I bought a few new toys recently with the money I made selling some gear on The Swap Shop. I’m still waiting for some to arrive, but I picked up this OZONE Access II Snow Kite from Hoback Sports and I’ve been itching to get it out for a test drive!
I broke my cherry snow kiting down in New Zealand with Andrew Mclean. We didn’t really use it for travel, but we did screw around with it on the Upper Tasman Glacier one afternoon. I know Andrew swears by the NASA type wings and he even has a “How to Build a Kite” page on PawPrince.com, but the opportunity to get this one at a good price came up, so I jumped on it. I know a few people who have also recently gotten some kites, so hopefully I can hook up with some folks on the same learning curve as me.
I’m starting with a 6 meter kite. I’ve heard it’s a good size for beginners and pretty good for windy days once you get the hang of it, so hopefully I can still use it as my skills progress. I’ve heard the stories of local snow-kiter Wayne, kiting up Twin Slides and Glory Bowl on Teton Pass last year, but for now, I’m hoping to get to the point where I can use it to cross Jackson Lake and access some of the peaks on it’s western shore. Someday it would be cool to be able to keep up with Wayne, but I’ll take baby steps for now.
I think the learning curve will be short or nonexistant for you Steve. Nice job on the purchase! I have two Ozone Acess kites as and they are smooooooth and powerful. I look at foil type kites (Ozone) as the equivilent of a jib on a sailboat and NASA wings as spinnakers. Both are useful and it totally depends on what you are doing and where you want to go. I like the NASA’s as I can carry 3-4 of them in a day touring pack and if it is windy up in the mountains (image kiting around the Lower Saddle), you can kite. If not, there’s not much of a weight penalty and you just go skiing.
I’m psyched to give it a try ATA! Maybe someday up in Baffin.
I went out yesterday…but there just wasn’t enough wind. I’m afraid I’ll launch off the ground with it…so I’m trying to start out in very light winds. Some people I know have said I’ll definitely want a bigger kite, so I’ll be dong some more shopping!
you should give me your# Island park will be ready soon! Its a good place to learn! my#413-3977 wayne
I like the website!
Hey Wayne!
I’m psyched to give it a go this year and it would be cool to get some pointers form you.
690-2716