Seems Oz may actually get a snow season this year.
To celebrate Woodys is considering the possibility of a group trip to Aust's finest snow fields - Mt. Hotham of course - for a taste of snow-kiting.

Anyone interested pls contact us - 0430 WOODYS.
We will reserve places according to the order of enquiries received.
No need for snow-kiting experience but a reasonable level of competence on water would be advisable.
Details on our website if things start to fall into place but its just an idea seeking feedback at this stage.

$$$?

Not sure yet?
There are quite a few bits and pieces to check out & then add up.
But it aint going to be cheap !!
As soon as you add 'snow' into the equation it is always top rates for everything.
At least with kiting Lift Tickets isnt one of them

Testing the 'depth of snow' here with this post thinking about a shared chalet of 10 - 14 ppl.
Any less is either bunk houses or totally prohibitive.
Thinking also 7 - 10 days around mid July - mid Aug. High season but its no good paying anything without a guarantee of snow. Been there - done that - its sad sad sad.

But all still very much up to what you guys might like. The 7 - 10 days is probably a min. as you have to factor in return flights to Vic. as well.
Have to have enough time to totally kill your body or it just wouldnt be worth the travel costs.

There have been a few threads re snow kiting in oz lately and in previous years .Ithink they have been moved to the snowkiting section . I won't drone on in this thread but you might find some useful info here www.seabreeze.com.au/forums/Land-Kiting/Snowkiting/

Thanks Mr Float. Ive been a regular++ for years here and didnt even know it was there. Sure to be lots there for us to research.
But this post is to try to find out if there are any WA kite surfers who may like a trip to the snow. Im sure not too many of them check the snow-kiting sub menu so hope this post gets a run?

Re:
www.seabreeze.com.au/forums/Land-Kiting/Snowkiting/

There are no recent posts for kiting NSW,

Quick Question:

Whats the best wind directions for Thredbo?

Where do you get the best wind forecasts and Live wind readings?

Are there any wind directions not recommended for Thredbo?

Some photos of Thredbo form 2 years ago

https://picasaweb.google.com/christian.vanderplaat/SnowKite#

Select to expand quote

GriffinKites said...

Re:
www.seabreeze.com.au/forums/Land-Kiting/Snowkiting/

There are no recent posts for kiting NSW,

Quick Question:

Whats the best wind directions for Thredbo?

Where do you get the best wind forecasts and Live wind readings?

Are there any wind directions not recommended for Thredbo?

Some photos of Thredbo form 2 years ago

https://picasaweb.google.com/christian.vanderplaat/SnowKite#

yes there are ,the thread is "snowkiting areas nsw/vic"
www.seabreeze.com.au/forums/Land-Kiting/Snowkiting/snow-kiting-areas-nswvic/

It looks like there is alot more interest in snowkiting this year .There are a few of us old hacks that are more than happy to show noobies (not kite noobies though excellent skills and lots of hours on the water are a must )around NSW in particular and share our stoke .Keep an eye out in the hookup section for groups going down (big or small) Snowkiting is very opportunistic so there might only be a few days or even a day or 2's notice .I am a weaterwatching fanatic and over the years me and my snowkite mates have figured out when its gonna be good with around 5 days notice sometimes .

It looks like there is alot more interest in snowkiting this year .There are a few of us old hacks that are more than happy to show noobies (not kite noobies though excellent skills and lots of hours on the water are a must )around NSW in particular and share our stoke .Keep an eye out in the hookup section for groups going down (big or small) Snowkiting is very opportunistic so there might only be a few days or even a day or 2's notice .I am a weaterwatching fanatic and over the years me and my snowkite mates have figured out when its gonna be good with around 5 days notice sometimes .

Select to expand quote

Mr float said...

It looks like there is alot more interest in snowkiting this year .There are a few of us old hacks that are more than happy to show noobies (not kite noobies though excellent skills and lots of hours on the water are a must )around NSW in particular and share our stoke .Keep an eye out in the hookup section for groups going down (big or small) Snowkiting is very opportunistic so there might only be a few days or even a day or 2's notice .I am a weaterwatching fanatic and over the years me and my snowkite mates have figured out when its gonna be good with around 5 days notice sometimes .

just in case we missed it the first 2 times

To get a decent deal on return flights we need to look at booking soon.
All up for 10 days it looks like coming in somewhere between $2500 & $3000 from Perth & return.
This includes all airfares, 25kg luggage, transfers, pretty sweet private accomodation, all meals and at least one night out at some cruisey style restaurant/night spot. We should also have a few Flysurfer foils available for participants to try/share etc.
Very early days though?

We need to know if people are considering it so we can keep planning knowing we have the nos. Only 3 responses so far. Minimum to get good flight rates & a private chalet is 10 kiters confirmed in the next 2 weeks.
You could also use the trip as a ski or snowboard holiday if you like. The whole group doesnt have to snow kite every day. Lift tickets etc would then be extra (approx $100 per day)
We will have one qualified snowboard & kite instructor in the group for anyone who may be feeling a little 'new experience' nervous.

I found these vids that shows what the backcountry of NSW can be like(they are not snowkite vids but give an idea of the area) .Watsons crags is quite a mission to get to and I have not been there myself ,I generally stay around the Thredbo area making sure that there is a pretty good down wind or downhill run back to Thredbo or dead horse gap . You might have seen me talking about cauliflower ice .you can see the person standing in a field of it around 2.18 in the first vid . you get fields of it like this is very exposed areas especially ridges .They are kite and line eating areas don't crash .there is usuallyvery nice stashes of windblown snow on the downwind side of them tho

the area at the end of this vid is ideal kiting terrain you will find lots of bits like this out the back of thredbo

heres an oldie ( c kites with little dpower ,brave but it looked like an ideal day .often its either nukin or nuthin ,days like the one in this can be a bit rare don't despair tho I ve had great days on 10m lines in winds around 30-40 kts ,you can often find a bit that isn't quite as mad as others on the nukin days ),I'm not really sure where they are tho

This one is over at twin valleys (which is to the right of Thredbo as you look up from the carpark ) Its not an area that I have kited by the snow quality will give you an idea of why I go for an extended stay in September .When its patchy at the bottom and elephant snot on resort runs its like skiing mid season fresh in the backcountry
(the snow is actually more consistent ) the other thing is that even in the resort there is no one there .we skied windless or nukin days in the resort last year and were still skiing corduroy groomed in the arv or fresh snow 2 days after the snow had fallen .Its my fave time of year down there and its much cheaper for the point of max snow depth in the season

Not that Ill be able to go, but why Hotham? It seems like a long drive from Melb.
I went to Thredbo last year and it was only a couple hours drive from Canberra Airport.

Hope you get the numbers though, would be a good trip.

hey its cheaper to fly to nz and snowkite there.. than it is to board in australia!! im off to snowkite and board in aug in queenstown... kiting cardrona and snowpark. Any other kiters keen? going from 12th - 24th AUG

Yeah i'd say NZ would cost about the same...me and 3 mates did two and a bit weeks in NZ with a car for 3K each, take out a few lift tickets plus awesome snow/wind and i think it would be a far more attractive option...

My question is Do normal clubs/fields let you snow kite? Wouldnt lifts ect limit you? I'd think most places would see you more of a danger than anything...i guess back country would be pretty amazing but you'd need balls to just go kite the place without local knowledge (NZ i mean)

The drive from Christchurch to the west coast has some awesome (i mean AWESOME!) places to ski/board, wonder how kiting would go there?... interesting thread!

We costed NZ first but couldnt come up with the same figures. If you are going by yourself I think it could possibly be cheaper but for our trip its all about the group savings - and the group fun of course.
Still trying to get better prices on snowboard hire but cost of our trip will be under $3000. Thats for everything unless you want to go skiing or boarding; in which case you would need to add on lift tickets (approx $100 per day)
As per usual kiting costs you nada
Downhill enthusiasts are welcome by the way.
Check our web site.

My trip i just payed for in NZ 12 days at queenstown twin share room, lift passes 8 days with all mountain access. car hire with chains. free bbqs and breakfast daily. discounted pub crawls and activities like bungy etc. came to 1098. then i got flights with qantas for 900 but i used frequent flyers. so nothing. my mate is flying jet star and its costing him 600 for flights..

not a bad deal all up i reckon!

Tim from Snow Kite NZ runs some pretty good missions through to September. And there's always WannaKite late August with over 50 kiters hitting the SnowFarm - good crew and times! Fly directly into Queenstown and set up camp, or land at Christchurch with a 4hr drive to Wanaka. Follow the fb page for more info:
www.facebook.com/events/115804725110050/

Cheers - Stefan

Hey Air banners,
is there any decent forums or clubs that i can hook up with some other snow kiters for the few days im in queenstown kting.. would you recommend only bring like a 9 mt? also do you guys use waist harnesses? (riding up on the outside or underneath and lifting your outers up) Ill be there in aug..
cheers
stevo

Hey lowstevo,

In the shop I have an Ozone snow kite harness. Sort of like a bigger version of a climbing harness but more comfy and with a spreader bar and pad. They are designed to go over snow attire and breath so you don't end up sweating as you do with a waist harny. They are a one size fits all design.

The shops open on Saturdays.

Cheers,

DM

Those harnesses are really airy and light, but have very little back support. If you have any lower back problems I wouldn't touch them. Having said that some people love them and have used them on water.

Sorry to those few who were interested.
The trip just didnt get the nos. required. Have to drop our accomodation options today so its not going to happen this year.

Hopefully I'll still get a few days for myself at Buller (Mt. Stirling - for kiting) but my dream trip to the mother of Ozzy mountains (imo) is not going to happen.


We will try again with a bit more advance notice next year so if you think you may like something like what was described (hastily) this year give me a call asap so we can build early.

The way its going here WA today it feels like we may ski-ing on the Darling ranges any time soon.

NB this was not a Woodys commercial money grab (for those who may choose to pile poo on Ozzy retailers). Just a genuine cost sharing attempt to have a holiday with great people doing what we all love best. The offer of instructors etc was only because our experienced staff were also keen to come along - at their own expense.

Banner to be replaced with our June sale - way more boring but better for business (I hope)

Hey AKS, i will be in when i get back to perth to check out that harness in a week and a half!

If anyones keen, to go snow kiting come to NZ from 12- 24 aug.. will be snowboarding and kiting.. staying in queenstown and just do mission from there...
It is SO CHEAP atm... alot cheaper than australia!

anyways keen shoot along :)