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November 5 2002 by Don 

Hi,

I'm in Colorado and want to get into kiteskiing.
It sure would be nice to take advantage of all this wind we have.

Some questions:

Is anyone out there from Colorado and interested in giving lessons?

What kind of kites should I look for and where do I get them? Any websites?

As anyone used telemark gear with this yet? I'm an expert pinhead and want to use my pin gear with this.

Has anyone used this on slopes? Wide open bowls, inclines, etc?

Thanks for any help

Copied from old forum:

November 6 2002 by doomwheels

>Is anyone out there from Colorado and interested in giving lessons?

I bet there are people at the Boulder kite store Into The Wind that would help you out with lessons.

I used to live in Colo and spent many winters on Georgetown lake. It freezes solid and the high winds through the tight valley blows the snow off leaving a smooth skateable ice surface.

Also Lake Dillon is a good place for some long distance kiteskiing. Just wait until the snow has settled leaving a firm pack. Fresh snow is too deep making the ride slow and exhausting.

Check out Grand Lake. It's a huge lake and there is a winter kite festival held on the surface each year. Again, Into The Wind will be your best local info source.

>What kind of kites should I look for and where do I get them? Any websites?

For snow conditions I strongly recommend a quadline foil like the Quadrifoil Q2000 or Competition X series. Cobra Kites/Flexifoil and JoJo also have some decent models.
http://www.wickedwind.com
http://www.intothewind.com

>As anyone used telemark gear with this yet?
>Has anyone used this on slopes? Wide open bowls, inclines, etc?

I can't think of any advantage using telemarking gear. Nor would I consider bowls or slopes as the ultimate location. There are some folks in Norway that have a great time crossing over slopes and valleys, but they easily have the wide open spaces for such. Colorado slopes are cut through the trees not leaving much room, and bowls are quite steep requiring you to technical ski far more then kite ski.

I typically use a very short pair of skis (kids skis or old skis I cut down to size) and sharpen the edges to near razors edge. These are agile for performing some fun tricks yet stabile enough for straight, fast lines across the lake.

I suggest heading to Georgetown or Grand Lake with some short skis, quadline kites and a couple buddies from Into The Wind for your first kiteskiing experiences.

Check out pics and movies of kiteskiing in Switzerland in the Doomwheels media galleries:
http://www.doomwheels.com

Cheers,
BC