Tether a kite on snow

[tautologies]

hi all, so what do you use to anchor your kite to the snow? I have seen a lot of different versions. One is to weigh down the canopy like you use sand on a beach. It seems that snow just does not have enough friction and that snow gets blown off quite fast. The second is to use the ski or snowboard to anchor one of the bridles. That works until you want to go and launch and need the skis. I was thinking of some kind of a snow anchor. It would have to be fast, pretty reliable, and easily removable.

Any thoughts?


Thx!

[edt]

Get into your bindings, jump or walk backwards a bit to tighten the lines, the kite will slip off the bag. to land, hit the QR and then put the kite under the bag after you grab it. Ice screws are expensive like $40+ but everyone here has one.

we are always on the frozen lakes. If you are out west in deep snow then just use the heavy bag and right before launch just put it halfway on, no ice screw needed because the snow is deep enough to help stop the kite.

[tautologies]

Ah that is pretty neat.
I was thinking of testing with a snow bollard or a deadman(?) kind of like a spade blade and push it into the snow in a nice location.
Do you guys mostly use a bag of stuff then to weigh the kite down? Certainly, snow alone just flew off. I've used my skis to anchor the bridle down, but once you remove the ski to go launch, the kite wants to go..

[B-Roc]

I fly ram air foils and depending on surface conditions, I use an ice screw, snow or small sand bags (zip lock bag size) but I've also seen people use frozen water bottles and a rebar like bar wrapped in a pool noodle and secured in place in an ice screw hole. That allows you to taco your kite around the pole but won't work so well with an inflatable.

If using an ice screw, I secure a carabiner to it on a 3' line that allows me to secure my bar/safety to the carabiner which is secured to the ice screw. That way I can lift the bar up and secure it to my harness while it is still technically anchored if things go wrong. Works great upon returning to camp too as I only need to pick up my carabiner, clip it onto my safety and then unclip from my harness and the kite is anchored and secured/flagged.

[edt]

Ah that is pretty neat.
I was thinking of testing with a snow bollard or a deadman(?) kind of like a spade blade and push it into the snow in a nice location.
Do you guys mostly use a bag of stuff then to weigh the kite down? Certainly, snow alone just flew off. I've used my skis to anchor the bridle down, but once you remove the ski to go launch, the kite wants to go..

Never use snow. I know a lot of instructors teach that, but if you see someone trying to weigh down their kite with snow turn on the gopro. It's gonna be a magnificent chase scene coming up when they run after the kite. I don't use a carabiner because we have so many ice fishers and they tend to pick up stuff if it's just clipped in. They say "I'm just cleaning up" if you catch them trying to make off with your stuff. They usually won't bother if it's knotted and screwed down with an ice screw instead of just clipped in with a carabiner.

[tautologies]

So one of the things I want to do is use the kite to pull me up mountains and then just ski back down. If the downhill part is decent I do not mind having to reinflate my kite to do it again. What I want is to be reasonably efficient on the packdown and I think I need an anchor for it.

[edt]

So one of the things I want to do is use the kite to pull me up mountains and then just ski back down. If the downhill part is decent I do not mind having to reinflate my kite to do it again. What I want is to be reasonably efficient on the packdown and I think I need an anchor for it.

Dude that's a foil kite. Don't be packing a pump. I like the soul the best out of all the foil kites, but there's a good arguement to be made for the peak 4 for this particular application because it packs down so small.

Foil kite!

Because you are starting at the bottom you can leave the bag there. Then just pack up when you get to the top. Foil kites are better about not getting blown away if you put snow on them because they lay flat if you descend the other side and need to relaunch from there.

The last thing you want in your pack is an anchor. You can do this without carrying around an anchor and pump in your backpack.

[Sceotend]

[tautologies]

Dude that's a foil kite. Don't be packing a pump. I like the soul the best out of all the foil kites, but there's a good arguement to be made for the peak 4 for this particular application because it packs down so small.

Foil kite!

Because you are starting at the bottom you can leave the bag there. Then just pack up when you get to the top. Foil kites are better about not getting blown away if you put snow on them because they lay flat if you descend the other side and need to relaunch from there.

The last thing you want in your pack is an anchor. You can do this without carrying around an anchor and pump in your backpack.

But but but..I like my boxer in the snow. Yeah I need to look at it.
If the ancho works as a shovel too it might be okay. For mountain traversing you have to have a shovel regardless (and other mountaineering gear). If it did double duty as an anchor that would be cool I think.
Yeah riding light is fun, but I can definitely see the appeal in going for distance.

[tomtom]

Sorry for english but just dig little "trench" like couple inches then put tip of kite into trench and put snow onto so it is flat with other snow. This way you eliminate lack of friction and blowing snow off kite