I had an interesting question come my way tonight. I have sent emails to my reps to get their answers, but I was also wondering if anyone here had some input on the question. Plus i thought it may be good info for others in the future.

The question was .. How cold is too cold for kites? At a super low temp do the kites break? bars, lines, etc??

I couldn't answer with any kind of proof. I could not see any affect on the kites or lines, but maybe the handles or bar depending on the material of said bar or handles. I metal bar or handle no, but maybe plastic might fail at extreme colds?

Anyone???:puzzled:

I've flown with temps in the mid teens in some wind gusting to 25+ without any issues. Well other than the occasional superman/face plant. Ozone lines and handles (PVC pipe inside ozone handles, BTW.)

I have had problems with my foils getting full of snow when flying while it is actually snowing but no other issues.

I know wolfwolfee has flown in around -25C, and I don't think he had any issues.

I havent flown in any below zero farenheit temps, and the only problem I've had is flying in freezing rain. My kite actually froze over and got too heavy to fly. But aside from that, no problems. Coldest I've been out in is about 7-9 degrees with 25mph winds.

I have always loved this from the ad verbiage for Climax Combat lines:

The Combat has no stretch, it creates a direct feel contact and gives the flyer an awareness of the kites every movement. The result is a faster, tighter turning kite with less steering motion required to initiate turning. Climax lines are frost-resisting (to -36° C), pre stretched, tough, durable and abrasion resistant. They are pre sleeved so set up time is minimal.


ATB,
Sam

I can't see the kites/lines/controls getting brittle in temps a human could stand to fly in. Maybe plastic handles might be the only vulnerable piece in very extreme cold with a sharp impact. I know Angus sold a kite to a guy stationed in Antarctica. I bet he could let us know if we had contact.

In Grand Forks we see some nasty stuff. I've been out in -20's, -30's, and -41 degrees F once. The weather hear has been as low as -80's F with wind chill included, but I found it funny I started having better things to do :D

The kites don't seem to have a problem besides not wanting to unfold or fill up well in the first few minutes at the field. Take the crispyness you get on a new kite and triple it. They just don't like coming out of the bag lol. Lines can be stiff and cause some annoying tangles which are therefore twice no-fun to get straight due to the cold.

I have seen some basic parts break, but nothing critical and I don't think any were on the kite specifically. We had one guy crack a chunk of his helmet open from a small fall, and another had some problems with a Peter Lynn spar, but that was discovered only after taking it out of the sleeve. We had one more problem but it escapes me at the moment

I do sometimes get worried that my chicken loop on my slingshot bar gets so cold it stays in place. I've tried a safety release once and the pin came clear of the assembly, but the loop was so stiff in plastic that it held its shape wouldn't come out of my D-ring harness :shocked2:!!

Regardless, it has taken me a good amount of cold to get the kite lines, fabric, or bar to take serious damage unless you really hit it the right way.

My signature says how i feel about the cold lol

I ride regularly in the -20C to -30C range. I have seen 2 LEI kites canopy tear the instant that weight bags were placed on them in those temps. A few LEI guys experience cracked nozzles and various pump failures in those temps. I have had the buckle on my trimstrap snap while cruising along in those temps. However, it was a homemade trimstrap (made back in 2001) that used a salvaged buckle off an old windsurfing sail. The buckle had huge gas pockets in the corners that reduced the surface area by half. I x-rayed a few other buckles after that to find only very small gas in the corners. The most common brand of buckle used had the smallest gas too. Then there are the small pieces of less critical protective tubing that can crack in those temps. This has been the most common failure due to cold that I have seen.

Oh, I have seen lines get cut on edges of ice too. But it doesn't need to be that cold to have ice.

We sit around -20C most days here so you take that and add the windchill and it get's pretty frosty. No issues experienced nor witnessed ever due to cold. Last New Year's day we were out setting up a new kite at -25C and the biggest issue was not being able to take your gloves off for more than 10 seconds to fiddle with line connections.

We get a few rides a season when the temps are below 30F. I have never or heard of anyone having an equipment failure due strictly to temp.

I think most manufacturers use materials that are suitable for these applications. A lot of the plastics etc. have already had the bugs worked out in applications like the ski, aeronautic and automotive industries.

It's rare to find low grade polymers or thermo plastics used these days in applications that involve loads, impacts and broad temp ranges.

At least that's my impression. The only thing I ever see fail are spreader bars. We see them die all the time.

My $.02

Quote:

Originally posted by Feyd The only thing I ever see fail are spreader bars. We see them die all the time.

Are you using a hammerhead spreader bar or rotating?

What do you mean by that? Do the welds give way seperating the hook from the bar? Sounds like a lost foil if there was no leash attachment.

Well I guess for me coldest I've been in -44 with 30 km winds a balmy -58. I have seen LEI's definitely fail in these temperatures, bladders will literally shatter. Donkey dick are about the only thing I've had break on me. Never had a line issue or sail damage.

This is a little off topic so I'll be brief.

Weld failures. Both fixed and pivot style. Average at least one a year.

We're on skis putting some pretty heavy side loads on. A good session for us can be 80 miles distance.

No spreaders that I know of built with that kind of usage in mind.

I now have one made by Peter Lynn that complete elliminates the issue. I'm going to do a write up on the new spreader on www.hardwaterkiter.blogspot.com

Lost a 19m V2 on a failure.

Sorry Dakites again for going off topic.