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Snowkiting Tour Stop: Skyline, Utah
Posted Thursday, December 6, 2007
Skyline, Utah November 30 - December 3, 2007
Friday, November 30, 2007
Trees covered with heavy snow after overnight blizzard at Skyline
“Lets go to Montana,” Jake says, because there just was no snow in Utah. Well “was” is the key word in the last sentence because it is finally winter here! It is a shame to leave Utah when there is snow on the ground, but our plan was to go to Montana. We had to get the trailer, pick up the sleds from the shop, and pick up as many rails as we can fit in the trailer. When the snow began to fly, we headed off to Skyline instead.
The Skyline trip was a good chance for us to take the trailer out for a shake down. Since we had spent the whole day filling it with toys, we were stoked to use them. Doing our first run with this equipment feels better an hour from home instead of Montana.
After checking into the Skyline Motel, we were stoked to find out we would have company for the weekend. Our friend and snowkite team member, Ryan, would be joining us for the weekend and he was bringing the “Aztec warrior,” Sal, with him! These guys are part of our local crew and we all get wet together while we wait for winter terrain to get covered.
Utah local snowkiters Ryan, Sal Aztec Warrior, and Billy
Climbing the road to Skyline has always been hard in the snow. Climbing it before the plow and towing a 24-foot enclosed snowmobile trailer was an adventure complete with us digging out after getting stuck trying to turn into the new parking lot. But after a few wasted hours we pumped up and had at it.
I was excited to pump up the new Nemesis, and there was enough wind to put up the 10m since that’s the largest size we have right now. Jake pumped up a 16m Bularoo and disappeared into the white out conditions. We were greeted by a handful of local friends and I ran around helping everyone get kites. I finished just in time to watch Kody (Jake's brother in-law) launch the HP and ride away into the white out. Perhaps Kody did me a favor though, since Jake came back with the 16m and handed it off to me. I had a great powered session although the stormy winds and soft snow made the conditions tough. It was great to log some tacks at Mile Marker 14; a spot we will be doing demos out of for many weekends this year. But due to the nasty weather we spent more time hiding in the trailer or behind the new pit toilets enjoying the company of friends. And all kiting that happened was in your own surreal world. Sometimes the visibility was so bad you could easily lose your bearings, so most of us just stuck close by and checked in every now and then. There were several spouses worried about their other halves somewhere out there.
So after kiting, the four of us where stoked when Brian and Heather from Windzup invited us to their house for a BBQ. We had a great time socializing, eating great food, and visiting with friends we have not seen since last winter. But we all knew the storm would pass and bluebird skies would take over Bosco’s background. Sleep was the priority and with the exception of a late night appearance of the Aztec warrior, Sal, (who likes to stand up screaming in Spanish at the top of his lungs in his sleep) we awoke filled up with a meal from the Home Plate and ventured up the now well plowed road.
Home Plate’s Breakfast meal
We were ready to do our part as locals and put as many reaches as we could to help pack the new snow to a sick base for the visitors the rest of the year. Even if it meant looping up the hill and riding down it all day, that’s how much we care about taking care of our local spots. Luckily we had plenty of friends to help, Ryan and Sal did their part making tons of reaches and lots of stylish airs!
Bosco’s hill Track
Jake spent the day only riding down half the hill, so as to save some powder for the rest of us. He was nice enough to just glide down to the bottom over hundreds of feet of pow so everyon e could get some fresh tracks. He was so considerate, it motivated Ryan and I to try the same. The sweet thing about the gliding is the powered loops at the bottom. Sure, you could just land, but heck, why not yank yourself in the opposite direction 20 feet high for fun. So that is what we did.
Jake’s Gliding
Ryan’s Gliding
Billy standing in the sky
Standing in sky!
Sunday, December 3, 2008
Sunday could have been the best day I have had snowkited all year, but when the weekend ended, we had to say goodbye to Ryan, Sal, and the rest of the kiters who had to get back to work. Jake and I almost had the whole place to ourselves. Mike and Kelly were out from New England to sample the goods and the four of us spent the day riding under bluebird skies, Jake and I again spent the day looping up Bosco’s and conserving the snow on the bottom of the hill and working on packing out the fields with some unhooked riding. It was great to just ride all day. Jake and I got packed just in time to see our third sunset in a row as we made our way back down the hill and back home.
Except the Snowblowing truck was there
We learned a bunch with our test run to Skyline. Like going 20 in a blizzard towing a trailer up hill is fun until there’s is a stuck Volvo in the middle of the road. We learned how to dig out a stuck truck trailer combo. We learned snowmobiles don’t always start, we learned not all the rails we want to bring fit in our trailer.
But best of all we learned it is winter and now we only need to hope it is windy, not if there is enough snow some thing as a snowkiter waits for all year!
Next week the saga continues as Jake and I head to Montana for sure, we will be introducing the trailer to the Best RV as we meet up with Sean Lee, Best US Sale Rep, after he makes the drive from South Florida to hand the keys over to Jake and I and we Kick off the Best RV winter tour with, well the RV!
~ Billy Bordy, Snowkiting Team Member
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