Kickstart, Utah's high-adrenaline adventure tv show, featured Skyline snowkiting in a recent episode. The show's obnoxious-yet-entertaining host introduced a local high school teacher to snowkiting in an attempt to 'kickstart' his mundane life. The Windzup team met the duo atop Skyline Ridge to instruct them in the art of kiteboarding snow. Despite moderately light winds, the teacher successfully scaled 'Bosco's Hill' after only a day of instruction---demonstrating snowkiting's learn-in-a-day accessibility. Watch the video yourself by clicking here.
Last Updated ( Monday, 04 August 2008 10:56 )
Video Tour of Ozone Factory
Written by Eric Byers
Thursday, 19 June 2008 17:32
Morten Gjerstad of Snowkitefilm.com & Ozone have teamed up to give us a video-tour of Ozone's factory in Vietnam. One of the few (if not the only) kiteboarding companies that doesn't outsource its kite manufacturing, Ozone owns its factory outright. This means rapid product development, responsivness, and tight quality control. The talented team at Ozone continously develops their line of kites and paragliders from various locations around the world, including the US, UK, France, New Zealand, Norway, & Vietnam.
Last Updated ( Thursday, 19 June 2008 18:02 )
2XtM in Outside Magazine
Written by Eric Byers
Thursday, 22 May 2008 16:18
Here is a quick update on the "To Cross the Moon 2008" expedition. In addition to getting major media exposure, the expedition's efforts to promote North Dakota's plentiful wind energy are paying off. Last year, after the first attempt to cross the state, Florida Power & Lights announced a new 106 turbine wind energy project in Langdon, North Dakota. This year, on May 21, Westmoreland Power Inc. canceled their plans to build a 500-megawatt coal power-plant in southwestern North Dakota, citing issues having to do with C02 emissions as the primary reason for the decision.Obviously 2XtM can't claim all the credit for these developments, but having successfully reached the majority of North Dakota's voters through television, radio, and print media, the expedition has definitely argued for more wind energy, loud and clear... and at the same time has exposed both North Dakota and the US to the wonders of snowkiting.
Here's just one example: Pick up a copy of Outside Magazine and flip to pg. 52. There you'll find Sam, Jason, and Paul's wind battered faces and 6 pages of ink about their successful attempt to cross the state.
Last Updated ( Thursday, 22 May 2008 21:49 )
'Snowkiting' on TV in 1976
Written by Eric Byers
Sunday, 13 April 2008 18:27
While kitesurfing can be partially credited with modern-day snowkiting's growing popularity, the sport isn't new. It has evolved over the past 30 years by combining innovative ideas from paragliding, stunt kiting, and, yep, a guy being hauled by parachute. Here's some antique footage of Mr. Strasilla of Germany showing his 'UphillRacer' in 1976. Watch how the huge chute flails uncontrollably in gusty conditions. I'm glad these pieces of death cloth are obsolete and gone... Oh wait, tow parachutes are still being used by folks who value nostalgia more than their lives: Check out the 'UpSki.'
Kickstart, Utah's high-adrenaline adventure tv show, featured Skyline snowkiting in a recent episode. The show's obnoxious-yet-entertaining host introduced a local high school teacher to snowkiting in an attempt to 'kickstart' his mundane life. The 