Power Kite Forum

skis and snowboards, what do you use?

kitedelight - 4-3-2012 at 01:22 PM

Just curious what guys are riding, and what the ratio of ski to snowboards is. Lots of guys ride skis around here, seems skis outnumber snowboards at least 2:1 on an average day.

B-Roc - 4-3-2012 at 02:18 PM

I kite ski (because I have been on skis all my life) but I think kite snowboarding looks like more fun and I'd do that if it wasn't such a hassle to buy all the gear.

g00fba11 - 4-3-2012 at 02:23 PM

Where's the option for both????

erratic winds - 4-3-2012 at 02:33 PM

Gave up on skis after riding a board in powder once! Never looked back. I ride a k2 acess wide 156, for kite and resort. This summer I'm on the lookout for a libtech banana hammock for snowkite!

4mylifetime - 4-3-2012 at 03:01 PM

I have both, but it comes down simply to how much snow is on the lake. In Canada here where we are, there often is not too much snow on the lake and holding an edge with a snowboard is difficult. Skis hold the edge better. Lots of snow then a snow board is better. Was out today on skis, some on boards but then they came back in to change to skis.

Feyd - 4-3-2012 at 03:53 PM

Fast skis for ice days, Salomon Rockers for powder days.

stetson05 - 4-3-2012 at 04:09 PM

snowboard because I didn't have any time on either before and the snowboard seems more like KGB and kiteboarding. As it turned out for me it was a lot like kiteboarding and not so much like KGB. Sometimes I wish I has skis though for ease of movement when having two feet strapped to a board gets in the way.

Kamikuza - 4-3-2012 at 05:19 PM

Kiting or snow-play? I do both, about the same amount... and equally poorly :lol:

kitedelight - 4-3-2012 at 07:40 PM

Ya, was thinking for snowkiting.

good call Goofball, didn't expect people to be using both, but why not. Don't think I can change it now though.

I use a snowboard cause that's what I had prior to kiting, plus thought it would help with the water aspect...can't tell cause I didn't try skis and I haven't spend much time on the water anyway. :)

Powder days are great though, it's the hardpack days that I get thinking about trying skis one of these days.

Kober - 4-3-2012 at 07:45 PM

never try to ski ...... so not sure if snowboard is what I prefer ...... for now ... thats what I am using ....

shaggs2riches - 4-3-2012 at 07:55 PM

Lib tech skate banana 151cm. I do have set of sled dogs snowskates from the 90s that I'm wanting to have a go on hard packed one day. When I first tried mountainboarding, I felt awkward not strapped in solid, but now I feel restricted strapped tight to my snowboard. Swivel bases are in order for next year, since this season has been a write off

Feyd - 5-3-2012 at 05:12 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by shaggs2riches
When I first tried mountainboarding, I felt awkward not strapped in solid,


Ditto.

I need more time on it for sure.

Most snowkiters I know that ride a board are also water riders and its just the natural choice. I haven't tried riding on a board yet but I plan to. It must feel very natural and nice to be facing the wing. Even when i dabbled with the KGB this summer I noticed that it felt pretty good and I sucked at it.

kitedelight - 5-3-2012 at 03:02 PM

5:7 so far, interesting.
Not what I expected. Definitely not the ratio we see around here.

Tibi - 5-3-2012 at 05:15 PM

I did ski a while back. Picked up snowboarding a few years ago. The beginning was not fun, but now is great. Didn't have a chance to use it with a kite yet...

Kamikuza - 5-3-2012 at 05:16 PM

I like my short skis (Fischer WebXXL) on hard-park and the board in powder :)

jbt - 9-3-2012 at 09:27 AM

Start off and do what you are best at. In deep powder a board has more float but it you are not good on a board use powder skis.in hard pack I used old long straight gs skis. I am old so I have been skiing long before snowboards came out. so skis are easier for me. where I live there are a lot of people that board.They both have there advantage and disadvantages.If you are better on a board do that. later on you might want to do both.

Mainekite - 9-3-2012 at 10:26 AM

Depends on the snow cover, either or both

canuck - 9-3-2012 at 08:33 PM

Skis 'cause after 55 years on 'em I don't want to bust my ass (or anything else) learning to snowboard. Learning to landboard is enough punishment for my old body. ;)

You can ski on ice or anything else up to deep powder - I don't see any snowboard videos like Feyd's :thumbup::thumbup::thumbup:

crabnebula - 10-3-2012 at 05:30 PM

Im on mostly AT gear and snowboards. I like Drake binding and a cheap snowboard. Black Diamond treats me well on skis to I stick with the USA company.

I do have a pair of non BD skis (volkl mantra). All my skis area on Fritschi Freeride bindings.

I am now on a pair of wooden skiis made of Ash and coated in epoxy with no steel edge. the best feel so far to date.

Snow Kiting rocks

markite - 10-3-2012 at 11:50 PM

Well interesting question. Here in Ontario all of the long time kiters going way back to the early days of kite skiing over 20 yrs ago...probably over 25yrs ago...anyway all are on skis - once kiteboarding took off and early 2000's all the new people finding out they could use their LEIs in winter all use snowboards - years later it has a larger percentage of snowboarders but in recent years a small percentage have picked up skis just because you can never be sure of conditions having ice or snow. With all of the attitude - skis were seen as a not cool but a better mix now.
I use both - skis most of the time and then if we have a deeper powder i go for a snowboard.

kitedelight - 11-3-2012 at 10:29 PM

ahhh. few more votes are in, almost 50-50


"With all of the attitude - skis were seen as a not cool but a better mix now."

Seems to parallel a bit of a shift on the slopes too. But, whether it has an *actual* correlation is something different, it's interesting though. I've read that snowboard sales too a bit of a dip after 2005. Here is an article that says something similar
http://www.mailtribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/200902...
might have something to do with the freestyle ski movement, with the ski guys doing some pretty crazy tricks on the halfpipe and big air competitions.

Feyd - 21-3-2012 at 05:06 AM

I gotta try kiting on a snowboard. Skis will always be my preference but the board has to feel pretty cool.