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How many snowkiters are in North America?

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B-Roc
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Re: How many snowkiters are in North America?

Postby B-Roc » Tue Nov 26, 2013 6:21 pm

72.57% of all statistics are made up on the spot. With that in mind...
....if 49.681% of all power kiters have tried snow kiting at least once...
... get out the pencil...
...do some quick math here....
....carry the one...
... Yup, looks like 42 is the number :wink:

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Re: How many snowkiters are in North America?

Postby edt » Tue Nov 26, 2013 7:14 pm

knewschool wrote:200 in South Ontario
100 in Utah....

I know there's some in Michigan, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Washington, Oregon, South Dakota, Idaho, Montana, AK...East Coast, Tahoe area...
There's a lot more than 200 if you count people who do it exactly once.

I remember going out to Whitmore lake last March, and much to my surprise I found 3 different snow kiters, went up and talked to them, one of them was kiting for the first time getting dragged around, another one was a 10 year kiter and lived on the lake but only kited there once a year, and another guy was a semi regular but he only kites about 3 times a year.

200 is the amount of regulars, but if you count absolutely everyone it would be closer to 500.

I estimate there are about 200,000 kiters in north america and of those 75,000 snow kited at least once and 20,000 at least once a year. Even in Michigan which likes hockey more than basketball there are a lot more water kiters than snow kiters.

10,000 snowkiters in north america would be an order of magnitude guess. 100,000 seems too high and 1,000 seems to low, I don't think you can narrow it down any more than that.

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Re: How many snowkiters are in North America?

Postby Hardwater Kiter » Wed Nov 27, 2013 2:38 am

We have to quantify "snowkiter". Like anything, there are people that kite and get out on the snow/ice once in a while and there are what I would define as a snowkiter. Like skiers. If you get out once or twice a winter and can schuss down a blue square with confidence, does it make you a "Skier"? As opposed to the folks who work for nothing in ski shops and on the hills for priveledges, logging 120 days a season?

I consider myself a snowkiter. I don't ride water or dirt and I average about 1200 miles on the kite a season in the snow. If I got out on the water a few times in the warmer months I'd be psyched but I wouldn't call myself a kite surfer. I wouldn't even say that I "Kite surf". Once or twice a year just makes me a dabbler. :D

Not that there's anything wrong with being a dabbler. Most of us are dabblers of some sort or another and you usually have to dabble before you go full bore.

If we're speaking in terms of die hard snowkiters I bet 42 isnt far off. :thumb: Nah, there's more than that but we all seem to be scattered in our own little groups all over the place. I think many of us as a kiting genre are more solitary than other kite powered groups. Not that we're anti-social really, just focused on doing our own thing I think.

It's an interesting question.

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Re: How many snowkiters are in North America?

Postby knewschool » Wed Nov 27, 2013 3:02 am

Ok I will quantify what a snowkiter is. I am considering anyone a snowkiter who is enthusiastic about snowkiting, and kites more than 10 times a season on a frozen surface. Ownership of snow specific kites makes you a snowkiter. Anyone who stops kitesurfing for more than 3 months of time and rides on a frozen surface for that period. Anyone who owns the complete snowkite equipment kit. Ice skates, and sharp skis on frozen lakes count. I know that it is rare for there to be a snowkiter who does not kitesurf and you can certainly be both. How's that sound?

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Re: How many snowkiters are in North America?

Postby Bigdog » Wed Nov 27, 2013 4:18 am

I bet the number for Ontario is more like 1000. We have 50 here in kingston area alone. Anyone who water kites does it on snow if its out there back door. Numbers aside I have some days in powder that are at the top of my all time list.

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Re: How many snowkiters are in North America?

Postby metivir » Wed Nov 27, 2013 3:58 pm

I know of at least one other here in the Adirondacks, so 44 is the correct #

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Re: How many snowkiters are in North America?

Postby william_rx7 » Thu Nov 28, 2013 12:23 am

I am considering anyone a snowkiter who is enthusiastic about snowkiting, and kites more than 10 times a season on a frozen surface. ... How's that sound?
Hmmm, 10 times sounds like a pretty high threshold, especially around the Great Lakes, where the season only lasts 12 weeks (mid-December through mid-March) on frozen lakes. If you're only riding on weekends, that's 24 possible days / season, throw out half the weekends for bad wind / surface conditions and even the most hard-core weekend warrior could at best get in 6 weekends of riding (12 sessions). After a year or two of that, you get bored waiting, and realize that you need other activities.

I think a more meaningful number is # currently active snow kiters, those that log more than 1 or 2 sessions / year, and have ridden in the last year on ice / snow any type of equipment (skis, skates, sleds).

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Re: How many snowkiters are in North America?

Postby knewschool » Thu Nov 28, 2013 8:06 am

10 sessions a year is an extreme minimum in my opinion. Perhaps none of you are snowkiters up there in Ontario. And bored of waiting? Why are you waiting? Are you talking about bad forecasting or something? Sounds like you're ice fishing.

I just counted and there's 42 snowkiters in Wyoming.

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Re: How many snowkiters are in North America?

Postby william_rx7 » Thu Nov 28, 2013 8:24 pm

Lack of access, ice conditions, snow conditions and wind conditions all stack up against you around here.

I need to pack up the truck and head west to kite some Targhee powder again.

42 snow kiters in Wyoming? Isn't that half the State?

Happy Turkey Day.

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Re: How many snowkiters are in North America?

Postby matthepp » Thu Nov 28, 2013 11:19 pm

I'd say that there might be a few dozen in SW Colorado (Gunny - Junction - 4 corners). I'm stoked that we've got plenty of good coverage now!


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