windrider1 wrote: I wouldn't recomment an LEI on land too much to deal with especially the pumping up , launching and landing in the cold ull be the last one to set up and pack down.
With the new high inflation valves and the wonderful WMFG pump I'd say thats not true in the slightest. Their is no logistical advantages of a foil kite over a tube on snow. There are some cases where deep back country and long winded adventure snowkiting would pose some slight advantages but for the 99% of snowkiters a tube is just fine.
Setup and take down is even sometimes longer on a foil. One bad take off or bowtie is a 20-30 minute exercise. In strong winds getting them reeled in can be daunting and sometimes can make a mess out of lines and bridles taking time to sort it out later. (not typical but does happen.) Not to mention center line twists that prematurely wear lines out if there isn't a swivel.
I've also flown in super cold temperatures and never had a problem with regular valves splitting or cracking however the cold can make you rush and be harder on things then when its more temperate I believe the new high inflation valves eliminated this issue. (just don't cross thread which is actually hard to do)
You can leave the lines attached on a tube making one trip to hook up. Landing is a cinch with a quality 100% depower bar (no minifiths) They also have reverse launch capability on snow. They don't bowtie which can make your trips in the deep snow very exhausting. I've seen as many as 3-4 trips in deep snow on a bowtie and can usually take 2 people to sort out especially if the wind is decent.
The only caveat is that if your not a self sufficient kiter that doesn't get out much or have the skills to solo kite with a tube then by all means a foil is a good start for snowkiting. You will discover some quirks that are unique to foils like, the bowtie, the leaf falling out of the sky with violent reinflation (gusty conditions usually) and inverts wingtip collapse some of which can also happen on a tube but if actively piloting is much more drastically reduced (eg inverts and reinflation)
Cost wise unless you go for a closed cell foil which tends to be on the pricy side of things if you buy right the cost is similar or the same. I would look to the used market to see if foils are the right fit.
Foils can be fun just as tubes are and yes years ago foils were the go to snowmachine but things have changed and the playing field is now even between the two types of kites and has been for many years now. Pilot experience and innovation on the last 5-6 years of tubes have eliminated the hard to die myth that foils are for snow and tubes are for water.
I would only consider Ozone, Flysurfer, and some exotics like elf (sorry havent seen them in the US) I believe hq has problably improved, but some of the earlier models where complete trash with weird setups (too many knot settings and a backstalling non tuned kite. They are certainly affordable tho. If this isn't the case anymore I apologize as I gave up on foils long ago, but still enjoy flying with those that do and watching some of the follies that drove me away from them
Regardless of what you choose snowkiting is awesome and your gonna have the time of your life staying away from the crowded downhill resorts if you live near one. There is nothing like climbing a hill or mountain faster then you can ski down one.