Ultimate Snowkiting Checklist (Kitesurf in SNOW!)

Want to go snowkiting (kiteboarding in the snow)? Here's our ultimate snowkite checklist - covering the wind, snow, conditions, locations and gear, plus 8 essential must-have items to have a great session! If we've missed anything, let us know in the comments below. Enjoy :)
Laurent Guyot aka lolobsd:
KZbin - / lolobsdkiteboarding
Facebook - / lolobsd
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Gear we use + discount codes: www.ourkitelife.com/p/gear-we...

[@ragnaringibergsson562]

Last year I splurged on step-in bindings for snowkiting; it's a game changer and makes for relaxing launching. Your eyes and hands are free to take care of the kite.

[@OurKiteLife]

Would be interested in trying step in bindings! Once it’s time to upgrade our snowkiting set-up we’ll look into them

[@jeffzxy]

Great video! I do windsurfing in summer and snowboarding in the winter. I am living GTA. Your video make me thinking: I should do kitesurfing in summer and winter...

[@SonLeDang]

I think a climbing harness would be perfect on the snow. They have enough adjustability to go over your jacket and pants, while the leg loops are made to stop the harness from rising up on your torso. Cheapest ones starting from $30...

[@OurKiteLife]

thats a good idea actually!

[@jhmoose72]

Very nice video that should get more people interested in this really fun sport. Been at it in north michigan for the last 14 years with many great sessions. Although i have never needed them i always try to have a pair of short ice picks with me just in case i'm kiting by my self. Waiting for the wind this weekend on burt lake.

[@MandrilSolo]

Thank you thank you ! Gracias gracias !, You explain every thing so easily.... Keep’m coming 😃

[@OurKiteLife]

Thanks! Happy you like the videos :)

[@Slalomer83]

dont forget to set your kite up to minimal bar pressure (steering lines at the edge of the kite) this decreases the strength needed to steer the kite and avoids cold hands because you got a better blood circulation in your fingers - this trick doubled the lenght of my sessions... ;-)

[@OurKiteLife]

That's a great tip! Thank you for sharing :)

[@MrAlexandr561]

Thank you. All your videos are very nice made!

[@OurKiteLife]

Thanks, glad you like them!

[@karlmartinlind5070]

Thanks for great advice

[@Salabunda]

Moving to south Alberta. Looking forward to snowkiting. Not much here on Vancouver Island

[@MatDGVLL]

these videos are so qualitative 🙌

[@supericeman2222]

Nice job on the vid guys! Great looking spot as well!

[@OurKiteLife]

Thanks so much! Yeah, it's a great spot - we've been multiple times this winter :)

[@livingthedream_camperlife]

Nice video, with lots of information!!! Thanks for that. I bought myself a snowboard the other day but the snow is far from coming. It's 10 till 14°C here in Holland, like there's no winter at all, unfortunately. I like to see you having lots of fun out there. Keep making those videos, I like!!!!!

[@OurKiteLife]

Thanks!! Haha - the grass is always greener - I wouldn't mind having your weather right now, getting tired of the freezing cold here :D

[@miataleica]

Great info thanks

[@OurKiteLife]

Thank you :)

[@davidgundrum6839]

Nice views, 10 to 15 knots is definitely perfect for snow-kiting, whether inflatable or foil. Like you mentioned, the type and thickness of snowpack is pretty important to a good session. Skis can give you a bit more speed but may feel unnatural if you're used to kiteboarding on water primarily.

[@FunRider31]

For the wind, it really depends of where you kite and what you do... For touring in the mountains, 25-30kt and a small foil kite (such as Flysurfer Peak) is very fun!

[@ABESuperKiteDay]

Try a Mystic Warrior waist harness combined with a Black Diamond Momentum Harness. You get the benefit of the spinal support from a waist harness and the comfort of a seat harness.

[@OurKiteLife]

Nice - thanks for the suggestion!

[@wiktorjajcarz448]

Great video! :D

[@OurKiteLife]

Thank you!

[@jonas2674]

If even a little unsure about the thickness of the ice, I would recommend ice picks.

[@OurKiteLife]

For sure - better to be safe than sorry

[@vibinoutside]

Shout out to ORILLIA, was out on Couchiching yesterday!

[@OurKiteLife]

It’s one of our favourite snowkiting spots!

[@madmadz1624]

At tip 6 i would suggest keeping it down until you feel you are getting a bit cold so the mask doesn’t get wet and icy.

[@OurKiteLife]

Good point, thanks!

[@denysmst]

Super video. . Love the content. Bring Minions-hahaha

[@OurKiteLife]

Thanks Denys! Great times snowkiting this season! :D

[@KL-ju2co]

Wind dedication!! all the way! and yes - @feritall - i'm the guy untangling the lines all the time. Good Point!

[@OurKiteLife]

Thanks! And yeah - untangling lines in the cold is probably the least fun thing possible about snowkiting

[@summerhawk55]

Would love suggestions on which snow kite to purchase...pleez n thanx you! Great vid☺️💜

[@OurKiteLife]

Thanks :) you don’t need to buy a kite specifically for snow kiting - we have always used the same kites that we use on the water for snow

[@_Kirill]

🤩👍

[@brockwidmann9210]

I am still looking for spots to go in but the winters have been mild sadly. Was looking for fields instead of frozen lakes in Southern Ontario.

[@OurKiteLife]

Some winters are better than others! A “good” winter for snowkiting for us is only 5-10 sessions total. We didn’t snowkite at all this winter :( Good idea - maybe you can find a friendly farmer who will let you kite on their fields :)

[@raffavalle8]

Where di you guys skiing?

[@2007dalin]

any tips on binding settings? im fairly experienced in downhill snowboarding but i have a real hard time so far getting comfortable leg position while edging up wind properly.. especially riding switch

[@OurKiteLife]

Honestly we don’t, and face the same challenge ourselves at the moment. If we come across something that makes for a more comfortable leg position we’ll make sure to share it :)

[@feritall]

How about making sure your lines are all ready to go before leaving the house? Last thing you want to do in -20 is untangling lines!

[@OurKiteLife]

Yeah - untangling lines is annoying enough, but having to do it in the freezing cold is the worst!

[@denysmst]

I never removed lines . Keep them attached

[@denysmst]

My setup takes 6min including pumping kite

[@whatsupbudbud]

@@denysmstwow, never thought of that. Thanks for the tip! 💥

[@CyberDoxy]

Everybody thumbs up!) Not only watching super great info videos for free;))

[@galactock]

:-) Odiously we... would enjoy more lovely ladies kite boarding with the silly boys!

[@galactock]

Well I'm an Old man and wear a helmet, knee-pads, elbow-pads, hockey pants for my nice ass, and a silk balaclava :-)

[@OurKiteLife]

Hockey pants! Haven’t heard of that before :D are you from Canada? Sounds like a very Canadian thing to do

[@galactock]

@@OurKiteLife I'm in Madison WI, a little hip and ass protection does my body good!

[@galactock]

I'm Ben in this semi recent local video.. vimeo.com/245510161

[@maiazybaikina8203]

What do you think about Flysurfer Viron 3 as the first foil kite?

[@OurKiteLife]

We have only tried it once on a beach - we don’t have enough experience with it to say, sorry!

[@caroetsebas6313]

The Viron 3 is a nice and safe kite, very easy to control and sturdy. Not expansive if you want to get into the sport. Got it as my first foil kite and still enjoy using it. For those low end wind snowboarding sessions, I love my single skin FS Peak 4. Did somebody tried the new Peak 5? @Our Kite Life : You are doing a amazing job with your vlog. I've learned so many things. Thank you so much!!!

[@vagdemarrs]

You didn't mention that you can use a climbing harness instead of a kitesurf harness, it's lighter and stronger ...

[@ianporter8469]

Agreed. I switched to a climbing harness because it's less cumbersome to walk about in and lighter to carry up the hill if you need to. It can go under pants, and under your jacket if you have 2 zippers to leave a hole for the attachment.

[@OurKiteLife]

We haven’t tried it ourselves or know anyone who has. Thanks for sharing that it works though :)

[@vagdemarrs]

@@OurKiteLife Give it a try it's a game changer

[@bodhisar]

Nice tips) What country is it?

[@OurKiteLife]

Canada :)

[@dgrfsthrgsergwrtghasefq]

Big wads of car keys in any pocket is a really bad idea, take the single key you need and leave the rest behind. Personally seen several people with puncture injuries in their skin over the years from falling on the snow with huge key-rings in their pockets

[@OurKiteLife]

Ouch! That’s a great tip though - thank you for sharing :)

[@lisanolp3694]

Need to know the location!! Could you please share? 🥰

[@OurKiteLife]

Orillia curling club, just on the lake north of it

[@lisanolp3694]

@@OurKiteLife thank you so much 🥰

[@sebweb2492]

1:38 datt shit sounded like he broke a rib

[@blackrun14b]

9:40 don't eat yellow snow!

[@teleguy333]

Hey, just watched this video. I'm an avid telemark skier. I live on Hilda st in Orillia. Walking distance to tudhope park. With the ski hills closed my interest in kiteboarding/skiing is at an all-time high. I walk my dogs down to tudhope and watch the kiteboarders throughout the day and want to try it out...I'm athletic and generally catch on quickly...I have a couple of climbing seat harnesses and necessary ski clothing, helmet, ect....I just need to make friends with someone who has a spare kite and lines ect...anyone interested in spreading the kiteboarding love?

[@OurKiteLife]

Hey, that’s awesome you’re interested in learning to kite! We would highly recommend getting lessons - it’s really a necessary step for knowing the safety protocols, theory and instructors provide great feedback that will help speed up the learning curve. Check out Denys at CKSS.ca - he was in Orillia yesterday teaching lessons :) oh and look into harnesses at Silent Sports - a climbing harness won’t work. Cheers!

[@teleguy333]

Good to know! Thanks for the info!

[@charliewernette]

I'll save you the time it's $$$.

[@MennolAbeesports]

Meanwhile in the Netherlands it's 19 degrees in february...

[@OurKiteLife]

Nice! We're hoping for some similar temperatures soon...

[@since_96]

Is someone playing animal crossing in the background? And you didn't even invite me to your island?

[@johnnykhawand]

It is not a good idea to put something that would break in the jacket pocket, i broke my phone because of the pressure from the harness :)

[@OurKiteLife]

Oh no, that sucks! I usually keep my cell phone in the pocket of my snow pants, but I do worry I might break it if I bail. Maybe I'll leave it in the car next time :)

[@collider4378]

Trashed my brand new phone last weekend snow kiting with it in my lower snow pants pocket. Will definitely be leaving it behind next time. Love your videos OKL.

[@OurKiteLife]

Oh man, I'm sorry to hear that! From now I think I'll just stick to the GoPro and forget the phone. Glad you like the videos :)

[@patros6613]

Brrrr why dit you do this ? is the reraly Fun ? i dont think so . i love the free filing in Ägypt to Kite in a Short and Licra only that is realy Fun for me . sorry for my bad English .

[@OurKiteLife]

Snowkiting is a lot of fun! You don’t get cold if you dress properly and it keeps us kiting year round :)

[@borgestoronto]

Hi, how can I do to see or enjoy your kitesurf group? I went to Cumbuco-Brazil to learn kitesurfing and I want to practice on snow to improve and don’t forget what I learned in Brazil. I live in Mímico. Merry Christmas and have great new year

[@OurKiteLife]

Hey Edson, We don’t live in Ontario anymore but recommend joining some local Facebook and Whatsapp kiting groups. Also check out CKSS.ca - great community of kiters. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

[@borgestoronto]

@@OurKiteLife thanks for the tips. I will try to find the groups and talk to someone and see how to enjoy the groups. One more time thanks for your great videos… you are doing a wonderful job to explain kitesurf. You too. Best regards.