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-	The art of Kitesnowboarding

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The Technique

Before starting to learn kitesnowboarding, it is recommended that you already have some experience flying a traction kite. If you have never flown a traction kite, please review the Kite piloting and the Kite power controlling sections before proceeding.

It is also recommended to review the whole HowTo section of kitesurfing as the techniques used in kitesurfing (a bidirectional board) and kitesnowboarding is identical.

How To Start?

Foils:

Lay your kite on the ground and put enough snow on its trailing edge to keep it in place. Click here to see a picture.Release the lines from you control bar or handles and attach your safety leash to your wrist or harness. Click here to see a picture.If you use a closed-cell foil that has pre-inflation valves (such as the New Wave or JoJo Wet), open them now to pre-inflate the kite (close the valve after the kite is 1/2 to 3/4 inflated)..Get your boots in your snowboard binding.Launch the kite (if you are on ice, use the edge of your snowboard to stop yourself from getting dragged downwind). If you are using a closed cell foil, make sure you maintain the tension on the front lines to let the wind fill the kite for approximately 60 seconds before launching. Click here to see a picture.Dive the kite in the direction where you want to go. You may have to point your snowboard down wind or in a broad reach direction first and then turn upwind once you have gather enough speed.

Inflatables:

Put the kite down on snow, leading edge toward the wind, one tip of the kite is on the sand the other tip is in the air. The kite looks like a vertical "C" with the leading edge facing the wind. Fold the kite tip and put enough snow on it to keep it from moving around.If you are not using step-in binding, get in you binding now.Hold the control bar and position yourself such that kite is at the wind window edge respective to your position (the kite is either 85 degrees to the left or the right of you with its leading edge facing the wind).If you use a 4 line inflatable, adjust your trim strap to put the kite in a depowered mode.Attach the safety leash to your wrist or harness. Don't hook in or shackle in to your kite until after you have launched you kite.Pull on the control bar and the line nearest to the ground to unfold the tip and release the kite from the sand.Pull the top line (the line farthest from the ground) to move the kite up.Step in your binding if you have not done so in step 3.Adjust the trim strap to power up your kite (and shackle in if you normally ride shackled in).Dive the kite in the direction where you want to go. You may have to point your snowboard down wind or in a broad reach direction first and then turn upwind once you have gather enough speed.

How To Get Going?

Similar to kitesurfing, if you have enough power to get going, simply lock your kite at 30 - 60 degrees in the forward moving direction.If you don't have enough power, move your kite in a sine wave pattern to get going.To turn the snowboard upwind, edge harder and put more pressure on the tail/back of the snowboardTo turn the snowboard downwind, flatten the snowboard

It's best to keep a wide stance between your feet for maximum stability at speed.

As opposed to downhill snowboarding where you keep most of the pressure on your front foot, in kitesnowboarding, you should keep even pressure between your feet for more balance and control.

Photo by Claude

In lots of powder snow, you need straighten your front foot and bend your back foot to let the front tip of the snowboard float above the surface to go easier and faster.

How To Jibe?

With a snowboard, you don't need to jibe, just move the kite up, stop and then move the kite in the backward direction to move backward. You can perform a more "glamorous" jibe by simply jumping and then landing moving in the other direction (only do this once you have learned how to land smoothly as hard packed snow and ice are not very forgiving). The other option is to perform a fake jibe as when jibing a bidirectional board: move the kite up and carve the board downwind; when the kite is almost a zenith, edge the windward rail and slide the board down wind; the back foot now become the new front foot; dive the kite is the new direction to get going (also read the Jibing a bidirectional board section of kitesurfing).

How To Jump?

Jumping in kitesnowboarding is identical to jumping in kitesurfing. You can either jump with the help of a "ramp" or jumping with the help of your kite. Jumping with a ramp is very easy in kitesnowboarding. Jumping using the kite is a bit harder as you may have slightly less power from the kite than in kitesurfing in less snow condition; however, the faster speed on snowboard provides the needed line tension to jump even with less power from the kite.

If you want to jump high in kitesnowboarding, you should only do that in powder snow as ice and hard packed snow are not very forgiving.

Jumping in kitesnowboarding uses identical techniques as in kitesurfing. Read the Jumping section for more information.

How To Land?

Landing smoothly is somewhat optional in kitesurfing (especially when you are learning new tricks); however, it is a must in kitesnowboarding unless you want to break your bones. Read the Landing section for the technique of smooth landing in kitesnowboarding and kitesurfing.