what size snowkite for my man??? please advise

[redhead71]

I want to buy him a kite for christmas and plan to purchase one in the next 2 weeks. He has been snowboarding for 6 years but has never done any kiting or wind sports before. We live in upstate NY (near Albany) with wind speeds approx(average) 8 - 11 MPH (miles per hour). He is 6'2" and about 200lbs. I want to purchase an Ozone little devil but unsure of the size??? I was thinking the 6.0 or 7.5, but really dont want to get the wrong one....

[Guest]

get the big one

[Toby]

yes, take the big one with these windspeeds and weight.
But it also depends on the surface: if you have ice, it could be much power,but in deep snow you need even bigger.

[Flyboy]

Hey Redhead - he is a lucky man!

It's not going to be possible to have one kite for all conditions. The winds in your area are going to vary widely & so different sized kites will be neccessary if you want to go out in a variety of conditions. If he hasn't kited before, a 6 or 7 meter kite is pretty big to learn with. I would suggest a kite around 3 meters like a Slingshot B3 or Air Rush to learn with - not expensive & this kite will still be useful in strong wind later. The bigger sizes could then be a 4 - 5, & a 6 - 9. If he will be mainly kiting on snow he will need bigger kites, if he will be kiting on ice or snow covered ice: smaller.

[redhead71]

flyboy, just got your reply, thanks for the info...and yes, he is lucky;) I am looking at the ozone little devil, they also have a 4.5M kite....I thought bigger because when I originally went to purchase what I thought was appropriate (B3 or B4)they told me a B5?? and for that $$, I picked another manufacturer, Ozone...for his size and height, I wanted something that wouldnt kill him but will also get him going on the snowboard. Hopefully can use it with mountainboarding in the spring...Last year we didnt get much snow, so mostly hardpack/ice....hopefully some 'real' snow this year....anyway, what do you think about the Ozone little devil 4.5M?

[Flyboy]

I am not familiar with the Ozone kites - looked on the internet & found them, but could not find a source in the US to check prices. Are they really much cheaper than Slingshot? In the long run, Slingshot might offer better service for you, being a US company.

As I explained to you, one kite will only work within a certain wind range. Winter Upstate NY will have all kinds of different conditions, requiring different sized kites. A 3 meter kite will be ideal to learn the basics of kiting & could still be used for traction in strong wind (25+). You could then add a couple of bigger kites for lighter winds once he has mastered kite flying. However, if you're only thinking of getting one kite right now, I think I would go with a 4.5 or a 5.0 - this would still be responsive enough to learn on in light wind (bigger kites get kind of slow & unresponsive) & should get your guy going in 10 to 20 mph which is kind of an average "windy day". (Again, it does depend a lot on how fast the ice/snow surface is). He could then get a bigger or smaller kite later if he's into it.

You can also find used kites on the internet - try iwindsurf.com.

Hope this helps.

[Badwind]

Ozone is handled in the US by Superfly Paragliding. (http://www.4superfly.com/)
I've known most of the staff for 10 years.
They're all top notch artists with integrity.
Ozone has dominated the paraglider market since they started up ~5 years ago. They are just releasing the Frenzy,which is the successor to the Little Devil. It is designed specifically for snowkiting. I haven't seen it yet, but I know they would not bring anything but the most killer design to the market. They're artists too!

[vesku]

Hi All!

Take 7.3m2 Frenzy from Ozone. He is a big boy already =) It is designed for kitesnowboarding. Very stable but good for jumps too. The safety system is one of the best in the foil markets. It comes with a control bar and is ready-to-fly. I have only seen prototypes but my own 9.5m2 Frenzy is coming in beginning of December. Little Devil is ok too, but not as "modern" snow kite as Frenzy.

http://www.flyozone.com/ozkites/kframe.htm

VESKU

[Guest]

What a strange question, It seems like anything is cheaper than the slingshot foils.

Are they really much cheaper than Slingshot?

[Guest]

When I started kiting, I bought the slingshot b3 Three meter foil because that was what the shop recomended for a beginner.

Trying to get going in 8-11 miles an hour with a three meter, 2 line kite is a joke. Even in 15 mph wind you'll have to sine the kite furiously in order to keep moving if there is any snow on the ice.

3 meter kites are good for learning to fy a kite but are not much fun for snowboarding unless the wind is blowing _at least_ 20 mph.

Get a cheap small trainer kite and go with a foil 5-7.5 meters for actual use. Last winter most of the time I used a 7.5 foil for snowboarding and a 5m foil for skiing. If he learns to fly the trainer kite and then only takes the 7.5 out in light wind conditions at first then it should be no problem. He will probably want a kite smaller than 7.5 for mountianboarding, though.

Trent