Snowkiting progression/gear question

plummet · **Posted:** Tue Nov 27, 2012 10:26 am

criznach wrote:

If you can kite decently on the water you'll have fun right away on the snow. A few different puzzles when you hit terrain but it's all fun. Just stay away from rocks and trees until you're up to speed.

I've been an avid foil guy on the snow for 7 years. The past two summers I've flown inflatables on the water and have reached a decent level. This winter I've had 2 days on snow and have not been very excited about the foils. I really wanted to pump up. One of those days was a gusty, whiteout 5m day, and surprisingly the convenience factor of the foil didn't cross my mind. The second day was a typical 10-12m day, and the difference was clear. I flew a 10m ozone Manta II for a few hours, then a 10m rally for 30 min. Totally different beast. Much more responsive, but slightly less powerful.

If you know how to kite, go with the inflatable. Any modern kite will flag out and have an effective safety, so I don't worry about that now that I'm comfortable. I could see the foils being more enjoyable if you're starting out. As a beginner you may not yet know the value of the time spent pumping. They turn slower, which is nice for learning spins and not getting jacked up by looping the kite accidentally. Boosts on a foil feel a little more floaty. Other than that, I may sell my last trusty foil and pump for the rest of the season.

hey bro.

try an ozone summit of you get a change. way more stable and alot faster than the manta. .... but still feels manta..ish.

its definately a viable option to leis.

john a · **Joined:** Fri Apr 08, 2011 7:57 am **Posts:** 348

japow wrote:

Oh perfect! Well, that makes life a lot cheaper then!

I have read a bit about valves freezing etc, any truth to that?

Do you think a 9.5 will have a decent range in powder? Anything you do differently set-up wise?

We kite every windy day all winter, and never ever any problem with the valves on the Best kites

They get harder, but never had any problem with them. 9,5 is a great allround kite and allround size. No the setup is just the same as on the water. I´ve bin instructing on that model on snow for years and as well as using it my self as well and works like a dream! No issues ever!
It´s the nr one snowkite in my mind, and I have quite a lot of days in the mountains. It such a easy going kite, a good low end, and such a big wind range, all are great in the mountains with changing conditions. (The wind change quicker up there) And even if you are way overpowered the kite is still gentle and does what it´s suppose to. So a predictable one perfect for sno! None of the top riders in Norway uses foils, you will that most of the kites you see in the mountains over here are actually the same that people use on water. You can just keep the kite you have and put on your snowboard, I would take the Kahoona over any kite anytime on snow!
Just practice self launch and self landing with it in low wind first - very very easy on that model! Just ask if you don´t know how to do that!
Enjoy the white gold!

Snowkiting progression/gear question

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