Just wondering what people typically bust out at skyline.
12m, 14m?

I'm only buying one more kite this year, trying to figure out how big is good enough. ATM I'm leaning to 14, since I already have a 9m. Don't want a scary big kite though; just something that'll let me try small glides and work well in pow
thx

Both of those sizes would be expert only at Skyline except in very light winds which you can't count on staying that way at Skyline. Size your kite for the day based on the size you can easily handle in the forecasted highest gusts.

So whats average windspeed? Hows access?
Pretty consistent winds at 10,000 I'd imagine.
I'm thinking of living out near the drive for ease of access for Jan/Feb
MT,ID,WY can be pretty brutal when it comes to access.

I thought Utah/Jackson Hoole might be nice.

Skyline's typical forecast is light. That said, it'll blow 5 out of 7 days, so we get what we can. But, Skyline is a terrain nightmare. Depending on the wind direction, you'll encounter massive dead spots, some venturis, with clean wind on the ridges. The much-vaunted, but uncommon SE wind is cleanest. A common condition is to have just enough wind to put up, requiring a frantic and aggressive looping session to get over to and up Bosco's hill, where the ridgeline winds will provide a lovely, but not mind-blowing session. On stronger days, there will be a few well-known dead spots to avoid, a few less-well known venturi points where you might have to fight, and mostly good wind in the flats to strong winds on the ridges. Very strong wind days do happen, but will be associated mostly with weather, so it's unlikely to sneak up on you.

Ozone SLEs in 11 and 13m were really common sizes (depending on rider weight). Bigger kites were out there for locals looking to get more days in. Also for the guys who love to glide the light stuff.

I was out of the scene last year, so this is my recollection from the 2010/2011 season and before, but should still be pretty valid.

HTH

-J

thanks, I was skeptical about the hype considering where the jet stream lies in winter..

I might just stick to wyoming and bear the hassle of access