by windzup » Tue Oct 23, 2007 11:48 am
Start from where you are at..you can use any gear and have fun snowkiting. Use the gear you already have before spending more.
Depending on how often you kite and where you want to go with snowkiting will determine your next kite purchase.
There is a reason that kite manufacturers have developed dedicated Snowkites, and that is to make the snowkiting experience as safe and easy as possible.
While both inflatable and Foil kites can be used as snowkites, the dedicated foils open up the backcountry and truly shine as mountain kites.
Inflatables take more rigging time to inflate, where a foil is launched within 60 seconds. If the wind dies, you can simply pack up your foil Snowkite and re-launch at anytime when the wind picks back up. If you come to a patch of trees, you can roll up a lightweight foil Snowkite and portage thru, easily relaunching by yourself on the other side, ready to explore more of the mountain.
To go far from the car with an inflatable means you should carry a large cumbersome pump (also extra weight on your back) and you'll need to be prepared to spend 10-30 minutes rigging each time you set up the inflatable.
In early season conditions, or any time really, you need to be careful with inflatables near bushes, rocks or even ice, as the inflatable tubes can be damaged or punctured. Foils are far more durable and last years longer, making the investment well worth it.
Inflatables are great if you can only afford one kite and you need it for both seasons. But kiting is about opening boundaries, not limiting them....so buy as many kites as you can get your hands on..you'll never be disappointed.
You are lucky to be in Utah as this is becoming the epicenter for Snowkiting growth and you'll have the opportunity to fly and test the latest Snowkite gear. Even the future gear, as Ozone designer Rob Whittall spends most of his winter in the Utah backcountry developing the next generation of Snowkites...so us Utahn's are actually even more lucky as we have kites designed for our own local conditions.
Windzup