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Snowkiting First Time

Forum for snow- and landkiters
League
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Joined: Wed Dec 14, 2011 6:53 pm
Local Beach: Ameland,
Bergen aan zee
Style: Chill, but speedy on boards.
Gear: Ozone Imp Quattro 3.5
Hq Jive,
Some small kites.
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Snowkiting First Time

Postby League » Wed Dec 14, 2011 7:36 pm

Hello,
In about three weeks i am going to the french alps.
I have been kiting for about 6 years now, and i just bought a new Ozone Imp Quattro 3.5M.
I am also an experienced snowboarder so that's not the problem.
As the Imp is a fixed bridle i was wondering if it was still safe to use it in the snow, and if it will pull me along for my first rides.
I have just bought a peter lynn 4 line powerkite bar with a harness quick release.
I will be attaching it to a standard climbing harness as it seems the same as the harnesses specific to snowkiting, and comfort isn't really necessary.
With this bit of kit, do you guys think its possible to do my first runs?
Cheers.

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john a
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Re: Snowkiting First Time

Postby john a » Wed Dec 14, 2011 8:37 pm

What? You have bin kiting for 6 years and buy a 3,5? Are you going out in more than 60knots? You will need a lot of wind to have fun on that one and very hard snow - and it´s probably never going to be fun anyway... On hard snow you´ll need less power than on water, but in deep powder or deep vet snow you´ll need more...
I would say leave it at home - when there´s enough wind for that kind of small kite the visibility is going to be very very bad and you´ll have problems seeing you´re kite.
And the same goes for harness - use your normal waist harness - works much better - you´ll get a better balance and a better pressure on the edge. We ONLY use waist harnesses even for courses.
And many of the shops that are specialized on snowkiting chose only to sell waist harnesses... A climbing harness really sucks on the snow - I had to use it for a little while due to an injury, and would discourage it strongly! You´ll have a lot more trouble to jump properly, and loose the free feel of the legs, and again loose some of the ability to put the pressure on the edge that is needed...
So my advice is take your normal gear for water - it will work much better! ;)

Good luck! Knowing how to kite on the water - it´s no problem just go for it and have fun! :)

snowspider
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Re: Snowkiting First Time

Postby snowspider » Thu Dec 15, 2011 3:39 pm

League if you are small and light weight you might be able to do a little kiting on hardpack snow. If you get on ice a small kite will often work but a board on ice is not much fun. For ice you could switch over to short skis which are lots of fun and very easy to learn. The kite you have is great for muscle memory and to get a feel for the power but in most cases it will need a lot of wind to pull you arround. Wear a helmet , hardwater hurts.

criznach
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Re: Snowkiting First Time

Postby criznach » Thu Dec 15, 2011 4:48 pm

Your climbing harness will work, but comfort will be a factor. It'll be comfortable for walking around, but probably not for any duration of kiting. And as you'll see from other threads on this site, waist vs seat harness is a matter of personal preference. I prefer seat.

League
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Posts: 2
Joined: Wed Dec 14, 2011 6:53 pm
Local Beach: Ameland,
Bergen aan zee
Style: Chill, but speedy on boards.
Gear: Ozone Imp Quattro 3.5
Hq Jive,
Some small kites.
Brand Affiliation: None
Has thanked: 0
Been thanked: 0

Re: Snowkiting First Time

Postby League » Thu Dec 15, 2011 6:00 pm

Thanks for the replies :-)
When I say I've been kiting for 6 years i meant really small stunt kites sorry. I am 14 years old and currently I can't really spend any money because I don't have any... The 3.5 is all I've got so I figure I could give it a shot. About the harness, the climbing one is all I've got as well.
I'll try a couple of runs, it probably won't work but I figured if I can fly board with it then why not snowkite with it?
Cheers

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john a
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Re: Snowkiting First Time

Postby john a » Thu Dec 15, 2011 7:17 pm

Anything will work, if that´s the biggest you´ve got then go for it! :) And lets hope you get some decent wind ;) Good luck!


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