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Back to Back Days in the Beartooths

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Noahpz
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Style: Big mtn snowkiting w/ lots of freestyle
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Location: Bozeman, Montana
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Back to Back Days in the Beartooths

Postby Noahpz » Sun Jun 14, 2020 5:33 am

The Beartooth Mountains offer a unique opportunity every May and June: Access! As the Beartooth Highway is plowed and groomed for summer tourists, snowkite access becomes very easy. The Beartooth Highway offers park-n-ride snowkiting in the biggest alpine plateau in the USA.

My access from Bozeman to the Beartooths is through nearby Yellowstone National Park. Driving though the Park is always fun: Animals everywhere!

Ascending to the Beartooth Plateau, I arrive at the switchbacks, just below the Beartooth Highway’s west summit. Here, I was greeted with fast, carvable snow, smooth 15-20 mph wind, and a feeling of remote isolation high in the northern Rockies. Both days I flew my 13m Ozone Kites Hyperlink V2 and enjoyed a freedom that resonates deep within every kiter’s soul.

Making lap after lap in the fast snow, boosting silky smooth weight-less flights, carving countless slow-mo turns down the line, could the feeling be any better?

Lots of melting has taken place in the two weeks since I was last here and all of the snowfields are considerably smaller or have melted out completely to alpine tundra. The wildflowers are beginning to pop.

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#ozonekites #smithoptics #voilemfg #mysteryranch #snowkiting #snowkite
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jakemoore
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Re: Back to Back Days in the Beartooths

Postby jakemoore » Sun Jun 14, 2020 6:09 pm

I'm sitting here in South Texas and my air conditioner has gone out. I'm still waiting on a quote to replace it. Its so hot I have no choice but to sit up every hour at night and exclaim "Boy! I'm so sweaty!" These photos of snow kiting might just be my only reprieve from the heat. Do you get reliable winds for snow kite May June? I've tried a few times to hook up a snow kite trip but have been reliably skunked.

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Noahpz
Very Frequent Poster
Posts: 564
Joined: Fri May 28, 2004 6:14 am
Style: Big mtn snowkiting w/ lots of freestyle
Gear: Ozone Hyperlink V3 - 7,9,11,13. Ozone Chrono EXP 15m.
Brand Affiliation: Ozone
Location: Bozeman, Montana
Has thanked: 0
Been thanked: 7 times

Re: Back to Back Days in the Beartooths

Postby Noahpz » Mon Jun 15, 2020 6:17 am

"Skunked" is not part of my vocabulary. Sure, there are periods of high pressure that shut down the zonal W-E winter wind flow. For those periods we have a spot: https://ozonekites.com/pl/news/article/ ... ot-springs. But for May and June, kiting becomes tactical. I'm looking for freezing nights, and W, SW + access.


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