Hi, i´m fairly new to powerkiting and i´m looking for a good power kite that fits my hobbies.

About me and my experience:

I live in Iceland and we have loads of open fields and plenty of beaches. You can almost always find wind close to where you live but it´s usually pretty turbulent.

I used to paraglide for about 2 years but I quit because i moved and sold the glider.

My friend has a 4 line trainer powerkite that we used to play with a few years ago (until he moved abroad).

During the winter I do a lot of cross country skiing. When I was young my father made a canopy out of parachuting material and tied it to a stick so it formed an old school powerkite. We could travel many kilometers at a time like that. So now i´m hoping i can use a power kite to do the same

I´m building my own buggy so during the summer i´m gonna be buggying around alot (maybe also during the winter).

Now to the questions. Do you think one kite can cover skiing and buggying? and what kind do you recommend for me? What kinda handles is the most common for buggying? Has anyone tried to use powerkite with xc-skiing? And can you use your buggy kite separately for jumping?

Sorry for all the questions but i´m eager to get into this sport asap

welcome. I think you can use one kite for both. I personally have never cross country skied. The trouble sometimes is having one kite for the wind range you have. Knowing that would help. I personally think a good depower will cover you the best but that isn't always the best place to start. You need to start with basic kite flying to build up skills and instincts but maybe you already have some of that from a few years ago. I would guess you need some recent practice. Someone will come along to give you more specific advice about individual kites.

I kited last year on telemark skis. The rationale was that it may be easier to learn with the added mobility. Also, easier to get back to point A if the wind died.:Ange09:

This year I will be trying alpine skis and some very short trick-type skis. I am looking forward to the interesting contrast of being able to switch back quickly and play on these skis a little more. With a little practice, maybe I'll work on getting a little air. Jumping with short skis seems like a much better idea that telemark skis. But what do I know.

As far as having one kite for both skiing and buggying and all wind conditions, I suggest you give up the idea and just assume you will be building up a nice quiver to choose from.:D Others can help you with more practical advice on this topic.

There's lots of information and some fabulous videos - google and youtube "Snowkiting" I do most of my buggying with Apex 2's (7.5m & 5m) which are often marketed as Snowkites - so yes, you can definitely use the same kite for both. My 5m Apex 2 (see here: Flying the Apex 2 5m ) gets me going in the buggy from 12 knots (I'm surprised at how little wind this kite gets me going) - it maybe less with skis and I start thinking about putting up a smaller kite when the wind hits 24 knots or so. Ozone Access XT's and Frenzy's are also widely used for both buggying and snowkiting. See if you can find the video "Third Dimension" by Rob Whittall (it was on an Ozone DVD a couple years ago) Fabulous video. You'll have a blast!

You know, I'm all about the fixed bridle and I don't have a whole lot of de-power kite experience (you can check out my de-power story in the ATB section). Also, I'm not a buggier, but I am a skier and snowboarder. This is what I suggest:

Even though your buddy had a kite that you learned to fly on, you should get a trainer of some sort that you can practice on. A HQ Beamer IV comes with handles, but can easily be converted to a bar.

Also, before you go out and blow a lot of cash on a depower kite, take a lesson so you know how to use it. That way you won't accidently destroy it and you will have the advantage of using a number of different styles so see what you really like.

My last bit of advice is try to find someone who has experience to take you under their wing. They will help you learn what you need to look for in a kite before you buy one.

Good luck and enjoy. Also, check your U2U I sent you some links to more advice.

-Mike

The variable wind range is what makes you end up buying more than one kite. (at least thats what I keep telling my wife)

I have to agree having just started into the sport last year that the de-power is a bit much to handle in the beginning. IMO a good medium sized fixed bridal (3-5m) like the Beamer would be a good place to start building your skills and could still be used with both the buggy and skis.

Good Luck!! I promise the guys on here will give you good advise!

forget the cross country ski's, you won't be able to hold an edge unless you just want to go downwind. Get at least a 6 to 10 meter depower foil depending on your weight to start, you can start with a smaller kite but you'll be watching instead of riding most of the time and thats no fun

For XC snowkiting it all depends on your equipment and snow conditions. Telemark and Alpine touring equipment works fine. The boots are stiffer, you can easily hold an edge, and skis are wider. Skate boots give better ankle support than Classic (kick and glide) boots - there is not much sidecut on any of the skis so you can track in a relatively straight line as you hold your edge against the pull of the kite. In deeper or heavy snow the narrow skis sink and make turning/reversing direction a challenge that I did not enjoy...

You can use one kite for both, but you will find you need a few kites so you don't get skunked in different wind and surface conditions. The more surface resistance your have (deep or heavy snow, uphill, soft sand) the bigger the kite for the same wind. If you have gusty winds, you might want a depower or an arc.

I'm 200lb and started on skis with a 5m open cell fixed bridle with handles in 10-25kph winds on a fairly flat surface with cold light snow..

Welcome to the party.
I have tried this with a 4m fix bridle foil and old style CCskiis. It hurt alot. They don't turn well. I have switched to 90cm snow blades. you can go foward or backward, turn as quick as you need light and easy to pack. Also very sharp edges so great on frozen lakes. The only disadvantage is they require ski boots. But you can do down hill with them as well

I want to echo the fact that you need to learn the ropes with a PROPER trainer kite. Your reality will be that you need 3 kites. A low wind kite. I GOOD mid sized kite and also I high wind kite. The proper trainer kite in about 3m range will fill the high wind role + be the perfect kite to learn on.

There is a 3.5m Beamer TSR on sale here that would work well ?

I suggest you get a 3m trainer as soon as possible. While perfecting your flying skills and waiting for snow you can think hard about that second step to a depower kite and what one will work best.

I think you can get a ride out of skinny skis but expect it will lead you to short twin tip skis ?

An option to look at if you simply want to assist travel on skis is the NPW kites. You can home make these and I bet they are similar to what your Dad made. No jumping with NPW's though ?

I think my first post on here was about XC skis and kites last winter - so i can share some of my experience.

If you are using skinny cross country skis and NNN bindings for track skiing you will struggle. However you are probably using backcountry or BXC versions of this stuff so let me guess, your ski's have metal edges & are wider than track and your boots have a plastic ankle stiffener?

If you answered yes you will find that with a mid size depower (10m depower foil/SLE or 12/13m Arc) and 10-15mph winds you can actually get on pretty well. you will end up holding an edge on only your inside ski when trying to cut up wind but you can hold it - even with NNN's. Stick to step turns as carving and telemarks are almost impossible with the kite.

When the wind picks up to 20mph and gets gusty I couldn't react quickly enough or hold an edge... doesnt mean it cant be done.

3 pin, other telemark or alpine gear will make it easier but its all heavy and annoying and doesn't have the same feel as kiting with the XC gear. Use ski's with as little sidecut as possible.

Kites and snowboards go REALLY well togethor by the way so if you were going ot get new gear to kite with I would get a board not ski's.

Stick with the XC gear. its hard to get the hang of it and you have to head downwind alot as you get going but it should work well on the glaciers up there.

Thanks for all the responses!

Maybe its too difficult to use cross country skis with a kite :s but i´ll try none the less!
I´m in a Search and Rescue team and we do a lot of xc ski trips so i thought i might spice it up a bit by bringing a kite.

I think I should focus on the buggy and have the skis as a second thing, so now i just have to decide what kite to buy