Snowkiting Basics

Thinking about learning how to Snowkite? Here's some basic information to get you started.

To learn how to snowkite, you first need to learn how to fly your kite standing still. Once you're confident with your kite skills, you can strap on your skis or snowboard and start traveling on the snow. Initially you can start by doing simple down wind rides. Later, you can master traveling upwind, kiting up hills, and using your snowkite to go wherever you want to go.

Snowkiting requires a fraction of the wind needed for kite surfing. Because an inflatable leading edge is not necessary when kiting on land, snowkiters use what's called a foil kite which is simpler, safer, and more efficient than inflatable leading edge water kites. Traction foils work the same way as a parachute or paraglider, retaining their shape by inflating with air that enters the snowkite through it's leading edge.

When deciding on the size of snowkite you will fly on any given day, it's important to factor in air temperature along with wind speed. Because air has a greater density when it is cold, cooler air will give you significantly more power when compared with warm air traveling at the same speed.

In this video shot in Pangnirtung Nunavut at temperatures below -40 you can see kites in the air at wind speeds of just 3km per hour. This would not be possible in a warm environment, but because the air is so dense, a few knots of wind is enough to keep our kites up and make slow downwind progress. In this video you can see beginner snowkiters mastering basic kite flying skills on day one of the Nunavut snowkite clinic.