I am just getting into snowkiting and am looking at getting my first kite. I am considering buying an ozone flow 5m kite, would this be an appropriate kite to start with? I have also been looking at the Peter Lynn Hornet 5m. Which of these kites is better? Also is starting out on a fixed bridle kite a good option or is it better to get a kite with depower? Any tips on buying my first kite would be greatly appreciated!

You are about to make the same mistake that I did with gearing up for snowkiting. My first kite was an original 4.0m HQ Scout (not the Scout II). Though I wanted to go with the 5m, my retailer said that the 4m was the biggest he would sell me. He also mentioned that if I weighed any less than my 215lbs, he would not let me get anything above a 3m.

So I spent a year with my 4m HQ Scout non-depower kite, flying it and learning to respect the power it had. So much power, that I did not want to fly it in over 20mph gusts while standing or moving on my mountain board. On snow, I never really felt that this kite had enough power/control for me. This kite wound up being an expensive kite that I now have no use for.

The next year, I got 2 Ozone "Access XT's" and started using them kitesnowboarding. The ability to depower the kite (and kite skills from the 4m Scout) allowed me use the 6m Access when I would have had to use a 3m non-depower kite. Thus the 4m was shelved and used only for my attempts at making a depower kite out of a non-depower kite.

After gretting good on my 6m and 10m Ozone "Access XT's", I wound up getting a quiver of HQ "Montana V's" and love them for snowkiting.

Recently, I have had a need for a small trainer kite to introduce friends to the sport. I also wanted to kite-skateboard the same place us local windsurfers use to sail-skateboard. My more recent purchases were two HQ Rush Pro III 250's and one 350. The 250 is an awesome kiteskateboard kite and a perfect kite for others to try out.

So what I am saying is that in the end, I wound up with some really good, small, non-depower trainer kites that I and others use the crap out of. The only kite that is not really used is my old 4m HQ Scout that is just too big to be a trainer kite. At that size/wind range, and on a snowboard, you do need depower to be comfortable.

If you are new to kiting, get a trainer. You will wind up never selling it if it is a good one with reverse relaunch like the Flow or a Rush Pro III. Size wise, go big trainer (350) if you live in a low wind area. If you live in a high wind area, go small (250).

P.S. Today I flew my newest kite, a 3m HQ Apex III and love it. It was plenty windy enough that, if there was snow, my 215lbs would have been happy to cruise with it. The 6m would have been a little much at times. But it does get windy here in the Midwest.

Hi,
Good post Matt. I agree. I think your experience is pretty common. Get a trainer kite, either 2m or 3m 2-line kite, learn to fly it, then look into a 4-line depower kite. Some people make this jump within a few weeks or a month, other take 6 months or more. Still others skip the trainer and go straight to the 4-line depowerable foil. I would not suggest this for the true beginner but those with really safe areas to fly, decent wind and some self control (take it out first in light wind and see how it feels, then a little more and a little more etc) it can work quite well.

Regardless of when and how you move into a 4-line kite, what size and what style you get will depend on a number of factors including you future goals (cruising, freestyle, etc), what your average winds are like, snow conditions, terrain and your weight. With this information many of us should be able to tell you with reasonable cerainty what size, style and brand to get. For many beginners, kites like the HQ Apex III is a wonderful kite. Another great option is the Ozone Access XT. Both are beginner/intermediate snow/land 4-line depowerable kites.

The best thing to do is to find an instructor to hire, even if only for one hour. Either a PASA or IKO certified snowkite instructor will be able to give you huge amounts of information on getting started, launching, landing, safety, windy theory, flying techniques, gear, and much, much more. As I said, although hiring an instructor for a day or more in the best way to learn fast and safely, hiring one for just an hour or two will do wonders for you. To find instructors in your area check out PASA () listings or IKO () listings. Although the organizations would probably not say this, many certified kiteboarding instructors are also extremely knowledgeable snowkite instructors so dont look only for a snowkite specific instructor. But, do be sure to find someone you like, who has at least a year of solid teaching experience and appears fun, easy going and safe.

I hope this helps.

Traveler Terpening
Desert Wind Kiteboarding
http://www.desertwindkiteboarding.com
info@desertwindkiteboarding.com
907.299.1119

Thanks allot for the replies. They were a great help. I ended up attending a kite control clinic at the local para gliding school and have purchased a 3m Peter Lynn hornet to practice with. Would flying my kite on a lake with ice skates be good practice for snow kiting when I do eventually move up to bigger kites?

Good idea on the ice skates. It will give you some skills to build upon once you move up to skis. Much of the physics work the same with ice skates as with skis.

But, there are some really big differences. The biggest of which is the resistance (or lack there of) of ice compared to snow. You have to be pretty careful with the speeds that you can attain on glare ice. You could easily get going past the point of control, biff it, and wind up sliding a considerable distance across the ice to a part of the lake that does not have ice thickness enough to support you. Shedding speed should be your goal when kiteiceskating at first. You will need to master this skill to make smooth jibes. Too much speed as you turn downwind, and you will overrun the kite.

But before even trying the ice, make sure that your kite control skills are 100%. That means that you can control and relaunch your kite with your eyes closed - literally. Then you should be able to tie your shoe while flying the kite over head. Wear pads and a helmet and good luck!