Power Kite Forum

Snow Skis on a buggy?

garydog - 10-12-2010 at 11:04 AM

How do straight snow skis on a buggy work. Our lakes are frozen but with very little snow. After a little Utube search I see some that look like they work ok on the ice.

Anybody try it? Our thrift store has tons of skis that they will give away.

Thanks Dan

ripsessionkites - 10-12-2010 at 11:08 AM

Coolbreeze chopped up 2 used snowboards for his buggy. i have no further details at this moment.

i will see him on the weekend for some snowkiting and provide you with some more details than.

PL use to have a snow kit, I believe Mark and Ziggy have a set.

rocfighter - 10-12-2010 at 05:33 PM

I was thinking Skiis from a Snow mobile. One strapped to each rear weel and one on the front?

Bladerunner - 10-12-2010 at 06:00 PM

From the little I have seen and heard this is a real hit and miss thing.

You need the perfect snow conditions . It takes a LOT of power and turning seems to end up an issue as well. This that and the other thing seemed to work against Coolbreeze the one time I was with him. He made blades for ice ! That's the way to go ! :evil:

Wolfee just went at it with barrows and had a hoot ! Maybe simple is better ?????/

snowspider - 12-12-2010 at 08:54 PM

The advantage of skis is when your lakes have variety of snow cover and rough ice conditions through-out the winter.
If your lakes are blown clean with fairly smooth hard ice most of the time you'll want blades.
Tires , smooth , knobby , or studded will work in just about anything but slick smooth ice or deep heavy snow. The right tire is absolutely the least expensive fastest route to winter riding.
The problem with downhill skis on a buggy is , most simple setups have no way to get an edge into the surface you're on. You have to hollow grind it or somehow lay it up on edge , or place a sharp keel down the middle , otherwise it behaves like a flat board and just shimies and slides any which way its pulled. There are also other issues that come into play when trying to ride a plank or planks while sitting down. Have fun go fast!

rocfighter - 13-12-2010 at 02:43 PM

The sharp keel is why I'm leaning to snowmobile skiis. They have a runner under them with carbide edges on them. Good sharp tips to hold a corner on the ice.

snowspider - 13-12-2010 at 07:36 PM

roc before you mount any more iron on that beast wait to see how kiteguru's rig does in 4"-6" of dense snow. If it handles that much or more its a golden setup if not you could just put a hand full of hex head screws in those knobbies and have at it.

kteguru - 13-12-2010 at 09:43 PM

Here you go Roc. http://www.powerkiteforum.com/viewthread.php?tid=15746&p...

Pics are part way down. They work great in the snow and ice. The deepest snow I've had them in was around 6 inches and they worked flawlessly. Around here snow on the lakes doesn't get super deep because it eventually just blows off. I suppose if you ride in an area that generally has several feet of snow I'd just use a snowboard or ski's.

Good winds

rocfighter - 14-12-2010 at 07:21 PM

I like the bungy type line on the front. I was thinking some over engineered spring type of thing!!
Did you make the blades or have them made?
They do look very well made and close to what I was thinking. But I was not set on my mounting style yet.

kiteetik - 14-12-2010 at 07:51 PM

iv'e got skis on my buggy and a skate for the front wheel--works great--its a beast on the ice--i sold it to my sisters boyfriend with the caveat that he lets me use it whenever we kite.......