DC riding the shoreline

Midwest Snowkiting
Posted on Mar 16, 2005 by Brian

The Ozone Freeride tour hit the Midwest for some early March Snowkite sessions. The trip started in Detroit, where warm weather turned the snow on the surface into a slushy ice-water mixture. The conditions kept us from riding Lake St Clair and Cass Lake, despite the 20+ mph winds, and forced us to head north in search of snow.

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JP in MI Snowkiting $\''+m+'\'/$ ');wd.document.close();wd.focus();return false;">

We rallied up to northern MI to meet up with the Traverse City crew and enjoyed strong wind on lake Skegemog. Everyone flew 7 and 10 meter Frenzy's and the wind stayed up till the sun went down. Thanks go out to DC for the weather updates, and to the TC gang for coming out to fly. Anyone heading to northern Michigan should check out the local forum at www.midwestkiteboarding.com

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Michigan Snowkiting $\''+m+'\'/$ ');wd.document.close();wd.focus();return false;">

Next stop was the UP (Upper Penninsula of MI). The wind continued and the snow got deeper as we headed farther north. There are several good riding spots along the way, some require a bit of exploration and others are right on the roadside. Teal lake is one of the easy access lakes on Highway 41 and was all untracked powder.

From the UP the tour hit northern Wisconsin for a Snowkite demo and freeride on Lake Superior. Strong winds kept us on 7 meter kites as we rode across Chequamegon Bay near Ashland. The bay is completely frozen over and the snow surface offered packed powder and wind-lipped waves to ride on. The best part was walking across the street from the hotel and laying out my kite for a sunrise session all alone, a frozen moment that symbolized the reasons I ride.

Another storm approached and on we went to Minnesota in search of Backcountry Snowkiting, but that is another story.........

North East Snowkite Tour
Posted on Mar 08, 2005 by Brian

The weather was perfect for Ozones North East Snowkite tour. The crew started in Vermont at the Kitestorm and trekked across several states following the recent nor-easter snow storms. Fresh tracks and fluffy powder were found every day along with strong frontal winds.

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Slice grabbing tail $\''+m+'\'/$ ');wd.document.close();wd.focus();return false;">

Frozen lakes turned up the best riding, with seemingly endless terrain. Deep snow on the fields offered up Urban Snowkiting in the Boston area and along the highway.

Over a week of riding everyday led us to New York, where the sun was shining and the lakes were still untracked. Slice and the NY crew showed us their 'Snowkite Beach' on Lake Oneida, where the big kites came out. The wind was so smooth and the jumps were amazing, edging into wind packed powder and landing softly back onto it.

The tour rounded out in Buffalo where ballistic winds were keeping most the locals in their cars. It was time for the 3 meter Frenzy! Riders took turns on the small Frenzy for powered sessions on the frozen Lake Erie. The sheeting range on the 3 meter absorbed the gusts and provided smooth riding in the 30-45 mph winds.

All in all this region has many great Snowkiting opportunities, from frozen lakes to farm fields with rolling hills. We found riding within minutes of major cities and as far as a couple hours into the hills. There is definitely more to explore...............

Vermont Kitestorm
Posted on Mar 03, 2005 by Brian

The Kitestorm was a major success with hundreds of newcomers hitting the snow to try out Snowkiting for themselves. Conditions were excellent with a half-foot of fresh powder and steady winds.

Stormboarding, the local Snowkite school, hosted intro clinics all weekend on the new Imp L trainer kite. The larger size flew great in the lighter winds, and provided steady power for easy control. New riders got a taste of actually riding on 3 and 4 meter Samurais while experienced pilots cruised on 7-12 meter Frenzy's.

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Kite Storm $\''+m+'\'/$ ');wd.document.close();wd.focus();return false;">

XC Tour of Champlagne $\''+m+'\'/$ ');wd.document.close();wd.focus();return false;">

There were 30-40 riders from surrounding states who came out to ride together at the Sand Bar. Everyone had a great time due to the variety of riding options the flat lake provides. Some pushed eachother to try more technical freestyle moves, while others went on 40 mile backcountry tours around the islands on the lake. With great riding and a great apres ski scene in Burlington, Champlagne is a unique destination Snowkite location.

Georgetown Snowkite Rodeo
Posted on Feb 23, 2005 by Brian

The Snowkite Rodeo at Georgetown Lake was a huge success, there were kites all over the lake taking advantage of the snow coverage and good winds.
Saturday was light to moderate winds but stayed steady long enough to run all of the Kitercross heats. This was the funnest event ever, with kiters crossing lines and crashing all over the course. Definitely need to see more races of this caliber, where everyone is having a good time and not taking it so seriously.

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Kite Rodeo $\''+m+'\'/$ ');wd.document.close();wd.focus();return false;">

Congrats go out to Ken Lucas who took first place in the mens skier-cross on his 14 meter Frenzy. It was a pretty amazing sight seeing a 14 meter keep up with the oversized 25m LEI kites. And even go faster, nice job Ken!
Heather Schenck put her kite skills to work dodging everyone else and coming into the lead in the womens Kitercross, taking a first place. Aaron Sales used his snowboarder skills to take the lead and hold it during the mens kite-boarder-cross, coming in first ahead of Mark Doyle and Brian Schenck. All in all the races were great, the course was challenging and fun, and the organization of the whole event was top end. Thanks out to Keith and the Montana crew for such a hospitable weekend.

Ozone Snowkite Masters coming to Skyline, Utah
Posted on Feb 23, 2005 by Brian

OSKM $\''+m+'\'/$ ');wd.document.close();wd.focus();return false;"> Click to enlarge

World Champion Snowkiter Guillaume "Chasta" Chastagnol will be hosting a Freeride Exhibition at Skyline Drive in Utah. This is part of the Ozone Snowkite Freeride Tour and will offer kite clinics and demos for newcomers to the sport. Everyone is invited to come enjoy a weekend of Freeriding with the sports leading talents at the nations best Snowkite locale.

This weekend is set to be an amazing one, and should not be missed. Many of the top riders will be on hand to showcase the potential of Freestyle Snowkiting.

Skyline Drive sits at 9800 feet atop the Wasatch Plataeu. Drive to mile marker 14 on highway 31 and park your car. From there, simply walk a few feet and you will have access to miles of Snowkiting terrain. Skyline is typically windy 5 days a week, and provides hills and slopes for riding in any wind direction.

Last year in 2004, Chasta came to Skyline for the first time, and blew our minds. he quickly ascended Boscos Hill only to huck off the top and float hundreds of feet up gliding across the highway and landing light years away. After road gapping the highway on his return, he decided to go back and repeat the process a dozen times. In one day he showed us all the potential our local playground had, On March 18-20 he will return to his favorite destination in the West.

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