Snowkiting - Looking for advice on kite size

[OmahaPilot]

Hi - I've been kiting on the Atlantic coast for the last year but just moved to Omaha, Nebraska for work. I'm missing the easy access to water but winter is creeping in, and there should be lots of snowy, windswept fields soon - so I'd like to give snowkiting a try.

On the water I ride a 11m North Evo, and 15kts (17mph) is perfect for the kite (I'm 160lbs). If I take my kite out in the snow, what wind range should I look for, assuming no obstructions and 6 inches to a foot of snow? I'm concerned about getting overpowered and want to choose safe conditions - it sounds like it takes a lot less wind on land, but there aren't a lot of charts out there to reference.

If anyone here is familiar with mid-west snowkiting, what would be the ideal size for a foil for this area? Thanks!

[Matt V]

I am crossing my fingers again for a good winter here. I love Utah, but it's been done. Hopefully, I can kite around here in Omaha, or head up to the glacial escarpments of eastern South Dakota, south western Minnesota, or the Spirit Lake area in North central Iowa. The terrain almost rivals that of Skyline in Utah.

But we still have some water kiting left on Lake Manawa in Council Bluffs, IA that usually takes us into the first week of December. Drop me a line and I will get you acquainted with the launch. It is not self explanatory until you walk out onto the shallow flat and are told how the wind works. I can email you some maps too. If you are willing to drive a bit, Calamus Reservoir near Burwell, NE, and Lake McCounaughy near Ogalalla, NE, and Wilson Reservoir near Lucas, KS are our destination locations with good clean wind. Des Moines can work good too when the wind makes it that far east.


For foil kite size, you want it to complement the 11m EVO. And there is no reason to get a foil kite of the same size as your inflatable unless you intend to snowkite more than 30 days each winter.

There are lots of good foil kites and bad foil kites out there. So ask around before you pick one up. But I would suggest a large beginner friendly kite like the Ozone Access. If they made that model in a 14m, that would go great with the 11m Evo. But a 12m could be good too. The HQ Montana series after the VII (after the Montana v7) is a pretty beginner friendly kite. The Montana v7, 6, 5, and 4 were much more advanced kites and I prefer them to the Ozone "Frenzy" series. But they may be a bit much to handle for most terrain riding around here if you do not have a foil kite background. Be wary of the first gen Ozone "Summit". That is a bad kite. Another bad kite is the HQ "Apex", though it is the best trainer kite ever made in the 3m size - because it is so bad. The best kite I have ever flown is the Ozone "Chrono 2". It is a bit better than the HQ equivalent, but it does take lots of kite skill AND foilkite skill to get the most out of.

So go bigger than the 11m Evo for around here. But there lots of higher wind days. So you may want a smaller kite. I have a 6m Ozone access that gets me through the higher wind (usually too gusty to have a good time). It is as stable, or more stable, than most inflatables of that size/power. So if you go for another foil kite, a 6m access would be ideal. But I usually reccomend you stick with inflatables in the smaller size if you need them for the water too.

For sizing you kite to the conditions (snowboard):

Hard pack 5-13mph - Use your biggest kite from 10m to 18m
Deep powder 8-18mph - Use your biggest kite from 10m to 18m - just like on the water
Hard pack 14-20mph - Use you next size down like a 6-12m - just a size shy of how you would size on the water
Deep powder 19-25mph - 6m-10m usually does it, just like on water.
Hard pack 21-25mph - 6m is the biggest you want to go
Over 25mph is not really conducive to kiteboarding on terrain with obstacles. It can be done with deep snow on a frozen open lake, but I do it just to be out there - and don't really have any fun.



Here are some vids from the Omaha area from years back.

https://vimeo.com/groups/229181/videos/86767953 - slush kiting
https://vimeo.com/groups/229181/videos/86101993 - thin snow at Lawrence Youngman park - where I learned terrain 8 years ago

[OmahaPilot]

Wow - thanks for the great advice, super helpful. I will drop you a line asap.

Cheers!

[Bill S.]

Hey man, welcome to the midwest!

I'm 165 lbs. and ride 11m 15-25 knots on water, and 10-15 knots on frozen lakes covered with snow. I mostly alpine ski in the winter but find a day or two to ride untracked fresh powder on local lakes or farm fields. A few inches of fresh on a hard surface is a blast!

[OmahaPilot]

Thanks Bill - that helps a lot. Looking forward to some good snow!