You can do it on skis. On a snowboard. Or with ice skates. I'm talking about the sport of kitewing. Sweden's kitewing season gets going in December and lasts into March, providing a big wintertime adrenaline rush!
Kitewing is a cross between windsurfing and kitesurfing, on ice or snow. It's becoming a hugely popular sport in Sweden. Wikipedia says "a kitewing can reach speeds of over 90 km/hour. Some very experienced pilots can perform controlled jumps of up to 500 meters or perform jump turns and other advanced maneuvers."
Kitewingsthlm.se claims beginners can learn all the basics of how to kitewing in about 30 minutes.
Kitewingers sail across the ice or snow while holding onto an ultralight wing with both hands. You can kitewing on ice, snow and sand but not on water. The wing is not deisgned for that. There are no lines to maneuver and the wing is depowerable.
I'm curious to try it out, even though I'm certain my attempt to kitewing would not look anywhere nearly as elegant as this video shot on Sweden's frozen Lake Kloten....
Monday, December 1, 2008
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