We headed out of Tahoe under a sunny sky but uncertain forecast. The plan was to ski, kite, camp, soak, discuss and strategize while testing some of our best gear in one of the most beautiful places on earth that just happens to be in our backyard!
Day 1: Got a late start from Tahoe, but the forecast was for wind so the goal was snowkiting. We ended up at Conway Summit, just south of Bridgeport, CA, and skinned out about 30 minutes to a clear ridge with a good breeze. I managed to get the Ozone Manta 12 launched and kited for a couple hours while Pam toured in the surrounding hills and got some great shots of me. See below:
Dave Snowkiting the Sierra
Snowkiting with an Ozone Kite
Day 2: Really, this day started with the night before. The storm rolled in with 60-80 mph wind gusts in the desert and even though the hot springs were close by, they weren’t enough to cut the chill of the night coupled with the dust flying through the air. Then, the snow started around 3am. It was a long night with little sleep, but we woke to a whiteout. Drove into town, Mammoth ski area was practically closed down and visibility was basically nothing, even in town. So, we went for a tour to really get in touch with the elements. It turned out to be a great decision as we skinned around Lake Mary in the middle of a blizzard.
Day 3: Pow, Pow, Pow….. It had been snowing about 36 hours at this point, and the area around Mammoth was up to about 24 in. of snow. These conditions required sheltered trees where we could ride the powder and be safe in the backcountry, all at the same time, ripping it up on our Dynafit setups with Black Diamond skis and boots.
Day 4: We started north, and the Cocaine Chute up to the Dana Plateau was the goal for today. We had no idea if the weather would permit this, but it was shining brightly (though still windy) when we got our late start. We made it to the base of the Chute before the weather turned us around and told us to head back down the hill before it got worse. You can see in the pics below there are 2 folks who made an earlier start and got to the top even with all the wind blowing that snow around. By the time we got to the bottom, we couldn’t even see the ridge anymore. What a great trip!
The Tahoe Mountain SportsAdventure of the Week blog series takes a walk (or hike, surf, climb, bike or Eastern Sierra backcountry ski) in someone else’s shoes, from pro athletes to local Tahoe adventurers. Let us know if you’ve got an adventure to share.
I just got back from a quick trip to Utah that took Mike and I snowkiting for 2 and a half days at Skyline, Utah and then off to Outdoor Retailer to see all the new outdoor gear for next winter. We met up with Brian and Heather from Ozone Kites USA down in Mt. Pleasant, Utah, borrowed some Ozone Manta and Ozone Frenzy kites and headed up the hill for some fantastic conditions. For those that have never been to Skyline before, just imagine a road at 9,500 ft that is 30 or so miles long and is plowed all winter long and is above tree line! All the days we were there, it was pretty stormy and cloudy, but it seemed to clear up long enough for us to get 3 amazingly killer sessions in. The video below, taken with the Vholdr ContourHD 1080p was filmed at about 5:00 pm with the Vholdr goggle mount and just look at the clarity and light in the footage. I was really impressed as to how the Vholdr picked up the snow and the kite in the super flat light. Check out the Vholdr video:
None of my blog posts would be complete without some sort of outdoor gear review included, so here is that part. I certainly had a hard time deciding which skis to bring on this trip, as I knew there would be powder awaiting us in Utah. So, instead of going with the trusty powder boards that I am used to (Black Diamond Megawatts), I took the Black Diamond Zealots in order to be a bit more versatile in case I needed that option. I really like this years Zealots as they are fat enough to rock the powder and crud and with the slight rocker in the tip, they just rule it in such a huge variety of conditions. For snowkites, I was flying the new Ozone Manta III 12m, which is by far my favorite kite due to its awesome combination of power, turning ability, and pop…….and wow does that kite just want to pop! Mike was using the Ozone Frenzy 11m and it was the perfect kite for him as it did not overpower him and his more intermediate/advanced skills. As for our snowkiting harnesses, there really is none other than the Ozone Harness with the D-ring. It is so low profile, light weight, not bulky and super comfortable. I had about 50 pics to post as well, but I moronically deleted them with a simple click of the mouse, so oh well, that’s what we get for working with too much technology these days!
Get out there snowkiting and send us your stories!
The final leg of the Lake Tahoe Snowkite Series took us to Prosser Resevoir on March 14 and 15 for some 5-25 mph west/southwest winds and lots of good times had by all. In general, the Lake Tahoe Snowkite Series has always been focused on getting people interested in the sport of snowkiting and giving them an affordable opportunity to enter the sport. This leg of the series was no different with about 15-20 people taking introductory lessons and starting to learn the ropes with about another 15-20 people who showed up to ride on this great terrain. It was our first time holding an event out at Prosser and it proved to be a success. With the frozen resevoir to kite on as well as the banks of the resevoir open to any type of terrain moves you could think of. Thanks once again to all our sponsors, but a really big thanks to Brian of Windzup who was there in person to represent Ozone kites and get everybody stoked on what snowkiting is all about. Here are some pics from the weekend and we look forward to seeing everybody out there again next year!
For years I have been dreaming of snowkiting on the beach right outside the store but the conditions never seem to line up right because you need the perfect combination of snow to stick to the beach and the wind to not blow the snow off the beach. Well, I finally got my chance this past weekend (March 8, 2009), and Danielle of Danielle Hankinson Photography was there to catch me doing it. Flying my Ozone Frenzy 9m, and wearing my Ozone Harness I was able to rip it up on the shores of Lake Tahoe and get some sweet pics to prove it. Check em out!
Went out to Martis about 9:30am this morning to get the goods before the rain rolled in. Pre-storm kiting is always the best up here. Used the Ozone Frenzy 9m to cruise it and kick it, the Megawatts to stay on top of the soft snow, and the Cloudveil RPK to keep me dry. Wind kind of died around noonish, so we packed it up. Lots of snow on the way, should be a killer week!
Looking west towards Northstar from the Parking Area
Winds were light out of the South to West and anywhere in between. I was on the Ozone Frenzy 11m for about an hour before I gave up. I was using the Black Diamond Megawatts and they totally ruled for these conditions. Storm is raging on and as of 1pm this afternoon, there was easily a good 8 inches out in Martis already. Enjoy these pics of Dirk. I was heading out and he was still flying.
This leg of the LT Snowkite Series took us back to Grass Lake on Sat. Feb. 7th for awesome East/Southest winds between 5-25 all day long. Downwinders were the highlight of the day as everybody came out to learn, demo and have a good time. Did I forget to mention the foot of new snow that had fallen overnight? We thank Flysurfer for sending out the Outlaw 6, 10, and 14 they were awesome. As always, lots of Ozone kites on the scene as well. Check out the full set of pics on our Facebook page or the sample below.
This week we headed down to Grass Lake, which is about 15 minutes outside of South Lake Tahoe. We had light winds all day, but at least we had wind. The Ozone Manta 12m and the Frenzy 11m were easily the most used and most popular kites of the day. The lessons went great as you can see in the pics below and everybody had a blast. Thanks to all who came out and see you in Feb for the next one!
Ozone Kites just came out wit this new video explaining the differences in their snowkite line. It is really informative and has some sick footage to boot! Check it:
We were up at Mt. Rose today for the first installment of the Lake Tahoe Snowkiting Series sponsored by Ozone Kites, Black Diamond, Icebreaker, and of course, Us! We had a great crew all stoked to get going on the snow. With light 8-13 knot winds from the north/northeast conditions were not epic, but perfect for learning. Join us on Jan 17th for the next round. Here are some pics from the day:
