Hi
I am a windsurfer and I am considering snow kiting. For the moment, I want to make do with the least possible investment by using what I have : cross country skis with cross-country bindings ( Salomon Atomic skis , with metal edges ), cross country boots , my windsurfing seat harness, a biking helmet and good winter wear ( I am in Canada!). I only have to buy the wing.( which is not the least expensive part!) ..
Here are my questions:
1. Can I use cross country boots and bindings, or do I have to use the ones for downhill, which block the entire foot?
I hear that downhill bindings and boots are more efficient when moving on the snow and also that they may prevent twisting or breaking the ankle in case you fall forwards and the cross country binding doesn’t t release the front of the foot ( This is what happened to me when I was younger, while skiing on a glacier in Italy, but I had adjusted the release mechanism incorrectly..)
I am sure that it is easier to control the skis with downhill boots/bindings, but I am not too sure that they are safer, because if the fall forward is hard enough, then the ankle or foot may well be protected, but then the leg or the knee ligament may go, whichever is the weaker point, which is not better and probably worse .....
In fact, rarely, if at all, before the appearance on the market of state-of-the –art downhill bindings and boots in the 40’s and 50’s , replacing the traditional “Flintstones” equipment used until then by generations of skiers, would people break anything on this old stuff, even when shooting down on Mount Blanc…from Courmayeur, Italy to Chamonix, France , like my mother did more than once, which is some descent!.
So, using downhill binding when blown ( or pulled) by the wind may have a downside, too…… I am in a catch 22 situation. Can I keep the cross country bindings?
2. Size of the kite: as a beginner, I’ll certainly heed the advice of not using too big a kite.It depends on what small and big mean, though..
I weigh 180 lbs, I’ll be skiing on flat land or a frozen lake. Usually on this lake winds are weak to moderate in summer. They should pick up in winter. How much, I don’t know, but I won’t certainly ski if they are more than 15 knts, below 20 knts anyway, at least for now.
What size do you suggest? I have seen a good deal for a 3.5 m2 foil,( open cell,) kite but I wonder if it is not too small. I have seen somebody on a video who couldn’t do more than being dragged on his rear across the field even though others around him were flying.. It might have been because the kite was too small..
I’d appreciate your comments
Thanks
Ittiandro