2008 Snowkite Summit

[windzup]

Windzup and Drift Snowkite magazine have teamed up to make this years Snowkite Summit a bigger season kickoff than ever before.

Where is it? SKYLINE, one of the few locations offering epic conditions early in the winter.

When is it? First weekend in December.... IKO clinics start on the 3rd, with most of the Summit running Friday thru Sunday the 5-7th.

What is it? A gathering of Snowkiters, Freeriders, Instructors, Shop Owners and Manufacturers. This 'Collective' of Snowkite Souls is what makes the Snowkite Summit so special.

Why attend? Share knowledge, Ride with new friends, Grow the Sport, Test & Demo equipment in Real World conditions, and be a part of the growing Snowkite movement. This year we are offering IKO's 1st US Snowkite Instructor course, Hosting A Snowkite Film review, and offering clinics from Avalanche awareness to Wilderness First Aid.

FREE to the public and everyone is invited. If you are interested in attending, know a retailer that could benefit from the experience, or if there is a product in particular that you would like to see & demo at the Summit... please contact Heather at Info@windzup.com to get dialed in.

Check out the website for updates and schedule... www.SnowkiteSummit.com

Skyline has already received early snowfall and Snowkiters have been on it all week!

[lesvierra]

Brian/Heather, I think its great that you're putting on this event. (In addition to everything else you doing that weekend) I think its even greater that you're inviting other kite vendors to set up and demo gear. I've never been to the kite expo at pismo beach, but I think it would be nice to have a similar event on snow here in Utah.

[Leo Chan]

Would there be a beginner clinic or some lesson for beginners at the summit? Thanks.

~Leo

[windzup]

Yes, there will be clinics for all levels of ability, and with an ITC (Instructor course) running, there will be some student spots to fill as well.

In other news (literally) I found this online. Apparently Men's Journal is helping to spread the word about Skyline.
http://www.ajc.com/services/content/tra ... _news.html

Windzup,
Brian Schenck.

BTW - Thanks for the good words Les, much appreciated. In an open format to grow snowkiting, and position Utah as a prime source for that experience, we are gaining more support from more manufacturers....

... So far Mystic, Flysurfer, HQ, Best, Liquid Force, Ozone and a few others will be coming together with Windzup to grow the sport of Snowkiting at Skyline... We hope that the Utah locals will also show in force to let these out-o-towners know how strong of a Snowkite population we have here in Utah.

[Leo Chan]

Thanks, Brian. I will plan to attend with couple of adventurous friends then.

[Marty Lowe]

http://www.driftsnowkitemag.com/drift/2 ... ust-go-on/

Although storms over the holiday weekend dumped good quantities of snow in Colorado, the high pressure sitting over Utah prevented any significant snowfall at Skyline. There is another small system that holds a little hope for Skyline, tomorrow, but conditions are still very early season.

The Snowkite Summit will continue as scheduled. The original idea for the event, to bring the leaders in the snowkite industry together to grow the sport, remains even if the kiting won’t be ideal. There will still be great opportunities to demo the season’s new kites, check out the new snowkiteboard from Twisted, and see the North American premier of Dimensions by Snowkitefilm.com.

The press release follows…

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Snowkite Summit Event Focuses on Growing Snowkiting Despite Lack of Early Season Snow

Skyline, Utah, United States - December 1, 2008 - Industry gathering at the world renowned snowkiting destination will focus on developing the action sport despite lack of early season snow.

At the forefront of the action sport of snowkiting, the Snowkite Summit is a gathering of the industry leaders to discuss and plan the growth of the sport. A series of sessions, talks and roundtable discussions including Wilderness Medicine for snowkiters, a snowkite Avalanche clinic, industry discussions and the premier of the new snowkite film Dimensions.

An early season storm brought approximately 20 inches of snow in early November, but unseasonably warm weather and a ridge of high pressure has kept the storms that bring the world famous Utah powder out of Utah. “We have had great early season conditions every year for the Snowkite Summit,” says Heather Schenck of Windzup one of the organizers of the event. “Last year a storm dropped 30 inches the day before the event and it snowed all weekend.”

There is one more possibility for snow in the forecast before the start of the event on Friday the 5th. Skyline will need at least a foot of snow to cover the remaining 4 inches and exposed rocks before it will be safe for beginners to snowkite.

“Although we are all excited to snowkite after a long summer, sometimes the weather doesn’t cooperate,” says James Brown the Creative Director of Drift Snowkite Magazine and co-organizer of the event. “Even if there isn’t snow, we can still demo the new kites from the top manufacturers. It will be good to see what all the different brands have out this year.” Event sponsors and exhibitors at the event include Best Kiteboarding, Concept Air, Flysurfer, HQ Powerkites, Mystic, Ozone Kites, Ska Brewing, Twisted Snowkiteboards, and Zeal Optics,

The Snowkite Summit runs Friday, December 5th through Sunday, December 8th and is free and open to the public. The Snowkite Summit Sessions will be held in Kite Hall in Fairview, Utah and the on-mountain clinics will be held at the Skyline event site off of highway 31. More information is available online at http://www.snowkitesummit.com

Windzup is the US distributor of snowkite and kiteboarding equipment from Ozone Kites, Twisted Snowkiteboards, Predator Helmets and more. Pioneers in snowkiting, they are located at Skyline in Utah. They can be contacted at http://www.windzup.com or by phone at (435) 462-5303.

Drift Snowkite Magazine is the premier snowkite magazine and is devoted to promoting the sport of snowkiting. The magazine is available as an environmentally sensitive and globally available download with a free subscription online at http://www.driftsnowkitemag.com.

Contact:
Dave Grossman
Stratus Media Solutions LLC
dave@stratusmediasolutions.com
(970) 270-3133

[Marty Lowe]

event schedule

http://www.snowkitesummit.com/news/wp-c ... ule-v3.pdf

[Leo Chan]

Marty, I want to register for beginner's clinic. How do I go about doing it? My girlfriend and I would like to learn. Please let me know. Thanks!

[Marty Lowe]

Leo,
All I did was Cut and Paste the above.

But I would assume you show up and ask in the tent who to see.
There will be many kite companies there, so there should be many options.

-Marty

[Kenny]

The Snowkite Summit is not going to be a good event for learning how to ride due to the limited snow coverage. However, it should be good for learning how to fly a trainer.

It will be an excellent event for locals to preview the latest and greatest in snowkiting gear - Best will have the 09 Waroo and Nemi, Ozone 09 Frenzy and Manta (09 Instinct would be really nice), Montana 09 kites, the new twisted kiteboard, and FlySurfer will be coming to Utah for the first time with the Outlaw, Psycho 4 and a couple versions of the SilverArrow. This event promises to be fun for all equipment junkies. See you up there...

[Leo Chan]

The Snowkite Summit is not going to be a good event for learning how to ride due to the limited snow coverage. However, it should be good for learning how to fly a trainer.

It will be an excellent event for locals to preview the latest and greatest in snowkiting gear - Best will have the 09 Waroo and Nemi, Ozone 09 Frenzy and Manta (09 Instinct would be really nice), Montana 09 kites, the new twisted kiteboard, and FlySurfer will be coming to Utah for the first time with the Outlaw, Psycho 4 and a couple versions of the SilverArrow. This event promises to be fun for all equipment junkies. See you up there...

Thanks, Kenny. Learning how to fly a trainer kite is all I can hope for for my girlfriend. I already knows how to fly a kite. So, it will not be a good event for me. But anything to get her excited is good for me.

[windzup]

The snow conditions are certainly not up to the high standards we set for deluxe Utah powder, but the stoke is high and the Snowkite Summit is just getting started. With a couple inches of fresh snow last night, the tent is up, the flags are out and we are all here. We are very excited to open Skyline to all the manufacturers that brought a great selection of demo gear for everyone to try. We are making the best of the current conditions and it a fun time for all. Come join us for some clinics, movies and great party. Share the stoke with other snowkiters and kick off the season with a multitude of enthusiast kiters from around the country.

[Leo Chan]

Thanks a lot, Brian and Marty. It was great meeting you guys. I am totally stoked!!! I am ready to get a kite and get it flying. See ya in Skyline soon!