Re: Gear for the snow....
Posted: Thu Nov 24, 2011 2:39 pm
I recommend trying snowboard bindings without highbacks. I switched over a few seasons ago and it made a BIG difference when snowkiting. I was so impressed with the difference I even ditched my highbacks on my powder-board for the resort. I only use highbacks on the firm-snow days and I set the forward lean all the way back.
Here's a great article about why highbacks are really unnecessary...
http://snowboarding.transworld.net/1000 ... true#ngtop
Warning: Once you try it, you may find it hard to go back, but some have. However kiters like Chasta have no problem with rocking highbacks.
Some of the other snowkiting gear that I recommend:
Twin-tip snowboard - One with 8m+ sidecut radius. Get the same length as your resort board or 2-5cm shorter. I also recommend going 0.5-1cm wider than what you would normally ride (Me: resort board width = 25.8cm / snowkite board width = 26.4cm). By going a little wider makes a huge difference in reducing heel drag when edging hard on the snow... especially deeper snow. Rocker-camber is nice, but it's not necessary. It's ideal for deeper snow though. My board has what they call "flat" rocker... kind of a happy medium of rocker & camber.
Good gloves - I've tried every type of glove that I think is possible and I concluded a few things. The best gloves for snowkiting IMO are gloves that are thin and BREATHABLE!!! I use the BD Persuit glove because by design & materials they're perfect IMO. They're easy to put on/take off quick which is nice for kiting and I can use them with liners to get the perfect warmth to dexterity ratio. They also breath real well and thus stay dryer than any other glove that I've used...
http://www.blackdiamondequipment.com/en ... suit-glove
Lightweight snowshoes - I use a pair of older MSR Lightning shoes (similar to the current MSR Flash). They're one of the lightest, most packable and easiest snowshoes to put on/take off. Great for when the wind dies or if you have a gear failure and you're 100+ yards away from your car. Without them you could be post-holing to your knees... which I've done and it's was a MAJOR bitch. This is when I had the "carry snowshoes" epiphany. A splitboard is another option, but there are only a few available that are twin-tipped.
http://cascadedesigns.com/msr/snowshoes ... sh/product
Good jacket - I have a WildThings snowkite specific jacket that allows me to wear my harness underneath. If you wear your harness on the outside, you may need one size larger, but don't layer up too much because snowkiting can be as aerobic as nordic skiing, so layer lightly to avoid overheating & sweat. Most likely your harness will fit on the outside just as well. Here's a local brand that offers a snowkite specific jacket...
http://www.ultranectar.com/snowkitejacket/
Snowkite spreader bar - I've been using a spreader bar from Mystic that was designed to for snowkite jackets with an extended hook to fit through the slot on the jacket. DaKine's s-bar is also similar and works equally well. This season I'll be rocking the Dynabar... it makes riding toeside WAY better and offers an unrestricted feel for better carving on the snow.
http://www.jaystore.eu/
Here's a great article about why highbacks are really unnecessary...
http://snowboarding.transworld.net/1000 ... true#ngtop
Warning: Once you try it, you may find it hard to go back, but some have. However kiters like Chasta have no problem with rocking highbacks.
Some of the other snowkiting gear that I recommend:
Twin-tip snowboard - One with 8m+ sidecut radius. Get the same length as your resort board or 2-5cm shorter. I also recommend going 0.5-1cm wider than what you would normally ride (Me: resort board width = 25.8cm / snowkite board width = 26.4cm). By going a little wider makes a huge difference in reducing heel drag when edging hard on the snow... especially deeper snow. Rocker-camber is nice, but it's not necessary. It's ideal for deeper snow though. My board has what they call "flat" rocker... kind of a happy medium of rocker & camber.
Good gloves - I've tried every type of glove that I think is possible and I concluded a few things. The best gloves for snowkiting IMO are gloves that are thin and BREATHABLE!!! I use the BD Persuit glove because by design & materials they're perfect IMO. They're easy to put on/take off quick which is nice for kiting and I can use them with liners to get the perfect warmth to dexterity ratio. They also breath real well and thus stay dryer than any other glove that I've used...
http://www.blackdiamondequipment.com/en ... suit-glove
Lightweight snowshoes - I use a pair of older MSR Lightning shoes (similar to the current MSR Flash). They're one of the lightest, most packable and easiest snowshoes to put on/take off. Great for when the wind dies or if you have a gear failure and you're 100+ yards away from your car. Without them you could be post-holing to your knees... which I've done and it's was a MAJOR bitch. This is when I had the "carry snowshoes" epiphany. A splitboard is another option, but there are only a few available that are twin-tipped.
http://cascadedesigns.com/msr/snowshoes ... sh/product
Good jacket - I have a WildThings snowkite specific jacket that allows me to wear my harness underneath. If you wear your harness on the outside, you may need one size larger, but don't layer up too much because snowkiting can be as aerobic as nordic skiing, so layer lightly to avoid overheating & sweat. Most likely your harness will fit on the outside just as well. Here's a local brand that offers a snowkite specific jacket...
http://www.ultranectar.com/snowkitejacket/
Snowkite spreader bar - I've been using a spreader bar from Mystic that was designed to for snowkite jackets with an extended hook to fit through the slot on the jacket. DaKine's s-bar is also similar and works equally well. This season I'll be rocking the Dynabar... it makes riding toeside WAY better and offers an unrestricted feel for better carving on the snow.
http://www.jaystore.eu/