Ozone Snowkite Masters at Skyline

[Windzup]

Northern MN still has plenty of coverage for snowkiting and winter could stick around for awhile in other parts of state as well. Anyone hoping to extend their Snowkiting season a little longer should look into a trip to Utah, where the terrain holds snow into May. There is a late season event coming up which is a huge Snowkiter rally, there is a press release below, which also gives a little info about Skyline, one of the countrys meccas for Snowkiting.

The OZONE SNOWKITE MASTERS hits Skyline March 18-20th 2005

The Event – A gathering of Snowkiters, including some of the sports leading athletes, for a Snowkiting Exhibition at North Americas premiere Snowkite location, Skyline Drive. Riders will showcase both the Freestyle potential of the sport and the Backcountry side with Freeriding expression sessions, X/C Tours and a Winduro race.

The Location – Skyline Drive sits above timberline at 9800 feet, atop the Wasatch Plateau. Snowkiters park at mile marker 14 on Utah Highway 31, where a 5-foot hike leads to miles of epic Snowkiting terrain. There are acres of open flats and hills of every angle and direction offering the perfect ride no matter what the wind.

The Challenge – This season Skyline will host the first ever Winduro kite race. This is an endurance challenge in an alpine environment pitting kiters against the terrain and wind conditions. Kiters will chase each other along a downwind course across the Skyline Drive ridge. The challenge is that if the wind fails or you choose a bad line, you must finish the race by kite or on foot.

The History – Skyline Drive was found 3 winters back while local Snowkiters Brian and Heather Schenck were scoping out new riding locations. From the first day, Skyline has proved to offer reliable winds, fresh snow and mind blowing terrain. The first rider to truly explore the mountain was Guillaume “Chasta” Chastagnol. On his first visit he led a group down the ridgeline miles further than anyone else had gone, and on the return repeatedly jumped across the road gapping two lanes of highway. Chasta was also the first to ascend Bosco’s hill and jump off, only to touch down at the base, opening eyes to the potential of Skyline Drive.

The Schedule – Friday will offer Freeriding with Chasta and the Ozone crew. Snowkite Clinics will be held on Saturday and Sunday, providing an opportunity for newcomers to experience the sport. The Races will be held during the best wind conditions. The Freeriding will be ongoing all day from 10 AM until Sunset. There will be a Bar-B-Que for lunch each day. Saturday night will be an après ski party at the Triangle Lounge in Mt. Pleasant, Utah.

Good Ideas – Skyline is an alpine environment and there are no facilities for miles. Bring warm clothes and extra water. Storms can come in quickly and whiteouts do occur, be prepared with proper gear including a compass or GPS. Skyline is not a friendly place to bring a dog, it is cold, there is a highway close by and nobody likes a dirty kite.

Contact – Ozone Kites USA is hosting this event with the help of Guillaume Chastagnol; please contact our office for more details or event specifics at 801-501-8300 http://www.ozonesnowkites.com or info@windzup.com. Local hotels has been arranged and rooms can be reserved through Windzup.

[Tighe]

Sounds like a great event. From all reports the location rocks as a snowkite destination.

Not that it really matters, but I think we beat you to the punch with our X-ing being the first endurance event. Your's will be the first in an alpine location which adds a whole new dimension. If it goes off anything like the X-ing, you'll have a lot of smiling faces and sore bodies.

I unfortunately won't be able to make it though hopefully you'll get some Sotans heading your way.

May the winds bless you and the event.

ride on

[scottchapman]

Here is a better link I got from a friend out there.

http://www.ukbinc.com/utah%20launch%20s ... irview.htm