The Snow was deep, the wind was up and the visibility was down. This past weekend turned out some of the harshest winter weather Skyline has ever seen, but that didn’t stop over a hundred registered Snowkiters from assaulting the hills and throwing down in the madness. I want to send a huge Thank You to everyone that came out to support this years Snowkite Freeride Tour kickoff at Skyline, you are the ones that are making this sport happen! Each person that participated and went out riding despite the intense weather, collectively ‘stepped-up’ the level of Snowkiting across the board. They proved that Snowkiters are HARD CORE and can handle anything.

The Recap…….Good riding was found all over Skyline with plenty of snow on the ground and in the air. Many riders had their first uphill runs and even their biggest hillside airs, enjoying the soft powder landings. White out conditions prevailed during the days and many riders found themselves lost in the soup, unable to find their way back to base camp. Thankfully Jake Walker (as seen in Kiteboarding mag on his sled) ran a safety patrol on his snowmo and rescued many downed riders, becoming the hero of the weekend. Saturday night was spent at the Triangle Lounge in Mt Pleasant, where the friendly locals showed the visiting kiters a good time. The RBV’s were flowing and Chip Wasson hosted the prize give away, where many Snowkiters went home stoked with new gear like Zeal goggles, UN Kite jackets, Ozone kites and schwag from all of the tour sponsors. Sunday ushered in even stronger winds and more snow with a high temp of 10 degrees, but for those that held out all weekend, the clouds would lift and the sun would pop out for an epic afternoon session. Finally we could see all of the Pow that had been piling up and everyone took full advantage of the conditions. Some of the Montana and Utah crew hooked up for an amazing downwinder right before sunset, realizing once again what Snowkiting is all about. By Monday morning the crowds were heading home while the skies turned blue, and the mountain rewarded those that withstood its wintry onslaught with the sweetest rides ever.


A huge Thanks goes out to all of the Snowkite Freeride Tour sponsors that have made this event possible, Dakine, Zeal Optics, Ultra Nectar, Ozone Snowkites, Anti-Gravity Boards, APO snowboards, Ska Brewing, GS Photography, Rossignol and The Kiteboarder magazine. Most importantly, props go out to all of the riders that brought a positive Vibe to this event. Over 17 states and 3 countries were represented by Snowkiters that came together to Freeride and push the sport to the next level, Thank you for believing!

Windzup,
Brian Schenck
Ozone Snowkite Freeride Tour
www.ozonesnowkites.com