Wind Mountaineering Equipment

Here is an excellent Ozone Snow Kite Movie about wind mountaineering using traction kites. The movie starts with ski mountaineers  skinning up, much later the Ozone kite team arrive and race to the top in just a matter of minutes. The point isn’t that the ascent is faster, it is of course, but it is so much more fun.  Racing uphill using a traction kite is to experience a pure backcountry freedom. Which equipment is better suited for alpine ascent? We like the UpSki for several reasons including it’s wind range and ease of use on steep terrain. In the right terrain the kite looks like a blast as well.  However you get back there ….

It is Bud’s Birthday and like the rest of us he is ready to get into the backcountry for some more UpSkiing. Bud and Tanya skied Aspen Highlands Sunday, Breckenridge on Friday and Saturday. I skied with Greg Dietl Friday morning. We have been getting some great snow!

Jon Harrington and I skied A Basin and Montezuma Bowl this morning. A shift of wind to the Northwest kept up from UpSkiing on Jon’s Birthday. We had a run down before clouds, wind and snow white-ed us out. The new lift is excellent and reaches well down the backside of the ‘basin. Here is a picture from last year, before the bowl was lift served. Here is the slide show for that day.