I am ready to purchase my second kite for kite-skiing. I have dabbled with kite-skiing since 1990 with upskis and quadrifoils on handles, borrowed from friends. This year I bought a HQ Scout 3m2 with bar and it's been a blast on lakes here in the Adirondacks, but I can rarely go upwind, unless it's blowing>15mph.

I went to Kitestorm (three cheers and thanks to Rachael!!) and now it's time for a depower kite. I also just got an Ozone SB harness (Thanks so much Angus!!!).

I'm quite impressed with the new HQ Montana V, so the next question is size. Here on the Adirondacks lakes it is rarely (this winter) blowing steady above 15mph, except with passing fronts that make things gusty. With this in mind, the 9.5m2 sounds better than the 7 m2. I'll also be working in Greenland next summer on the icecap at DYE-2 (Raven) with winds rarely over 15mph. Next winter I'll be working in Antarctica at a deep field camp in the Allen Hills where the wind will be>20 mph most of the time. I expect my Scout will be fun there.

I'd like to ultimately get both the 7 and 9.5, but can only get one this year. Those who teach kiting say to start with the 7, then get the 9.5. Friends who kite but don't teach all are saying the 9.5 would be more useful for my needs. All who use the Montana V says it's awesome and will be easy to learn depower on, compared to it's previous iterations. What might you all think?

This is my first post - thanks for such a friendly, informative, and great forum, it well represents all the nice folks I met at Kitestorm who were so generous with their time answering my questions and getting me excited about the sport!

Glad you got the harness and like it.
Funny, I sent a Beamer TSR to McMurdo Station in Antarctica a while back...

Anyway, yeah for the conditions you are describing I would go with the 9.5. It's prolly comparable to my 11 m Neo and that is a size with a very useful wind range and I would think that would be even more so in snow.

Just pick the right conditions to start with it the firs few times, like 7-10. It will seem like a lot of kite and be intimidating maybe (but that keeps you safe), but the Montana is stable and predictable enough that you will be OK with your skills. Launches like the Scout but with a yank on the center lines.

+1 for the 9.5m for the conditions you described

I'd go with the 9.5 unless you are a lightweight. I think that Rachel actually has a 9.5 demo that the HQ guys left.

i just got a 12.5 montana... but im a fat guy so it'll work well for me... the 9.5 sounds like it'd be your best bet!!

Welcome to the PKF, and dude! put up some pics of you kiting in Antarctica!! That sounds way cool (no pun lol)

Thanks so much guys! I'm 175 lbs wo/ gear. I'll get the 9.5 and post some pix. Thanks kiteNH for the tip, I just pinged Rachael.

The guy who got me into foils is Eric Phillips, owner of icetrek.com We worked together in '96 in East Antarctica. He since has used kites to ski from the coast to South Pole Station. He has some pix here

Last spring I was all over Nunavut. No kites, but outreach pix here

And this fall I was in Antarctica. No kites, but outreach pix here

Thanks to you guys, I'll have some kite pix in my polar web pages in the near future!

So what do you do? (besides freeze your ass off) Environmental work?

BTW I've a customer in Nanavut, too. Got both arctic circles covered.

One more vote for the 9.5. If you are at all worried about being overpowered go to your beamer at 1st. Once you are familiar with it the 9.5 will serve you well. Almost a 1 kite quiver. With the winds you describe I wouldn't be shocked to here your next kite was the 12.5 not the 7 !

Thanks for posting those pictures, those nacreous clouds are INCREDIBLE!

I'd love to visit Antarctica someday!

"So what do you do? (besides freeze your ass off) Environmental work?"

I'm a research meteorologist and I work on field studies of the interaction of snow and ice with climate, primarily through solar radiation.

"I'd love to visit Antarctica someday!"

There are a wide array of jobs available, from dishwasher to IT support, heavy equipment operator to field safety trainer, carpenter to fireman. This season Karen Hilton lead the field safety and SAR teams. She penned the Bagley Ice Field on kites article in the first issue of Drift Magazine, along with Eli Potter who I also know from the ice.

It's always fun to talk to the head of SAR, and this season I asked Karen what her most memorable mountaineering experience was. She is also a guide and high-angle SAR team leader at Denali, so I expected an epic attempt on some unknown route. But it's probably no surprise to you folks that she described kiteskiing with a huge tailwind across the Patagonia ice cap making figures-of-eight with her kite and carving hundreds of perfect, elbow to the snow GS turns, one after the next.

Antarctic jobs are managed thorough Raytheon Polar Services who are contracted by the National Science Foundation. Most folks have to apply several times to get their foot in the door. Details can be found here. Food service and housing is subcontracted through NANA here, they also have cool jobs in remote Alaskan villages.

As to freezing my ass off, I suspect I have some weird genetic defect. I'm only happy if it is below 68F, really happy below 20F. Above 68F I become a sweaty, whining and annoying fool. Climate warming scares me...

RichardB, we should get together sometime, I'm on the western edge of the Adirondacks, in the Black River Valley, near Tug Hill. We get together whenver there is snow/wind on weekends mostly. U2U me your e-mail, and I'll let you know where we meet up! Bob

those are awesome pics!

i'm just the opposite tho... my home is in the 90 degree plus range... i'm happy when im sweating balls :puzzled: i only run outside when its above 95, i love the heat

honestly, at 175, if you are towing all that gear... the 12.5 may be a good bet for the low wind days... just a thought tho... really cool stuff

Thanks all for the advice! And for the heads up kiteNH, Rachel is fixing me up with her demo 9.5, I'll head over to SandBar (Kitestorm site) Saturday and catch her before she starts her lessons. I'll put up a review of the kite and some pix soon.

Drew said: 'i'm happy when im sweating balls'

I've never heard that phrase before, but it sounds kinda scary!!

' if you are towing all that gear... the 12.5 may be a good bet for the low wind days'

I agree, but I am rarely towing gear, though I am thinking of a Greenland crossing in the future. As a novice though, I think the 9.5 will keep me entertained for some time to come. But you may ultimately be right, get the 12.5 instead of the 7.5...

I appreciate all of your advice, Rachel gave me a great deal on the demo Montana V 9.5. As I said above, this is my first depower kite. Fortunately Rachael gave me a lesson (free with a new kite - yay Stormboarding!), and I got to ski with it in ~7-10mph winds at Sand Bar with Neil and Keith(?) who were also on 9-10m2 foils. I followed them around and copied what they did, and it was FUN!!! The wind died so I chatted with Rachael some, she gave me some pointers on things to work on next time.

I feel privileged to have such expertise so close to home. I highly recommend doing business with Rachael at Stormboarding. She is an excellent teacher and has put on the Kitestorm event over the last seven years. It's also great to have such a friendly and knowledgeable group of folks who ride at Sand Bar. I look forward to kiteskiing in Greenland this summer, returning to Sand Bar next season, and introducing myself to the gang at Tug Hill.