Still Snowkiting, late into May!
Posted on May 26, 2005 by Brian

Its been good till the last drop at Skyline, Utah. Fresh snow in early May added 2 feet of pow to extend the season a bit longer. Unfortunately, white out conditions for a week straight kept riders from seeing how good it really was. As the final storm moved out, blue skies unveiled the white gold. It's hitting 70 degrees during the day, and we are snowkiting in T-shirts while riding on mid-winter snow conditions. If this is wrong, don't let me be right!

With the solid snow-pack and addition coverage, Skyline is offering up great riding through the month of May. with summer heat, when it goes it will melt quick, but until then, it will be good till the last drop. Keep our fingers crossed for June Snowkiting in Utah!

Baffin Kite Expedition
Posted on May 07, 2005 by Brian

The North Face has sponsored a Team of female athletes who are currently exploring remote areas of Baffin Island with Ozone Snowkites. The Expedition is using kites to cross miles of frozen sea ice, with the goal of reaching untouched couloirs and skiing them.

Here is a report from the Team, click here for more!

So far, we have been blessed with the most incredible weather! Granted, the cold is still unbelievable and we were all naive thinking we'd get used to it!!
Two days ago we had ideal winds for busting out our kites. With our 5 and 7 meter kites we were whipping around on the fjord for hours, equal parts getting worked and having a blast!

NABX - North American Buggy Expo
Posted on Apr 28, 2005 by Brian

The NABX is the new name for the 10 year running Spring Break Buggy Blast, where Powerkiters gather in the desert to celebrate a week of wind. This year was no exception, 150 participants amassed on Ivanpah Dry Lake in the Mojave desert for the kitebuggy freeriding, buggy races and freestyle demonstrations.

This year there were many more sheetable kites on the lake bed, showing a growing trend towards these large wind range kites. Not only were many racers on kites that de-powered, there were many riders taking advantage of the friendly 3 meter Frenzy during the gusty winds. When the winds were too strong to hold down a standard 2 meter quad kite, the 3 Frenzy was out cruising with ease. You have full power, yet feel hardly any pull on your arms, and you could wing the kite around with very little danger of being yanked out of the buggy. The 3 meter Frenzy is by far the ultimate high-wind desert kite!

The conditions came in great nearly every day, and allowed for the first official Kite Groundboarding competition in the US. While KiteGroundBoarders have been pushing their style in the desert for years, this Spring offered the first opportunity for a head to head competition on Californias dry lakes. A dozen riders from across the country joined together for a KGB freestyle expression session. Two ramps were set out and the riders began pushing eachother, busting out Surf, Snow and Skate style moves. Christoph Riddle (Ozone) tied for first with Gabe Shortman (Liquid Force), followed by Eric Stone (Real). Christoph took the lead landing the most technical trick of the day, a handle pass off the lip of the ramp, which scored him a new GI Board! Congrats to everyone that got out there and pushed their skillz on the hardpack, it was awesome to see so many KGBer's out killing it. Videos at www.madkiting.com show some of the goods.

The Bay Area Boyz represented with style. Their home spot at Ocean Beach must offer some pretty sweet riding, because these lads were charging everything. Elton was constantly leaving the ground on his buggy and Loren was hitting the ramp as hard as the top dawgs.

Thanks as always to Mike (& Dave) for cooking a feast of meals throughout the week. And a big thank you to the organisers that put this event on and helped to make it a low stress and fun environment.

Ozone Snowkite Masters
Posted on Apr 28, 2005 by Brian

The Ozone Snowkite Masters combined epic conditions with great people for the ultimate event of this winter season. The US Snowkite Tribe came together at 9800 feet above sea level for a weekend of Freeriding and good times. Chasta hosted the event which was attended by snowkiters from nearly every corner of the country. The vibe was positive and everyone chose their own pace, some sessioned the hills with Chasta while others lounged around Basecamp, enjoying the tunes that the DJ pumped out. Red Bull and Ska Brewing were on hand making sure no one went thirsty, while the Ozone BBQ kept everyone belly full. Over 70 kiters registered for the event, with skill levels ranging from novice to some of our nations elite.

Skyline is a place where everyone can have a great time and push their riding to new levels, and everybody took home new skills. The Apr�s ski entertainment was found in town below, where keg stands and bar-top dancing were the norm. Chip from UN got a hold of a microphone and started singing, and at one point he had the entire bar chanting for more. It was definitely western hospitality at its finest.

The Snowkite Masters has left a lasting impression on all who attended and set the pace for future gatherings. We look forward to seeing everyone and more again next winter.

Snowkiting Utah with Chasta & Family
Posted on Mar 16, 2005 by Brian

Chasta arrived in the US a week before the OSKM to snowkite with his family and explore new locations with the Ozone USA tribe. First stop was Skyline Drive for a mountain session, where Chasta warmed up with a series of road gaps and hill flights. It is amazing to watch how smooth he is in the air, he doesn't just fly, he flows. While I traversed across a slope with my board on the ground, he hovered in the air next to me taking an airborne line, touching down a half mile down the ridge. Words cannot describe the sensations.

When the wind died down Chasta took his daughter for rides in his Dakine pack. She sits behind him pleading to go faster and loving every minute of it.

We are psyched to have Chasta with us here in Utah and encourage everyone to come out and ride this weekend at the Ozone Snowkite Masters. This is an awesome opportunity to witness the top level of Snowkiting and ride together with our nations growing Snowkite Tribe. As Chasta would say, "Follow me........If you want."

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