Kitewing winter locations

• Snow Farm
• Dirt Park
• Cardronna
• Mt Olympus
• Mt Potts/ Erewhon Station
• Lake Lyndon
• Queenstown/ Glenorchy
• Round Hill, Fox Peak and Mt Dobson
• Hamner Springs

Yes!

the kitewing can now be ridden on several of the smaller club fields throughout the South Island. To get up and down the slopes easily with the kitewing (t bars are best) and you do need GOOD snow coverage...

I have tried Fox Peak, Mt Olympus, Roundhill, and Mt Cheeseman all suited to the KW use, but fields with nut krackers require you to dissassembel your wing and go up again or good wind to ride the KW about the slopes (updraft is best).. So for you out there wanting small and more acceptable areas for KW use try Round Hill, Mt Dobson, Fox Peak, Hamner Springs and for more advanced riders Mt Olympus under the cliffs along the top of the field- there is great rolling terrain. Try MT Olympus on a NW.

It is essential that regardless of which field you use your KW on that you tell the staff your intentions; these areas are ok with the KW use, especially Mt Olympus and Fox Peak. Also be aware of your limits and skill, don't go where you are unfamiliar and above your ability level, you can get into some strife as generally mountainous terrain and ski areas have steeper slopes and many have unmarked hazards such as cliffs.

To access some of the most impressive snow and kitewinging terrain we highly recommend you look into a Chill Pass. The most versatile Ski Pass in Australasia that gives you access to enjoy the most epic Kiwi snow sporting (and kitewinging on ski fields) experiences.

This site provides all the info, links and details you need,
click here...

For those of you that will go backcountry to carve up the hills with your kitewing- or have a day combining kitewing riding with snow boarding/ skiing then check out what the Mountain Safety Council / Avalanche Advisory rates the risk in the area that you plan to go.

check out avalanche.net.nz

Also check out snow.co.nz or chillout.co.nz for the weather and ski conditions in your destination!

I EMPHASIZE THE GLIDE RATIO OF A KITEWING IS LIMITED, IT IS NOT DESIGNED TO BE USED AS A PROPER GLIDER so IF YOU JUMP OFF CLIFFS THE WING WON'T SUPPORT YOU. YOUR LANDING WILL HURT OR POSSIBLY KILL.

I recommend you skope the area you intend to use the kw on first. Beware, stay on the snow and give yourself plenty of room to turn around, if you can't see the grounds ahead there is a high likelihood you are about to kite off a cliff.

Current list of Kitewing friendly Ski areas:

Keep checking with me as I am working with all the areas and ski fields, so this list will continue to grow!

For snow farm you need to check in with the office, they will ask you pay for the road toll $10. There are two areas to use your kitewing: Though you may think the whole area is wide open for KW use, you may find yourself either hit by testing cars or sworn at by cross country skiers. The below are approved kitewing use areas by the Snow Farm owners, and the safest option.. Please do not avoid the advice of the field staff and go through cross country tracks, they are very expensive to maintain and time consuming, unless you can miraculously kitewing while remaining within the skinny XC tracks you will damage them, and we will be banned from access to any part of the region in future. Try these sites they are approved and awesome, especially the field towards Mt Pisa- Wow!

First choice is the easy option:

An area used most often by fellow kite riders, so you might find it quite esily if kiters are already using the area. It is along the top of the hill to the south west of the main Snow Farm buildings. Park at the far west end of the main buildings/ car park, look towards Mt Aspiring and the hill directly in front of you is it, you will be riding along the top of that and into a basin behind it which you can not see from the car park. It is a limited area in terms of space but still plenty. Good for SW, NW, NE. This area is free to use and has no obvious hazards like car testing and cross country tracks to avoid. Note: access is through the cross country areas and a couple of car testing routes so stay alert and be respectful of the work put into creating and maintaining those tracks, if we abuse it we will lose it! It will take about 15 minutes to walk to the KW use site/ hill top.

Cont. OUR CHOICE AREA:

A short half to three quarter hour hike or back country ski (for free heel skiers this idea is the tops), to the Doc Hut on the way to Mt Pisa. From that hut towards the Peak there is a wide expansive area perfect for Kitewing use, without the worry of any cars or irate cross country skiers. This areas is best covered in snow (20cm+), wind directions NW,SW, SE and NE, direct N or Southerlies will not work. We have been given permission to use this area, however if you venture into either of the car testing or X country ski area you may be rudely confronted and asked to leave, further you may get us all kicked out of the area. Don't ruin it for the rest of the Kitewing community, this is still early days!

The views of the surrounding area and to Mt Aspiring from here is breath taking. Though a bit of exercise to access it is well worth the effort! You can spend the whole day there, so bring your goodies and plan a day of it.You may find you bump into the KW crew up there this year as we will be basing ourselves there August onwards.

Access: It is to the far east of the Snow Park car park, a small hill behind a couple of sheds and container, walk up the top of that slope (5 minutes) and you will stand on what is an expanse of flat to rolling terrain. Some of the terrain is steeper, this is good for down hill riding but make sure you don't mind walking back up or that the wind is strong enough to blow you back up. If you stay along the top you will be able to return to the car by KW as opposed to hiking. It is a new area that we are continually testing but I have had two good days on Southerlies and NNW.

Has a great big flat area perfect for kitewing use along the top of the mountain, you don't need much wind to get the kitewing pulling you on this snow as it is hard packed most of the time and you can find yourself gliding pretty fast if the wind hits 15-20km/h (quite common for this area). However you will come across some uncertainty by field staff to start with, this relationship is still being cultivated. They are concerned with the safety of the beginner skiers who use this area, it is very wide so we should be fine, we will need to be aware that kids and beginner skiers use a big part of this slope so when it is a busy day on the mountain they will not allow us up there, however on quieter days there are no problems!

This area is eager to see us out there, but you need to be up to speed on your nut cracker skills (lift access is only by nut crackers) and you need to also be a skilled skier/ snowboarder and kitewing rider. The area is up the very top along the base of the cliffs you see from the lodge. The terrain is 10-20% sloping and rolling, so it is not hard, some of the terrain is flat and you can even get back up the slopes with enough wind. It is best on a NW, though this can be gusty, a good Nw can make for some fun KW riding. There are a lot of cliffs and hazards, so if you don't see the slope you can be heading for a big crash, stop n turn around. Don't bother going down the slopes and gliding along the slope here is NOT RECOMMENDED, so pac your kw up at the top and ski with it in thebag over your shoulder.

Needless to say the whole of the Lake Somner and Mt Potts access area when covered in snow is brilliant for KW use. Permission is required by the farmers (I will get/add contact details shortly). So spend a day at Erewhon station ski Mt Potts (cat ski/snowboard) and KW on the flats in the basin.what a day!

When it is cold enough you can use the KW on the fozen lake, SW, NW winds from 18 knots and you can go anywhere on the lake. You do need for it to be blowing more as the wind is inconsistent (wrapping around the hill next to the lake).

The most amazing area is accessible by 4*4 about 15 minutes past Glenorchy drive towards Paradise Valley. HOwever you will require good snow cover and you may need beefy 4*4 and/or chains to access this areaa. If the ground is not covered in snow the conditions are not appropriate really. Prev wind SE/ NE. There is an awesome luxury cottage offering both backpacker through to luxury accomodations. This is about 5 minutes drive from the valley where you are using to KW, (contact us for more info).

I have been advised by other riders that Round Hill is the best beginner area offering perfect KW terrain. The later two are being investigated for access and KW use/ suitability.

This area is great for intermediate skiers and kw gliding..it tends not to be very busy, as long as you get permission and avoid busier slopes with the skiers, use KW at the end and beginning of days is most preferred. The down side is the wind is less likely. There is a cat access company that will take you to the best powder skiing and kitewing riding areas in the region- we are working with them now to get all the pricing and info's coming soon..

10./ Ski areas in North Island are still being tested & addressed.

Ride On!