Snowkite Summit

Chip Wasson, kiteboarding racer, snowkiter and Snowkite Summit attendee had a great writeup of this year’s Snowkite Summit. If you haven’t read it, check it out on the Ozone website! Thanks again for everyone that made it. Can’t wait to see you this winter with more snow and even more stoke!

If you are looking for a collection of images from the Summit, check out this Flickr gallery.

The Snowkite Summit is over for this year, but the discussions are still just getting ramped up. With a great start, there are still critical details to work out about the start of an overseeing body for snowkiting and what we will do in North America regarding snowkite instructions and instructor certification. Your ideas and input will shape the future of the sport. Join the forum and work to make snowkiting what you want it to be.

Industry Association Discussions

Snowkiting Instruction Discussions

Take our survey and share your ideas and feedback about the Snowkite Summit.The survey is anonymous and we welcome any and all feedback!

Take the Survey

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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 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 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 www.driftsnowkitemag.com.

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

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After hundreds of hours of planning and preparation, the Snowkite Summit schedule of events is now available. Check out the Sessions and activities planned for the three-day event and download the flyer, now! See you at the Summit!

The schedule is an Adobe Acrobat file. You can download a free version of Acrobat Reader from Adobe.

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To help ensure exhibitors and participants make it to the sessions and events during the Snowkite Summit, we have created a map. You will find places to eat, the liquor store and the Triangle Lounge as well as the location of the Kite Hall and the event site.

The map is an Adobe Acrobat file. You can download a free version from Adobe.

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The December 2008 issue of Men’s Journal magazine has a piece on snowkiting, the snowkite mecca of Skyline, and the Snowkite Summit! Pick up an issue on the newstands starting November 18th! If you had any doubts about the fact that this season is going to be a big one for snowkiting, an article in Men’s Journal should answer it for you.

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Dimensions Snowkite Film

We will be hosting the Premiere of the Dimensions snowkite film at Fairview Hall at 7pm on Saturday. Come check out the action! Check out the teaser and see what the cutting edge of snowkiting looks like.

Preparations for the 2008 Snowkite Summit are underway.

Preparations for the 2008 Snowkite Summit are underway. The Summit will build on the excellent event last year with more days, more sessions, more fun and more kiters.

The update to this website is just the first step in the process. In the coming weeks you can expect announcements with details about this year’s sessions, accomodations, expert speakers, pricing and more. The momentum is building with this event and in the sport. It is a great time to be a snowkiter. Make plans to attend the 2008 Snowkite Summit!

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I sent out invitations to a small list of 2007 Summit participants and a few industry people and the industry is taking notice. Windzup and Ozone will be putting information about the site in their weekly news and others are starting to spread the idea. If you received the initial email or had it forwarded to you…Welcome! I am excited to have you visit the site and hope you will see the value in having a central forum for communicating with fellow snowkiters about the challenges, issues, and successes we are seeing in snowkiting. Please sign up on the forum and speak up. Your ideas and thoughts are important and will directly impact the course of snowkiting as it develops into a major sport and industry. There are lots of ways you can participate. If you are a retailer, speak up and discuss the challenges facing you as a retailer in the Retailer Forum. As an instructor, this is a brave new world. PASA and IKO have snowkite certification programs, but do they serve your needs? A new certification program is currently being developed. What would you like to see included in a teaching standard? What do your students want? The key to successfully growing the sport of snowkiting is to provide an easy path to quality instruction. Share your thoughts in the Instruction Forum. If you are exploring new areas and new techniques, there are forums dedicated to helping you share your experience and learn from others. Thanks for your participation!