Well it's Officially ON. The season here has begun and Greg and I have made some first tracks. Apparently Patrice has made some of his own in South Calgary, as there is more than enough snow (more than last year anyhow).

Our Area up here is open and we have at least two new sections to fly at. Anyone who has not been out to ride with the club or met any of the guys should contact me at the XFIELD email address on our Facebook info page (can't leave it here for the bots...).

I gotta good feelin about this season, it's going to rock! Break out your Kites!

Trip Report: Sunshine Meadows

This report just came in from Patrice.

Sunday started out bluebird, Franz and I went up Angel’s chair. Ski patrol was waiting for us and checked our ski pass!?!? I am under the impression the guy at the lift saw us with kite gear and he want to be “Employer of month” or supervisor…. What ever he called ski patrol. This tarnished my morning until I talk to the other chairlift operator, the one at the top. He read his anemometer wind average 30K and max 40K. That was it! Let’s go kiting!

We got to the meadow; look at the untouched field with anxiety. The wind was light. We launched anyway and did some back and forward pass along ski boundary, Franz and I were hesitant on going lower, we needed 3-5 more knots. We entertained our crowd. Snow kite creates lost of interest.

Franz decided to check at Standish, other spot where wind can be better. Because of my XC pass I decided to stay. After Franz left the clouds quickly blanketed the sky as I decided to launched …again…. The wind picked up 20K… quickly 30K. I was ripping the meadow all the way to Rock Island, little lake in the bottom meadow.

I climb back up the ski boundary to see Franz. He told me Standish was insane. He launched his Manta 12 and got catapulted 10M. then switched for the 7M but it was pulling then not then pulling again. So he wrapped up and came to Angel.

It snowed off and on all day mid afternoon it was hard to launch the kite because there were packed with snow. Unlike last weekend's whoomph the snowpacked seemed much more settled and very supportive (penetration 4 to 15cm). It was a great day in the meadow. I really wish Sunshine lift operator that is looking for ridiculous promotion or just frustrated by not being laid give us break!

Wapta Trip

This past Sunday, a few of us decided last minute to ski up to the Wapta Ice Field near Bow Summit in the Ice fields Parkway. I met with Pat and Chris again at the Petro Can on the highway and this time we were joined by Jeff (KiteSource.Ca) Doepker. An early start was needed so the gear was loaded into my van and we were on the road by 6 am.

At 8:50 am we set out from the parking lot at the Num Ti Ja Lodge, Beacons tested, then making our way across the lake, the morning light revealing socked in conditions up high. A relatively uneventful ski up through the meadows and tree section brought us to the first canyon just east of the glaciers' moraine. Time to separate ourselves by at least 20m, and ski fast through heavily loaded slopes that could sluff just enough snow to push you into the creek upside down or worse, play hide-n-seek with your body while the rest of the crew dug furiously to find you. Patrice went first and as I passed Jeff next, I heard it slip out under his breath, "this is where it gets real".

For the uninitiated, ski touring (skiing uphill) can be a lot of work. It becomes very focused work when your trying to safely move through dangerous avalanche prone areas. In no time at all we skied out above the canyon to the east slope of a large cirque facing across towards two huge rock bands climbing 500m out of the snow filled creek below. I was getting tired, the boots I borrowed were killing my feet, but the view was amazing as the landscape had changed dramatically in such a short time. My dreamy admiration of our environment was snapped away in an instant when I heard Jeff mention to Pat that, "we should be about half-way right now".

Now I could really feel the energy slipping away from my core and I needed some point in this miniature rock and ice universe to focus on. Some goal to push myself emotionally as I knew that I had made the mistake of going too light on breakfast. Pat pointed out the Bow hut above us, which is a strange site at first. Such a vast stroke of granite, snow and ice punctuated by something so alien, a huge hut tethered to a flat bench of rock with cables and chains. Good enough for me, so remote and at the same time an anchor of potential comfort.

One step, then another. Simple rhythm to keep the mind at bay while floating in in this snowy white-out. I check my watch and realize it is noon, three hours in and we are almost there. No stop at the hut for a break, just a few minutes out of the wind, to get some food into our now depleted systems. I am feeling like crap, can't focus and questioning my ability to keep going while still having enough energy to get back down. This may not be the hardest thing I have ever done physically but I know for sure that I am punishing myself. I know my feet are ground hamburger, and it is too late to recover with food. The price I pay to learn this lesson for which I guarantee, will never forget again.

An hour later we are on top of the glacier digging a snow pit for a base, unpacking the kites and having lunch. I am worked but slowly filling with energy, scanning the horizon like a bug on a giant white table cloth. To the North between two outcropings of rock is a solid line of snow about 900m across which Jeff tells us is the tongue. The tongue of a glacier is where it terminates and drops off whatever feature is rests above. To the East is another white line of snow, this one curved up and to the right where it meets with a rocky spire above the snow field behind us. Everything else is just white, wind gusting from the South, bringing with it large flakes to cover our tracks.

I can't speak for everyone, but when I did get my kite up and cruising, I forgot about all the pain and work it took to get there. The sun would burn through the clouds of snow for seconds at a time and you could see everything. Like being on top of the world for a moment, I felt so small yet so in touch with this place. I could feel every gust pushing the kite, I could hear my heart pounding in my chest, pure focus on everything I did in this extreme environment. You could get sucked off the end of the glacier or drop into a not so covered crevasse in a second. The exhilaration and fear while ripping across the glacier flooded my body with adrenaline and a simple satisfaction. I was happy to be here and proved to myself that I could do it.

All good things come to an end. Pat had a great session and confidence re builder after a nasty gust almost laid him out. Chris nailed his turns and covered a lot of distance. Jeff rocked it and showed us boldness and respect while riding in such a potentially dangerous location. It was an amazing experience shared by the four of us.

I will never forget being up there, or even the tough trek up. We followed the rules, played it safe, respected our environment and the dangers that were attached to it. We pushed ourselves and found ourselves, the people we really are. Kite skiing has progressed so much for me this year, it almost feels like a different sport. But I think I have progressed as well this year and am starting to realize what is really important. aside from my family, spending time in the mountains sharing my passions with extraordinary people is undeniably important.

a lot of people in this world often ask, "what is the meaning of life"? I sincerely believe that as long as your Living It, that question is not important.

Conditions: Spray Gets Snow

Barrett Reports:

After hearing rumors of fresh snow in the mountains this past week Patrice, Chris, Allister and I all met up at spray to see things had improved. Well, they had!! There was 4-6 inches of fresh stuff and the wind was blowing hard at about 25-35 kmh. It wasn’t long before we were looking for our smaller kites. We certainly weren’t alone either. There were a good 20 kites out on the lake at one time, more than I’ve ever seen at spray. But don’t worry there should be plenty of pow to go around for a while yet. We all got in about 3 or 4 hours of solid riding and went home tired and happy. Oh and by the way watch for hidden cracks in the ice on banks. I almost left half my arm in one today.

Not The Same At All

This morning Patrice and Chris picked me up at the Petro-Can on our way out to Sunshine Village for some back country kiting. I really thought I knew what was in store but as we got closer to the hill I started to have doubts.

Driving up the mountain was like going from summer to mid-winter in a flash. The snow was coming down hard and wet while almost every person in Calgary was calling in sick and heading up to the hill. In the parking lot I nervously climbed into my gear. Partially scared and somewhat excited at the same time. The reality of what we were about to do was coming on fast, possibilities of getting stuck down in a bowl or worse, getting towed into a solid object in deep snow.

Pat's Guide friend showed up, we the took two lifts that our XC pass was good for and dropped into the first big meadow just East of the Strawberry Chair. We crossed under the orange line and found a clear spot to launch the kites. Now kites can be a pain to manage lines during setup but in this case, it was an exhausting task. You can't do it on skis so walking to the kite and back in waist deep powder was frustrating. Launching was OK and I did pull myself up hill a little but by this time I had two malfunctions and was ready to go home. Chris was having even more troubles down below the boundary and if he hadn't fixed them and flown uphill when we crawled out of there, he would have been stuck for sure.

About an hour later we had made our way over to Mt. Standish where our guide again met us and pointed past the boundary rope. We dropped in about 75 feet to bottom of a long couloir with just about a 10 percent uphill to the north. Just like the last meadow there were trees and rocks at 50m spacing but this time the wind was uphill. This location was slightly more wind packed so easier to stay up and the wind was about 30-35km. On the lakes 35km is nasty but up here you wanted more.

It was absolutely one of the most amazing things I have ever done. Dipping the kite into the power zone and letting it rocket back, I was being pulled not just uphill but upwind. At least I think it was upwind, there was so much varied terrain and rocks and trees and deep snow it was sensory overload. Stressful to start but soon I realized that this is what it is about, and the experience is so much different. I began bending my knees and pulling my skis together, the wind got stronger and I felt I could actually relax. My legs were still screaming with the burn but now I could park the kite and rip up the hill with full power. At one point I must have made 4 big powered turns while staying on top of the snow across the meadow, back and forth. Those 4 turns and cruisers made it all worth it. Such a different experience, dealing with such power but being able to glide over such deep pow, incredible!

A little after 2 we kite-looped our way along the boundary till we got to the Standish Express. Here we enjoyed the last bit of leg burn, packed up the kites, and excitedly exchanged our experiences of kiting in the back country. Sure there were some troubles but a lot was learned by three guys who have just started going out of bounds kiting.

Now I am at home, legs are pumped full of lactic acid, brain is full of serotonin, heart is recovering from the exertion and Red Bull, and I don't remember a recent time that I was this happy about a trip. In fact I can't wait to do it again.

Results: Poker Run

Well it went off, the first ever Crossfield Powerkiting Spray Lakes Poker Run. After a slightly late start the crew went out on the lake to find 5 dealer stations at 1 km distances, for a total layout of about 10 kms. The day was clear, blue with great wind (20-25 all day).

There were a few technical issues with kites but for the most part, it worked out well and the guys were happy with the chance to work on skills relating to a goal. Barrett was the first to finish with a full hand and Greg finished with this being the first time going so far upwind.

Back at the launch site we opened our envelopes and played our hands. Chris, Pat's invite for the day ended up taking the shirt as well as the pot. Nice way to start his intro to the club. I didn't tell him though that the membership fees are $140 dollars.

Thanks to everyone who came out. We have a great group of guys who understand the value of getting out, and having a good time in the mountains doing what we love to do. I look forward to doing this again next year.

An Exciting Time

Today Heli-Al, and I had a super quick session at the Ghost. Tons of kiters out there rippin up the perfect 25km all day.

As we were coming off I met a kiter from Canmore who tells me that him and his business partner have applied for and recieved a license for a new kite school that will be operating on Spray Lake next winter. Along with that we started talking about promoting the sport and possibly a new kiting association. They sound really cool and if their website gets up and running, that means morning posts from Spray so we will never be skunked again. More details to follow but sounds promising and I will be working with them in the next few weeks to make sure we are plugged in to what they are offering.

Stay tuned.