I haven't been but Skyline Drive is the most well known spot

perhaps post this topic on kiteforum.com ... you will get more feedback

myusernam said...

why take a perfectly awesome sport and put a gay kite on it?
Utah has some good hills.

Got it in one. Too many good chairs to ride to bother with a kite.

Hey, I do a lap up through there every year, for the last 5 years. I go up to Utah, then continue up and do Wyoming, Montana, and Idaho. The problem with Skyline (Fairview, Utah) is it is so high in altitude (10'000 feet). That's good if it clears, it gets early snow, but during storms it is a whiteout. Just driving up there is life risking when the road is covered with snow drifts.... The town below where you stay then is pretty rough if you can't go kiting. Mormons, a petrol station, and bar. That's it. You go spend the day shopping at Walmart or drink at the bar, and hope it will clear.
Next stop is Strawberry Res. near Park City. It can be good. It's a lot lower, and the wind is less reliable. When it's on it can be all time fantastic. Trying to juggle these two locations requires a lot of driving, and sitting in laundromats waiting for snow to dump, wind to blow, or clearing. It's not like the nice Fremantle Doctor that visits every day. But when it's on, it's amazing. And when it's not, you can pull the plug and go ride the lifts at Sundance (a ski area) from 2-4pm for about 20 bucks!
Heading north the real adventure begins. (Hey just like WA!) The terrain becomes more interesting, the wind very consistent, but you have to know where to go. It is not easy. Every year is different. The place I ride is alike a paradise when it's good, if not I have to drive a day. And there it might not be good. When it dumps and fills in it all becomes a kiting nirvana. IF THE WIND BLOWS. If not you kill time in a frozen wasteland. It's a bit like gambling I guess. I go for the entire winter, sometimes I score....ok I always score but I have to wait as well.

myusernam said...

Rosy said...

Well I like snowboarding but I dont think I could do it straight for 2 weeks so I really would love to give snow kiting a go...I might have to check out those two places you mentioned jl and Tim.
Thanks

are you insane? have you done much? have you tried some steep deep pow?

people devote their lives to downhill snowsports. they kill their wives and husbands to cash in their life insurance. they rob banks. they perform unspeakable acts at truck stops to pay for their downhill addictions. I sincerely doubt from your statement you have had a decent day on a snow field, let alone a US one. Go to Vail in colorado. Wont even ski the whole mountain in two weeks.

On that note.... 3 days till lifts open at whistler!!!!! And it's snowing right now!

I am in Idaho now, lived in Sydney 5 years. I get a downhill ski pass every year but hardly use it because snow kiting is so much better. Sure there are days when a big dump comes through and you can get great pow runs on the board. but it is a race as every time down the snow is getting more and more chopped up by all the competition. Now with the kite, the same snow but a bigger area, over 10 sq kilometers where I kite and you get days of powder without ever having to compete. Only a few dozen kiters around here. Great hills for carving and doing long floats. Terrain for jumps and cruizing. Kite for hours from the car and not have to see anyone if you don't want to. Best of all no lift ticket prices. I still water kite alot but snow with all the different types of terrain is not the same animal as water kiting.

"are you insane? have you done much? have you tried some steep deep pow?

people devote their lives to downhill snowsports. they kill their wives and husbands to cash in their life insurance. they rob banks. they perform unspeakable acts at truck stops to pay for their downhill addictions. I sincerely doubt from your statement you have had a decent day on a snow field, let alone a US one. Go to Vail in colorado. Wont even ski the whole mountain in two weeks."

Great response, too funny. I have lived entire winters in Utah France and Colorado, as well as the Pacific Northwest (Whistler and Mt Baker). I am pretty spoiled regarding deep, untracked snow. I wouldn't ever ride Vail when I lived there, even when I had a pass. Lots of fur clad rich people standing in line to ride groomers. Place is a tracked up tourist zoo, a joke. Had another area nearby though.... hidden in the trees. Lift accessed, as good as Rockies powder gets. Those days are over thanks to fat skis and greedy resorts chopping out all those trees....however, all is not lost, as you will see....

(Original Poster Rosy: this is mostly all Skyline) :