chibern wrote: ↑Sat Feb 15, 2020 7:43 pm
Was thinking that I might bring my kites too - 14.5m Flite and 12m Prodigy good enough?
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Skyline and Strawberry River are pretty beginner-friendly. It's good to ask, once you get to the spot, other snowkiters about conditions and where to go and where not to go at each location. But you could do it yourself.
Definitely bring a trainer kite to let your wife familiarize herself with the wind direction and just getting acquainted with things at either strawberry River, or at the skyline parking lot. Both locations are easily doable for first timers, so long as you don't go out too far without skins or snowshoes.
Skyline is best if there's forecast for clear skies. If you have rented an SUV, you could even try to camp in the parking lot as there are vault toilets right there. It's also a shorter walk to set up your kite then pretty much any other beach I've been to. Just hop over the snowbank and that's where you set up, but it's also where a beginner should kite and master getting up wind, before moving off to the steeper terrain downwind.
Strawberry River is a decent spot to learn also. And it's very close to Park City. But I would go to Skyline over strawberry River, as Skyline has more consistent winds.
At both locations a 12m is great to get your feel for snowkiting on, but bigger kites rule in Utah, so you're 14.5 is going to be your "go to" kite once you get comfortable riding. But if you are on the heavier side AND on a snowboard instead of skis, you might want to consider bringing your 17 meter.
There are other locations to snowkite at in Utah, and at Strawberry Reservoir. Some of the those locations require at least basic snowkite skills. So stick to Strawberry River and Skyline to start out with.