Bend Kite Crew’s Winter KiteFest Wrap-up
The Bend Kite Crew’s inaugural event was last weekend and marked and important turning point in snowkiting events. The Winter Kitefest was the first big event to be staged in the backcountry and require snowmobile access to the event site. To accomplish this task they limited the number of entries and built a regular army of boat-pulling snowmobiles to get people and gear where they needed to be. Yes. You read that correctly. Boats. The Bend Kite crew has discovered that little aluminum skiffs make great sleds in the winter and allowed them to transport a stack of gear and people.
Snowmobile Supported Event photo by Kirk Patzloff
The Winter Kitefest experienced a common challenge with all snowkiting events; light wind. Saturday’s wind was light enough that a few people kited, but most enjoyed the bluebird day and the beer. Sunday’s wind was better with lots of kites in the air and Alex Peterson pulling out all the stops (in typical Alex form) soaring to the crowd’s hoots and hollering.
The Bend Kite Crew is hoping that the next event will have the added advantage of a snowcat to get more people and their gear up the hill and into the fun. Check out the gallery of images on the BKC website for images of the site and the event.
Thanks to all the sponsors including… Eclipse Kites, Ocean Rodeo, Kite-line.com, Naish, Ozone, Thule, North, Flysurfer, Dakine, Kite Addicts, Cabrinha, and Elk Lake Resort.
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