Even if you think the wind is not there, the tree tips not moving an inch with lake Tahoe just flat glassy, it can actually blow 20 mph on the ridges. The 11m B7 was perfect for that. Tyler’s quiver is 8/11/14 – and his go to size is 11m. What you really need is somebody that knows the area, knows how to read the sensors at the top of the nearby ski resorts, and if you have the right guide with you, and we did in the person of F-One team rider Tyler Brown, the result is one magical day of snowkiting. We needed our touring gear and ski skin to go up from the main road and reach a ridge with a beautiful view of Kirkwood and Caples lake. We had a vast terrain just for us, not flat (of course!) but not crazy steep either. A lot of kiteboarders have had mixed results when trying to go snowkiting in the Sierra, because of lack of wind. Being an expert at predicting wind at your local beach spot does not make you an expert in the mountain ! Snowkiting is a lot of fun and you can go really fast, we were exhausted after a 2 hours session. If you are already a kiteboarder and a skier or snowboarder, you will pick up the sport in just 10sec. Ask our good friend Germain Michel, who was with us for his first ever snowkiting session, big smile at the end. Go out there, the Sierra is a beautiful place to snowkite. Hire Tyler if you need a guide, this is the best advice I can give you.
-Nico Ostermann
