Kite skiing

[salbrecher]

I'm looking to get a kite for skiing this winter but know almost nothing about the sport. I'd like a really lightweight kite that would be practical to take on traverses to be used primarily for moving forward quickly and not for acrobatics. Anybody have a good lightweight setup they use in the mountains? Something that can maybe be used off a climbing harness. Any kites or kite manufactures you would recommend?

[G-spotter]

Fred T has one, ask him!

[builder206]

A long time ago I saw nwhikers.com video shot from a kite skier's helmet cam. It's a wild activity! It's almost as fast a way down as falling, with few of the negatives.

[hafilax]

There's a bit of a learning curve to it so most people start out with a little beginner kite to learn how fly one. Even those can pull you off your feet in a big gust. They're about 2.5m^2 and $180.

 

If you live in Vancouver the guys at Airtime on 4th near Alma can probably tell you everything you need to know.

[salbrecher]

Thanks hafilax, i'll try Airtime.

[Hugh Conway]

I've used a modified nasa parawing I made myself, based on instructions found here:

http://www.pawprince.com/pawprince/design/kites/construct/home.htm

 

The kites themselves were $50-$75 worth of materials, budget ~$80-$100 for a cheap two line bar.

[fear_and_greed]

I've got an Ozone Frenzy 12M. The Ferrari of snow kites

http://www.flyozone.com/snowkites/en/