Canadian kite skiing

[KITENEWF]

Somehow St. John's was "Spared" the amount of snow that the rest of the area got- all we got was lots of rain. Still lots of ice on the ponds though so its still possible to get out. Man last year we had over 600 cm and this year its not even 100 cm. Oh well, maybe we'll get dumped on again in the next few days so I can work off this gut.
Cheers, Brad

[tazzpowerup]

What kites are all you guys using on the snow?
Tazz

[lemur]

Im flying....2 and 3 m Concept Air Firsts - used both a couple of times in HONKIN wind on skis..

5.5 open cell Freestyle and 7.3 closed cell New Wave....also Concept Airs

Most used this winter is a Viokite 4/5 m VR model..these kites have a zipper around the center cell(s) which allows them to expandcontract like luggage..pleasantly surprised with performance of these kites..I also have a Viokite Proteus 8.8/11 but I think Ill wait for water to soften before I take out in any kind of wind...Im only 60(ish) kgs...My 4.2 cquad is collecting dust this winter..

I have been teaching myself snowboard this winter .... I can now say I am officially a Kite snowboarder....upwind NO PROB...small jumps when I get timing right ...one indadvertent megga jump which I landed soft enough but was so freaked out I stopped dead and sat down...lol...CANT WAIT FOR MORE SNOW...Here in Fredericton all the snow has blown off the river..we missed last SEVERAL storms you guys got...Day 2 here of free time but NO WIND...grrr

Later
Rob

[KITENEWF]

Ahh, the East Coast! Got some more snow on Friday which made for epic conditions on Saturday- Warm (-2), sunny with steady 15 knots and fairly shallow but nice snow on the pond.
Started off with 840 Arc then switched to 630 as wind picked up. The 630 is wedged and turns really quickly making jumps oh so easy. On skiis, in fact it is actually easier to do one handed launches as you can really weight against the pull of the kite just before you're pulled off the snow. Just remember to get your front hand back on the bar to guide the kite forward again or you don't land the way you want.
Wind was gusting to 30 knots today so gave it a big miss as any mistake would put me on the Trans Canada Highway!

[KiteSmurfer]

Hey Guys, I'm in St. Johns NF, and kite with Brad. I use a 9.5 FS Titan, a G18 when the wind is light or theres lots of powder and a G10. As i'm writting this, there is a blizzard outside adding to the 10cm of snow we had last night - guess i'll be out kiting then....

As far as kite info goes for newer guys:-

I get kites that i can use on both land and water well - foils. saves me money. For anyone new to kiting i would always reccomend an arc as there safe (stability wise) and, with practice, relauch farily well on the water. also 2nd hand thier pretty cheap.

Compared to the Arc's my titan is sooooo easy to use on the snow. I can launch with the board on my feet and off i go. Its quicker to set up than my arc's and cost's a whole load more - unfortunatly. Once i've fixed some problems with my G10, that will we an awesome kite for high winds.

Glad to hear of some other kiters here in Adlantic ca.

regards

Chris

[rudeboysaude]

I agree that foils are the versaile way to go. That's all I have too. Like Lemur said the Viokites are pretty sweet kites. I have their VR8 and used that as my main snowkite this winter. For begginers it rocks cause it's easy to use and has great safety features. On light wind days I busted out the big frenzy. You can't beat foils for ease of setup. If you kite solo it's the only way to go. The guy I got my Viokite from lives in Canada so you all should definatly check him out and test drive one.

[Frozen]

Hi everybody!

Greetings from Labrador. Saw some guys on the St Lawrence, Quebec City kiteskiing and knew it was for me.

Am considering making a kite from a plan in a book by a Dutch guy.

A 5.5 metre Ram air. Will probably use spinnaker cloth. Anyone else tried making one?

Brad, I'm an old windsurfing buddy of Dan's. I am thinking that you must be the same Brad he mentioned. I spoke with him awhile back and then lost his email address when my computer crashed.

Hope to connect in St. John's on my next trip in.

[tazzpowerup]

Well I'm going to try and find enough snow to kiteski on this weekend,
if not I guess I'll have to grease up the kitebuggy wheels & get out for a run.
Do any of you guys use the buggy for the inbetween seasons & light wind days in the summer when you can't surf.
The buggy can be quite exciting when your going 70km or faster.
Also great for tricks, jumps & spins.
Tazz