My son and nephews are interested in taking up kite skiing and I need some suggestions for kites. All 3 are excellent water and downhill skiers, however I have no idea about the kinds of kites that they should use. Here are some basic stats:

Age 14, 5'4", 100 lbs, moderate strength
Age 20, 6'4", 215 lbs, extremely strong, collegiate rower
Age 24, 6"2", 240 lbs, very strong

Since they are all just beginning this sport I want to make sure that they have reasonable kites, but don't want to buy terribly expensive kites and then find out it's not their thing.

For the 3 of them, probably start with a 3m and a 5m foil, the lil guy will be have to learn on the 3m in lighter winds, the other 2 should be able to handle it without much difficulty. The little guy will be able to have quite a bit of fun with the 3m in good winds, the 2 bigger guys will be wanting something in a 5-6m kite for normal winds, Normal being about 12-20mph.

For the first kites I'd be looking at open cell foils, the Beamer, Buster II, Radsail are all great first kites. Eventually you'll be wanting to look into a couple larger depowerable foils, something in the 10-14m range, Best I can think of that I've got experience with is the Ozone Frenzy. Another option is the Peter Lynn Arcs. With the Arcs they'd be able to kitesurf on water as well as snowkite.

Take it slow, get them a 3m as a great starting point, if they love that then get the 5m foil so the bigger guys can get an idea of the power. If they're still loving it then time for a board, buggy and more power.

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Originally posted by bslc1915 My son and nephews are interested in taking up kite skiing and I need some suggestions for kites. All 3 are excellent water and downhill skiers, however I have no idea about the kinds of kites that they should use. Here are some basic stats: Age 14, 5'4", 100 lbs, moderate strength Age 20, 6'4", 215 lbs, extremely strong, collegiate rower Age 24, 6"2", 240 lbs, very strong Since they are all just beginning this sport I want to make sure that they have reasonable kites, but don't want to buy terribly expensive kites and then find out it's not their thing.

Here is a good inexpensive way to get started. All the ProFoil kites are on sale.


http://www.powerkiteforum.com/viewthread.php?tid=2817

At 200 and 240 pounds, if the snow is heavy they are going to need some good wind to get going vs your 100#er

The thing with snow is with skis, you can hold down quite a bit of power in the kite because you can edge hard against it. You don't need that much snow to carve and hold an edge. 2-4" on solid ice and you will be carving and flying.

However, if the snow is all hardpack or frozen over ice, you can really get moving as the resistance is low so you don't need much of a kite. 8" of wet heavy snow and you'll want a larger kite to pull you through it but when turning, you need to keep that kite under control or you'll get lofted before you can bring your tips around.

Then you need to take into account windspeed and whether it is routinely strong or light. For instance, I am 145 pounds. Two winters ago I flew my 8.5 blade only. Last winter I flew my 2.5m 90% of the time as the winds were always cranking and the snow cover light and icey.

I can't overstate how important it is to be comfortable with the kite so you aren't overpowered from the get go. In time that is a good thing but initially that can be really intimidating and ruin your confidence.

For you 200#s I would think a 4-5m kite is a good place to start. For your 100# a 2-3m kite. I am talking fixed bridle kites like the Buster II or Profoil. Initially a kite with a lower aspect ratio (less lifty) is a better place to start. A good quiver would be a 2, 4 and 6m or a 3, 5, 7m. Ultimately, that would serve one skier best but if the winds call for a 4/5m kite, your 100# would be good with a 2/3m but your 240# might be getting hammerd with a 6/7m.

Maybe you should get a 2-3m for your youngest and all can learn on that kite and then get a 4 and 5 meter or two 4 meters for your older sons. Three kites really is not going to cover it for all conditions for all kids but you need to start somewhere. You'll see that most kiters have at least 3 kites so they can be out in all conditions (low, moderate and high wind). That means potentially 9 kites in the future for you but there is going to be a lot of overlap so as long as your kids can share, you should be able to get away with few than 9. :wink2: