Like many recent sports, snowkite is an evolution of several sports merging together.
In the beginning, there was snowboarding on one side, and kitesurfing (itself a mix of surfing and paragliding or sport kite flying) on the other side. In the search for new adrenalin fixes and new sensations, a few passionate surfers and paragliders came up with the concept of snowkiting. The sport evolved with it's own equipment and own school of rules and regulations for practising and we are proud to be able to offer it as part of our Undiscovered Mountains portfolio!
The concept of snowkiting is quite simple and you don’t need to be an expert skier or snowboarder to enjoy the many sensations provided by the speed and the jumps this activity allows. A couple of lessons are usually enough for anybody to get the hang of the equipment, as long as they’re comfortable enough on skis or on a board.
Though physical at first, it is not as extreme as kitesurfing, and more generally, it takes a lot less wind to move you across the snow than if you were kitesurfing on the water.
You can snowkite with either skis or a snowboard on, which makes it an activity accessible to both boarders or skiers and is possible for children from the age of 10. The most talented snowkiters usually prefer to use a board, as there is more flexibility in the movements and jumps you can do, but doing it with skis on is great fun too.
The other benefit of snowkiting is that it is doable on any type of snow: powder, ski pistes, natural or artificial! This makes it a very flexible sort that can be practised in many different locations.
The only imperative for a safe practice of this activity is to weigh at least 30kgs / 70lb and to be able to descend a blue piste on skis or snowboard or have the equivalent of your 2 star ESF ski test.