the SA is that it is an expensive, limited-production kite. It also has less top end and does not do well in really gusty stuff, but for in light wind (7 - 15 mph) it rules.

[Airtime]

Well on hard pack snow in 7 to 15 mph I ran a 9m waroo and could boost high at 11 mph ... this was on skiies.. BTW .. I am 225 right now.. maybe less after a crap.. the 9 could develop so much apparent wind on snow because you can move it so quickly... and because it is so quick you can jump easily once you get good board speed happening

here is my rule of thumb

7 to 15 mph 9 or 12m waroo or flat kite or 16m C - on skiies hard pack if powered and snowboard its a little closer to water conditions 11 to 20 mph

personally for me I see no reason to use any flat kite larger then a 14m on snow..

I plan on using my waroo pro 11 for most of this winter .. but I still have my 06 waroo 14 for when I need some grunt to get through any powder conditions.

cheers

[J-Hole Michael]

I can't speak to many of the other kites except a 25 metre Naish of Gabe's I rode when the SKS tour came to Jackson in '04...

But the kite I ride in light wind is a 14 metre 05 Frenzy...

I have found the big frenzy to be almost frighteningly powerful.

there is a chort video clip of me on this kite at http://www.tetonkite.com/Videos.htm which show how well this kite lifts a 200 pound guys in no more than 10-12 knots.

A caveat though - for my own peace of mind. The 14 metre Frenzy is not something to attach yourself to lightly. This thing pulls like a waterski boat, or a small jet - depending on wind, and if the wind picks up, pulling the safety is not enough, you have to aggressively pull in one set of lines to kill the kite - it's just a lot of fabric out there.

But when the wind is light, more often than not, I find myself the only person still with my kite in the air, getting pulled, even if the thing turns a little slow...

Aloha,

m

[Tom183]

Speed2 15m? Not sure it will be available for another couple months though.

[fernmanus]

personally for me I see no reason to use any flat kite larger then a 14m on snow..

You may not need a larger kite than a 14M. If I was doing most of my riding on a frozen lake with hard pack and rarely a deep powder day, I too would go no larger than a 14M kite. However, if you are riding in deep powder and using the kite to glide off the side of a hill, then a larger kite makes good sense. Yesterday, I rode in 30" of powder. I actually wanted a size larger kite for the snow than what I would use on the water. I felt like a human snow plow.

A caveat though - for my own peace of mind. The 14 metre Frenzy is not something to attach yourself to lightly. This thing pulls like a waterski boat, or a small jet - depending on wind, and if the wind picks up, pulling the safety is not enough, you have to aggressively pull in one set of lines to kill the kite - it's just a lot of fabric out there.

But when the wind is light, more often than not, I find myself the only person still with my kite in the air, getting pulled, even if the thing turns a little slow...

The 14M Frenzy is a powerful kite, but it doesn't generate as much power as a 17M Silver Arrow. I had a 14M Frenzy last year - I liked it on light wind days, but I can tell you that the Silver Arrow will fly when the 14M Frenzy won't lift off the snow. Now if Ozone would build a 12 or 14M Frenzy with Skytex fabric, that would be one sweet kite. It would perform so much better in the light, inconsistent mountain wind than the current model.

[Patrickm86]

At 245lb I used my BFK 21m in super light winds. If the kite was in the air I was going up wind. Couldn't hold it down as much as water when the wind picked up. Hoping to use my 20m waroo this winter in the light stuff. (when is those things coming Simon?) Snowkiting in super light wind is so much easier than on water.

[fernmanus]

Patrick,

The 20M Waroo works great on the snow. It is easy to relaunch and has a lot of top end.