What Kite for Tignes ??

[madmarkymark]

Hi,

 

Looking for advice ... I have been landboading for a couple of years on Blade IIs (4m & 9m) and have been kitesurfing on LEIs (Storm 1 10m & 14m) for a while.

 

I am off to Tignes with the family in Jan 06 and have been snowboarding for 10 years so thought I'd take a kite along to give 'snowkiting' ago.

 

The question is - if I could only take one kite, which one should I take, foil or LEI? If I could get hold of a depowerable foil (eg Frenzy) should I make the effort to get one?

 

Any advice would be gratefully received. Cheers.

 

Madmarkymark

[baldwhippet]

Get a frenzy 10m - nothing compares!

[JDC]

You could just stick with your blades if youre comfortable with them - Ive seen guys snowkite on handles no problem - get a harness and strop to give your arms a rest.

 

The thing you should be more comcerned about is getting wind. There were quite a few posts on people going to Tignes last year and I seem to remember very few got any wind - myself included.

 

I just took a frenzy 7.3 - you can get going on snow with very little wind.

 

Ive got piccies of two locations to kite. I stood on Le Lac for an hour or so with everything setup praying for wind. But it didnt happen for me.

 

http://www.kite-fantastic.co.uk/community/gallery/jdc/DSC00215

http://www.kite-fantastic.co.uk/community/gallery/jdc/DSC00194

 

The glacier looked alot more extreme - potentially big trouble if you were out there and the weather came in! You probably need to get a guide for going down there - if you wanna be safe.

[Neptune]

Take the blades. I use an 8.5 Blade 3 most of the winter and the 6.6 if the wind picks up. It would have to be really blowing to use the 4. Then it might be too uncomfortable/windchill/cold to be out in. However if you want to start underpowered then use the 4. Soon though I am sure you will want to jump!!

 

Blades pack easier than LEIs and have better safety on snow.

 

Regards - Mark

[geir]

I started off snowkiting on a Blade III 4,9 one and a half year ago as a flying practice for kitesurfing. Really got hooked on it and have since taken up the land and water stuff aswell.

You can see from my sign. what kites I fly. I've had a Frenzy 04 9,5m aswell (just replaced it for a 05 10m). I think it's all good. Obviously LEIs are better suited for the water but are just as good for snow once your up and going (you really need the 5th line though for relaunch as the kite slips away on the snow). They also don't pack as nicely and no fun pumping up in the cold.

I would go for the two Blades. Gives you much better windrange than a single LEI. Someone suggested a Frenzy 05 10m, which is a really good kite but I would go for two kites instead of one any day not knowing what wind I would get depower or not. A Blade 9 (fixed bridle) has a hell of a lot more grunt than a Frenzy 05 10m if you get really low wind.

The Blade 4 tops the high end of a Frenzy 10m and the Blade 9m tops the low end of a Frenzy 10m - go figure.

 

My 2cnts

[Mikeb666]

hi,

 

I did the 04/05 season in tignes. If you want to get any decent snowkiting your gonna have to go up to the glacier. Dont worry its not dangerious. As you've stated you've been snowboarding for 10 years so i guess your pretty good and are used to the mountians. I was using my 12m frenzy 04 when i was there. but i would go with ur blades as the pack up nice and small and u do have a massive wind range to fly. I have read alot about snowkiting and people saying that u dont need much wind to get going. I guess if you snowkiting on piste bashed snow then yea. But if you're trying to snowkite in 2-3 foot of powder. You're gonna be quite a pull to get your self cruising through the powder. And as your going in possibly the coldest part of the season i expect there will be lots of powder to ride. Which will be awesome.

To be honest i u will be lucky to get some decent wind for snowkiting i was there for 5 months and only got about 3 - 4 good sessions, but i didnt really try to snowkite alot so i guess i missed some good sessions. The easiest way to get to the glacier is to get the funicular up to the glacier, then go to the right of the restaurant at the top from there you should be able to see a large space where some microlights land its also just past the snowpark that is open in the summer, that is where you should kite. Its very safe as its right next to the piste, and dont worry the microlights only fly when its not very windy.

Hope u have good wind. If not you have a long run back down to the resort from the glacier., Which is normaly full of mogals!!

[mike c]

I took my frenzies and my blade out last year and didn't get any wind. Only there 10 days though. Still, had a mid week dump of snow and blue skies the rest of the time so I guess I shouldn't moan.

[AliB]

no wind wen i was there

[mister_burns]

hi,

 

I did the 04/05 season in tignes. If you want to get any decent snowkiting your gonna have to go up to the glacier. Dont worry its not dangerious. As you've stated you've been snowboarding for 10 years so i guess your pretty good and are used to the mountians. I was using my 12m frenzy 04 when i was there. but i would go with ur blades as the pack up nice and small and u do have a massive wind range to fly. I have read alot about snowkiting and people saying that u dont need much wind to get going. I guess if you snowkiting on piste bashed snow then yea. But if you're trying to snowkite in 2-3 foot of powder. You're gonna be quite a pull to get your self cruising through the powder. And as your going in possibly the coldest part of the season i expect there will be lots of powder to ride. Which will be awesome.

To be honest i u will be lucky to get some decent wind for snowkiting i was there for 5 months and only got about 3 - 4 good sessions, but i didnt really try to snowkite alot so i guess i missed some good sessions. The easiest way to get to the glacier is to get the funicular up to the glacier, then go to the right of the restaurant at the top from there you should be able to see a large space where some microlights land its also just past the snowpark that is open in the summer, that is where you should kite. Its very safe as its right next to the piste, and dont worry the microlights only fly when its not very windy.

Hope u have good wind. If not you have a long run back down to the resort from the glacier., Which is normaly full of mogals!!

 

Nice feedback, tignes is in an ace area to ride.

 

Personally, I've taken my kiting kit on 2 trips to the mountains; I get there, get a lift pass and the rest is history! It would be great to snowkite, but I feel I need to go somewhere specifically for it esp. while there's vert to be had.. lap the lifts!

 

Maybe I just need more time in the mountains...

[john_crossland]

If ur goin up that way on the glacier and youve headed down right after the restaurant your now facing down the mountain, beacuse youve turned the resaurant is on your right the snowpark on your left. If you go on the large area of the off piste between the snowpark (left) and piste (right to you but running along the left side of restaurant) Go left a long way down that off piste flat section and there is a bit of a nice off piste cliff series to negotiate down. Ending with a wicked fast run off piste all the way back to val claret.

 

Anyone ever done that?? i found it following a uni group who didnt know where they were going

 

P.S sorry if i confused you with my lefts and rights. I aint bn to tignes in over a year now.

[Plugus Maximus]

I tried and failed to meet up with Hulkiebear there for a fly last season but the wind was either non existent or the conditions deteriorated to whiteout.

[2 the mountains]

wow what how nice it is to see so much feedback on this issue..... i am in North California and just got two new kites wait for it....... blade 3 .6.6 and 8.5 fly the blade ll at the mo and everything i have heard about the threes is there better so if this is true then these new ones are gunna be killer........... btw going to play on a 14K foot volcano i grew up next called Mt Shasta what a place in fact it was the snow that poped into my mind first time i held a kite ..... just wondeing if i will want to bother taking kite down and free skiing or will i just want to keep flying ??? the fun thing is i will get to find out ..... let it snow oh yeah and blow too... my advise man ... just do it and have a blast....... btw have holliday cottage if any interested in uk to let,,,, pm me if interested....

[2 the mountains]

jsut noticed i should change my info on my profile.... not uk now us was it that long ago i joined???? lots of good time since.....

[kitehighland]

if ur flying on handles then i would harness up to protect your hands. i snowkite in scotland and used handles only once without a harness as the pressure pushed the warm blood from my fingers, and while i didnt get frostbite, it bloody well hurt

[Goughy]

Echoing what others have said - Tignes is cool, did a season in Val D'Isere, spent most of the time over there.

Dont really know much about snowkiting, but assume you want flat + wind ?

If so, theres a cracking flat area if you take the cable car up to the top, then bear left on the way down that piste. It heads over to a cool off-piste run, think its called the wall. Not sure if theres any wind there, but its nice and flat.